Obstetrics and gynecology in ancient Egypt
Issue 23: 14 Nov 2005
Source:
European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2005;
123: 3-8
Researchers have identified a large number of similarities between modern
practices and concepts relating to reproductive medicine, and those recorded
in documents from ancient Egypt.
In a new paper, specialists from the Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital in
Jerusalem, Israel, write: Ancient Egyptian medicine exercised obstetric
practices and reproductive concepts based on some extremely accurate
observations.
They examined a series of relevant papyri written in Egypt in Pharonic
times, including the Kahun papyrus, a gynecological text dated to about 1800
BC. Their paper discusses in detail many apparent overlaps between ancient
and modern practices, including:
Diagnosing pregnancy
The researchers note that one method of diagnosing pregnancy in ancient
Egypt was to count the number of times the woman vomits when placed on a
mash [mixture] of beer and date. The aversion of strong aromatic odors,
nausea with or without vomiting, is also specified today as a presumptive
evidence of pregnancy, they write.
Another method used in ancient Egypt was to place an onion bulb deep in the
vagina overnight. Being able to detect the onions characteristic smell on
the womans breath the next morning was a sign that the woman was pregnant.
The researchers suggest that absorption of the onions sulfuric compounds
into the womans blood via engorged submucosal blood vessels could result in
onion breath.
Delivery
Egyptian writings and wall paintings suggest that delivery was performed in
the squatting position, with the woman supporting her arms on her knees, and
sitting on two bricks. A 2004 Cochrane analysis of positions during the
second stage of labor showed that squatting has advantages over supine or
lithotomy positions in terms of a reduced duration of the second stage, a
reduction in assisted deliveries and episiotomies, and a reduced reporting
of severe pain in the second stage. It was, however, also associated with an
increase in second-degree perineal tears and increased blood loss.
Assessment of newborns
In ancient Egypt, the newborns cry and muscle tone were both used as
indicators of health. One papyrus states that if the newborn said ny, it
would live, and if it said mebi, it would die. It was also thought that if
the child moaned or turned its head downwards, it would die. Cry and muscle
tone are two of the five parameters used to determine the Apgar score in
newborns today, the researchers write.
Complications of delivery
There are suggestions from certain writings that perineal tears were sutured
after delivery, with one papyrus referring to the bringing together of the
vagina.
Contraception
The researchers say ancient papyri include several recipes for intra-vaginal
contraceptives, with ingredients including acacia gum, sour milk, and acacia
spikes. Compounds derived from the acacia tree/shrub have been found in
modern-day research to be spermicidal, with a sperm-immobilizing effect in
vitro. It has been suggested that such active ingredients may have been
indirectly identified when herders of domesticated animals noticed that
animals that grazed on certain plants failed to reproduce.
Erectile dysfunction
Ancient Egyptian remedies for erectile dysfunction included active
components such as carob, juniper, hyoscyamus, pine, and watermelon, say the
researchers. They note that carob, for example, has a high content of
histidine, a major component of histamine. Recently, they write, it has
been shown that histamine-deficient mice have a low reproduction rate due to
decreased male mating behavior.
The full paper is published in the latest issue of the European Journal of
Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.
Leanne Wynne
Midwife in charge of "Women's Business"
Mildura Aboriginal Health Service Mob 0418 371862
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