What were some Prevalent Health Issues, Health Practices and Life Expectancies in Ancient Egypt?
Diseases and Health Issues
One of the most prevalent illnesses in ancient Egypt was a variety of dental diseases. Scientists have carried out an investigation on over 3,000 mummies and 18% of them had symptoms of a dental disorder. Examples of these issues were cavities, periodontal gum disease, abscesses and worn teeth. Ancient Egyptians teeth were very easily worn out because coarse, inorganic particles got into their foods. The main type of food that contained these particles was bread and in most cases, the teeth would be worn down as far as the enamel. Most of these particles are believed to be quartz with small traces of feldspar, mica, hornblende and many other rock fragments were present in their food as well. These particles came from multiple sources but the most predominant source was probably all the sand that was blown from the desert. These fragments also may have come from both the tools the Egyptians used to harvest the foods they ate and the particles already contained in the soil that the farmers didn’t sieve out whilst harvesting. Additionally, the Egyptians ground their food with soft sandstone which may have contributed to the amount of course and fibrous particles in their food that wore their teeth down. Some other diseases that were commonly found in the civilisation of Ancient Egypt were Osteoarthritis cases, Malaria, Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and the infectious diseases such as Middle Ear Disease (bacterial or viral infection of the air space behind the ear drum), Tuberculosis, and Gangrenous Stomatitis. Gangrenous Stomatitis is a mostly fatal, death and decomposition of body tissue caused by obstruction of circulation or bacterial infection. This occurs in the cheek and gums that affects mostly children. Also, the Egyptians got a series of lung diseases such as pneumonia because there was a presence of carbon in their lungs thought to have been caused by inhaling smoke from oil lamps and fires. Yet another factor in the ancient Egyptians environment that caused ill health, were various parasites that reproduced in the Nile River such as the Schistosoma worm. While Egyptians waded through the river, most commonly during agriculture season, these Schistosoma worms would enter the human through the feet or legs and lay eggs in their bloodstream. They travelled to multiple internal organs and made the person very weak and prone to other diseases. However the Schistosoma worm didn't prove deadly alone. Another parasite that harmed the ancient Egyptians was the guinea worm which made it way into humans by living in their drinking water. These Guinea Worms, like the Schistosoma worm, preferred to lay their eggs inside the humans feet or legs so they travelled there to do so.
Health Practices
In ancient Egypt, there were multiple doctors that like us, that specialised in certain fields. The most popular fields that doctors specialised in were Pharmacology, Dentistry, Gynecology (medicine specific to women and girls), Crude Surgical Procedures, General Healing, Autopsy (examination of the dead), and Embalming (preservation from decay, mummification). A lot of these health practices caused pain to the person being treated but this was easily treated in ancient Egypt because the ancient Egyptians were very knowledgable about the medicinal properties of certain substances. For example they used beer and the opium plant for pain relief and willow tree leaves to create aspirin. For the surgical procedures, the ancient Egyptians had very vast knowledge on the materials to carve the tools. Instead of using steel, the ancient Egyptians used obsidian scalpels because it was 100-110 times sharper than steel and was more smooth, preventing excessive scarring.
Average Life Expectancy
Despite the availability of such vast health practices, the ancient Egyptians lived a short life. The average Egyptian man would live for between 40-45 years and the average Egyptian woman would live for between 30-35 years. It is thought that the average ancient Egyptian women lived a life 10 years shorter than the men, due to childbirth and the extreme dangers the mothers are prone to. The poor hygiene of the environment they gave birth in, made them very susceptible to diseases which were either deadly, or caused their health to weaken and develop deadly problems.
One of the most prevalent illnesses in ancient Egypt was a variety of dental diseases. Scientists have carried out an investigation on over 3,000 mummies and 18% of them had symptoms of a dental disorder. Examples of these issues were cavities, periodontal gum disease, abscesses and worn teeth. Ancient Egyptians teeth were very easily worn out because coarse, inorganic particles got into their foods. The main type of food that contained these particles was bread and in most cases, the teeth would be worn down as far as the enamel. Most of these particles are believed to be quartz with small traces of feldspar, mica, hornblende and many other rock fragments were present in their food as well. These particles came from multiple sources but the most predominant source was probably all the sand that was blown from the desert. These fragments also may have come from both the tools the Egyptians used to harvest the foods they ate and the particles already contained in the soil that the farmers didn’t sieve out whilst harvesting. Additionally, the Egyptians ground their food with soft sandstone which may have contributed to the amount of course and fibrous particles in their food that wore their teeth down. Some other diseases that were commonly found in the civilisation of Ancient Egypt were Osteoarthritis cases, Malaria, Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and the infectious diseases such as Middle Ear Disease (bacterial or viral infection of the air space behind the ear drum), Tuberculosis, and Gangrenous Stomatitis. Gangrenous Stomatitis is a mostly fatal, death and decomposition of body tissue caused by obstruction of circulation or bacterial infection. This occurs in the cheek and gums that affects mostly children. Also, the Egyptians got a series of lung diseases such as pneumonia because there was a presence of carbon in their lungs thought to have been caused by inhaling smoke from oil lamps and fires. Yet another factor in the ancient Egyptians environment that caused ill health, were various parasites that reproduced in the Nile River such as the Schistosoma worm. While Egyptians waded through the river, most commonly during agriculture season, these Schistosoma worms would enter the human through the feet or legs and lay eggs in their bloodstream. They travelled to multiple internal organs and made the person very weak and prone to other diseases. However the Schistosoma worm didn't prove deadly alone. Another parasite that harmed the ancient Egyptians was the guinea worm which made it way into humans by living in their drinking water. These Guinea Worms, like the Schistosoma worm, preferred to lay their eggs inside the humans feet or legs so they travelled there to do so.
Health Practices
In ancient Egypt, there were multiple doctors that like us, that specialised in certain fields. The most popular fields that doctors specialised in were Pharmacology, Dentistry, Gynecology (medicine specific to women and girls), Crude Surgical Procedures, General Healing, Autopsy (examination of the dead), and Embalming (preservation from decay, mummification). A lot of these health practices caused pain to the person being treated but this was easily treated in ancient Egypt because the ancient Egyptians were very knowledgable about the medicinal properties of certain substances. For example they used beer and the opium plant for pain relief and willow tree leaves to create aspirin. For the surgical procedures, the ancient Egyptians had very vast knowledge on the materials to carve the tools. Instead of using steel, the ancient Egyptians used obsidian scalpels because it was 100-110 times sharper than steel and was more smooth, preventing excessive scarring.
Average Life Expectancy
Despite the availability of such vast health practices, the ancient Egyptians lived a short life. The average Egyptian man would live for between 40-45 years and the average Egyptian woman would live for between 30-35 years. It is thought that the average ancient Egyptian women lived a life 10 years shorter than the men, due to childbirth and the extreme dangers the mothers are prone to. The poor hygiene of the environment they gave birth in, made them very susceptible to diseases which were either deadly, or caused their health to weaken and develop deadly problems.