Traditional
Egyptian Medicine ''Cupping Therapy''
Therapy
By Dr. Ahmed Helmy Saleh, PhD.
Kom Ombo Temple - Medicine reliefs by Kuznetsov_Sergey
The Egyptians
were one of the first civilizations to systematically document the practice
medicine.
The ancient Egyptians were the first to
use cupping therapy systematically.
The famous Veterinary papyrus (Egypt 2200
B.C.) & Ebers Papyrus, thought to be
the oldest medical textbook, written in approximately 1550 BC, in Egypt,
describes bleeding by cupping in order to remove the foreign matter from the
body’.
Among the Egyptians and the various nations inhabiting that
country, cupping appears to have been considered as a remedy for almost every
type of disease, as well as an important means of preserving health.
The cup
was known as the symbol of medicine which proves that this therapy was well
used.
Among the Egyptians, who introduced
bloodletting to Greece, cupping was the usual remedy for almost even disorder,
and they no doubt had received it from the more ancient nations of the East,
from whom they had derived their other knowledge.
‘From the Egyptians this ancient art was transferred to the Greeks
by Cecrops, who emigrated with his companions from Egypt established a colony
in Greece, and built the city of Athens in the ‘-ear of the World 2448;
although the prac ce is discovered to have existed among the civilized ancients
of other Countries, and even in the tribes of some uncultivated savages, yet
the origin of it is hid in obscurity, and no records or tradition remain, by
which its primary traces may be discovered. It is found that the natives of
America, the Hottentots, the Hindoos, the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands,
and of New Holland; the Japanese, and the Chinese have long practiced the
operation of Cupping.’ ‘It appears from another part of the works of
Hippocrates, that very large cups were employed by the more ancient Grecian Physicians
for the reduction of dislocation of the vertebrae from a supposition that the bones,
when protruded inwardly, might be restored to their proper position by the
suction of the Cups.’ ‘From Hippocrates, who died at the age of 101, at
Larissa, in Thessaly, 361 years before Christ, the art passed through the hands
of succeeding Physicians who Valued or Neglected it!’
Assessing the
sounds of the human body was reported in the ancient medical literature.
Amongst the earliest known medical manuscripts are the medical papyruses of
ancient Egypt dating to the seventeenth century B.C. The Egyptians were one of
the first civilizations to systematically document the practice medicine. The
first recognized physician was the Egyptian priest Imhotep, who many
consider to be the true father of medicine.
The Edwin Smith
Papyrus (seventeenth century B.C.) and the Georg Ebers Papyrus (sixteenth
century B.C.) are an instructional system of the diagnosis and practice of
medicine, which referred to audible signs of disease within the body. A
millennium later, Soranus of Ephesus identified uterine disease by sound
produced when the hand pressed on the abdomen. Egyptian methods of diagnosis used
information obtained by examination of the patient. These papyruses contain
astute diagnostic observations. For example, hernias were noted "When you
judge a swelling on the surface of the belly...what comes out...caused by
coughing." The papyruses also included both medical and mechanical means
of treatment. Indeed, the Wall of Twin Temple of Kom Ombo on Nile, which was
the center for medical care in ancient Egypt, has a hieroglyphic relief
depicting various medical and surgical instruments:
Shown above
is the image of the incised relief of the Wall of Temple of Kom Ombo. Many
instruments are labeled according to medical use, but some do not have a clear
purpose. Could the tube in the lower left corner of the relief between the
cupping vessels and shears have been a hearing device used as a stethoscope?
(Nunn, J. 1996. Ancient Egyptian Medicine. Norman: University of Oklahoma
Press. Page 165)
Glass cups were introduced Soon after the invention
on of glass itself (around 2500 BC, by the Egyptians). The drawings on the
entrance of one of the tombs in Luxor, Egypt clearly show a cupping set, most
probably made of glass, among other medical instruments
Reference :
Ilky Zihni Chiralli : Traditional Chinese Medicine Cupping Therapy
, churrchill livingstone , Edinburgh , 1999 .
here’s one more fun bit out of the latest STAR magazine about britney spears and the circular markings on her back which probably came from a bit of ‘cupping therapy’ (read below for more on ‘cupping’) well hopefully it will her get prepared for her long awaited comeback – there’s rumors going around now she’ll be playing a few shows at the house of blues very soon…i wonder if she’s still got it in her?!? popbytes over & out for now…xxoo!