Study: Modern medicine originated in Egypt

MANCHESTER, England, May 14 (UPI) -- British scientists examining documents dating to 3,500 years ago determined the origins of modern medicine lie in ancient Egypt, not Greece.

The research team from the University of Manchester's Center for Biomedical Egyptology discovered the evidence in medical papyri written in 1,500 BC -- 1,000 years before Hippocrates was born.

"Classical scholars have always considered the ancient Greeks, particularly Hippocrates, as being the fathers of medicine but our findings suggest that the ancient Egyptians were practicing a credible form of pharmacy and medicine much earlier," said researcher Jacqueline Campbell.

"When we compared the ancient remedies against modern pharmaceutical protocols and standards, we found the prescriptions in the ancient documents not only compared with pharmaceutical preparations of today but that many of the remedies had therapeutic merit," she added.

The medical documents, which were discovered in the mid-19th century, show ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be anti-microbial.

"Many of the ancient remedies we discovered survived into the 20th century and, indeed, some remain in use today, albeit that the active component is now produced synthetically," Campbell said.

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