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World's First Physicians

Today, March 30, is celebrated as National Doctors' Day to honor the noble profession and show our gratitude to the many doctors who show up to work for a greater calling than most professions. On this day, I thought it would be fitting to honor the first doctors in history, those who paved the way for the medical profession to become a sought-after career path for people like me.

I thought I would explore the earliest physicians known to the different ancient civilizations that I have covered in this blog and their place in history.

Looking at the list of ancient physicians, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ancient_physicians), I found the earliest known physician to be Egyptian, so let's start with that. Around the same time, medicine was developing as a science in India too. Ancient Greece and China appear to have dedicated medical professionals almost 2000 years later. 

Egypt:

The oldest known Egyptian physician is Imhotep, who lived around 2700 BCE. He was worshipped as the god of medicine in Egypt after his death, and later in Greece as Imouthes. 

Statue of Imhotep displayed in the Louvre

Imhotep became somewhat of a cult figure in Greece, with temples built in his name in Memphis attracting thousands of ailing patients who lived and prayed there in the hopes of getting bestowed with remedies in their sleep.

Known for:

  • Earliest recorded person to practice medicine
  • Treatment of 200 diseases including tuberculosis, appendicitis, gout, arthritis
  • Surgery

Peseshet is the earliest known female physician, who practiced around 2400 BCE in the 5th Dynasty.

India:

The earliest reference to a physician in ancient India I found is Bhargava from the 13th century BCE. Not much is known of him except that he was the first to identify the role of the embryo and the functioning of the reproductive system. Although references to medicinal herbs and remedies are made in the Vedas around 2500 BCE, they are mostly spiritual in concept. 

The medical profession emerged only around 800 BCE when Sushruta and Charaka wrote their treatises on diagnosis and treatment, giving rise to the science of Ayurveda, which continues to this day. Sushruta Samhita is considered the foundational text of Ayurveda. It includes all forms of general medicine as well as surgery. Susruta is widely regarded as the Father of Surgery. His surgical practices were followed in India until the late 18th century. Sushruta is also known to have developed a code of ethics for teachers and students, similar to the Hippocratic Oath.

Known for: 

  • Rhinoplasty and Cosmetic Surgery (an interesting side note on why rhinoplasty was the first surgery developed is because cutting off the nose was a common punishment for many crimes including adultery!) 😒
  • Code of Medical Ethics
  • Detailed Surgery
  • Eye Diseases
  • Burns

Statue of Sushruta
Greece:

The earliest Greek physician is fairly well established as the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates around 400 BCE. He wrote the Hippocratic Corpus, and among many other discoveries, he was the first to expound on the role of the brain. 

Known for:

  • Humor Theory
  • Treatment of Cancer, Diabetes
  • Role of Brain as Seat of Intelligence and Conscience
  • Hippocratic Corpus: 70 books on medicine
  • Role of Diet and Lifestyle 
  • Hippocratic Oath
Bust of Hippocrates in Athens museum

Another famous doctor who merits a mention is Galen who followed in Hippocrates' path but is credited with furthering our understanding of the anatomical features of the human body through experiments. More importantly, he is credited with single-handedly promoting medicine as a science, and his influence was so strong that his teachings persisted well into the medieval period. 

China:

Bian Que, also around 400 BCE, is the earliest known Chinese doctor. He has a legendary reputation as a health magician who used acupuncture to bring the dead back to life. He has a mythical quality with a story that he was given a mysterious powder after consuming which he developed an x-ray vision that enabled him to see inside the human body and diagnose diseases. He is the author of one of ancient China's most important treatises on medicine. His accomplishments include:

  • Founder of the Chinese Traditional Medicine (TCM)
  • Author of Bian Que Nei Jing (The Internal Classic of Bian Que) and Bian Que Wai Jing (The External Classic of Bian Que). 
  • Acupuncture
  • Heart Surgery/Transplant (No evidence)
Portrait of Bian Que

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