Health Issues
What Health issues were there?
There were many health issues in Ancient Egypt. One of the main problems was river parasites. River parasites entered via the feet or legs of victims, often when they were wading in non-flowing water for agricultural irrigation. They could also be found in drinking water. Once the parasites entered the body, they laid eggs in the bloodstream, meaning they would multiply inside the victim. The effect of these parasites was a weakened immune system which left them more susceptible to diseases. Another issue was nutrition deficiency from not having a varied diet. This was most common in poorer citizens as they couldn't afford a range of food. Iron deficiency or Anaemia was very common and was caused by a mostly cereal diet with not much iron. However, the Ancient Egyptians had quite a good diet compared with other civilisations around the same time. Because Egypt is such a hot, sandy place, infections were quite common from all the dirt and sand entering the eyes and lungs. Egyptians also had a lot of bone problems. Arthritis was quite common and was caused by cartilage wearing away as they grew older. They also had issues with their teeth. They had cavities and their teeth were worn away by the sand particles blowing around. They also had abscesses in their teeth which if they weren't drained could cause death. Men doing manual work often had injuries such as fractures. People also had wounds from wars such as axe wounds and spear piercings. Illnesses were believed to be cause by an angry God or spirit. Spinal tuberculosis and polio were both common diseases.
What was their sanitation and nutrition like?
Hygiene was very poor during child birth. Many women died from too many pregnancies straight after the other as Egyptians wanted big families. Women also caught diseases from bad hygiene standards during childbirth such as puerperal fever. However, the general everyday hygiene was quite good. They bathed regularly to keep clean and used oils and creams to stop their skin drying out in the sun. Everyone shaved their entire bodies to appear more civilised and avoid head lice. The ancient Egyptians had a very cereal based diet as bread was their main food. They ate a variety of vegetables including peas, beans, lentils, Egyptian lettuce, onion, leek and garlic. They also ate a few fruits and other sweeter foods such as grapes, dates, raisins, Egyptian plums and honey. They had both meat and dairy products from the cattle, sheep and goats they kept.
How did society protect itself from disease and ill health
They Egyptians had multiple ways to protect themselves against disease, a few are still in use today. They avoided eating animals they considered unclean including fish. They also had mosquito nets during hotter periods to prevent bites but we are unsure if they knew about malaria and were trying to prevent that. They bathed regularly to keep clean and wore eye paint which may have been to help prevent eye infections. They also used oils and creams to stop their skin drying out in the sun. They often wore amulets to protect them from demons who would cause some sicknesses
What happened if people were sick?
The ancient Egyptians had highly advanced medical abilities and had people that specialised in certain fields of health and medicine. They had experts in dentistry who treated Diseases in the gums using herbs such as Myrrh. Doctors would often chant magical spells to help the patient. They also drained abscesses using round drainage holes. They used old wire to bind a loos tooth to another straight tooth to straighten it. If people were fatally sick no treatment was given to them and they were left to die. If they were deemed curable they were given medicinal herbs. Injuries were bandaged using willow leaves and could be sown up quite well be ancient Egyptian doctors.
What was the infant mortality rate and expected life span?
Most ancient Egyptians were unlikely to live past 40 and many women died in childbirth. About a third of newborns would die but as they got older, their chances of survival increased as they grew. Babies were less susceptible to infection while breast feeding as the milk helps fight disease.