University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1910-01-20
MEDICINE PRINCIPLES
ARE 1000 YEARS OLD

20 Dr. James j. " aiSQ, dean OF ln'
r'ordham University School OF Medi
cine. who delivered recently al ex
haustive address on The Medical Pro
fession for 5000 Years" to the gradu
ating class.
| Among the interesting statement:
. made in the course OF the address
which appears in a late issue OF The
New York Medical Journal, are the
following:
The first picture that We have OF
physician in history is indeed one
- make Us proud OF our profession
This first physician was I-ea.-hetep
whose name means the bringer OF
peace He had TWO other titles. &C
corGi.g 10 tradition. one OF which
was the master Of secratS,' evidently
II reference 70 the fact that more Or
less necessarily. many secrets must
aa entrusted 70 the physician. but
also. doubtless. in connection with tn
knowledge ot the secrets OF the:apsti-
;!cs which he was supposed TO possess.
-.i-o'il~-, ol tie tues was that q
the scribe ci numbers b. which. p..-
hars reference is made % lis Pre-
s"r:p-ioas, which nay have been
lengthy 10" there are many 'cala2-
taE prescriptions III the cary da.;s.
2ot may Only Ie.er TO the necessity
4 %. ms HHo"!ES weights AID measures
ana i.Iilo&T5 EeI-- exactly fcr prot :
. ~-oAai purposes.
i-e:.!-EeteD ii"ed il the reiSn Of
N4.S -IASef' :; monarch OF the ihIro
dynasty IL ks.!t. tie date ot which
: somewhat uncertain, bit is aaop'
'"9' - I
! called attention in 1917 TO the
/ Iast tlat the earliest pictures o: surg
cal cpefaticHS eXtaEt had recently
'een uncovered IN tha cemetery OF
2aAkara' he&f Memphis, IN ESyrt.
( ;hese pictures show that surgery was
/ probably an organized branch Of medi
'he mus early. ana the fact that they
are louHa III very important toE!b
SHOWS Ec" prominent place in the
community tie surgeon held at that
time.
perhaps the most interesting thing
ABOUT this early history OF medicine
in Egypt is that with the very earliest
o""h Oh l-euica! history we have
. az = VI n's'-is Ce'e!oped speclalsm
~ '-eui'iie' l mere We're thirty-siX
~ p''' ''i'eii's vi iIleoicihe' or az least
'ii'i 'S-sA hieoicai dl'ln!-
'+@ ""o tiSsi"eo over 'f-e particular
p''t 10 u t'ie iIa'i!ah oouF. IN the
'"' SCI 'eAll'ie' al least there was
special corps OF priest-phEslclans ior
II o'e Vi 'Hese departments.
vi 'o"i % 1t Is easy 10 thlnk that
'"ese Spe'!aitties ana not amount to
''''' L. o"' az! suen 'housht Is the
NV eo' ass"'i4pttoh. A single instance
" IA si'o" So" no" completely at fault |
s"'tieu 10 pe very modern profession. |
tiiS''st Vi iact Nummles were
'0uiiu III 'iie 'eNi'sfS OF lhepes, whose /
"ouleS plopaolE come from before |
''oo b. u WHO nave in their teeth the /
'i..'iiie u soiu niiings that We're
wen put H. anu snow good workman
Sn'p' nearly 'o'o years ago.
With all this activity in Egypt. it
IS easy to understand that the other
great nations OF antiquity also have
important chapters in the history of
medicine. 1t seems clear that a work
on anatomy was written in China /
about the year 1000 B. C. Some of
the other Eastern nations made great
pToSress. The Hindus in particular
nave in recent years been shown to
have accomplished very good work in
hedlclne Itself. Charaka Hindu
who lived not later than 3n0
8. e., made some fine contributions
o medical literature in Hindustani.