Imhotep - The
World's first Physician who designed the first pyramid!
IMHOTEP - the First Physician
The time-honoured message is etched on
the sole
Like a metaphor— an understatement of a
rare gem’s soul
Just half of his story which reflects
our very own lives
That from adversity, a patient phoenix
soars and thrives. Samira Edi
William Osler, the Canadian physician,
regarded as the father of modern medicine described him as
"..first figure of a physician to
stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity." Imhotep diagnosed and
treated over 200 diseases, 15 diseases of the abdomen, 11 of the bladder, 10 of
the rectum, 29 of the eyes, and 18 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue. Imhotep
treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis. He also
performed surgery and practiced some dentistry. Imhotep extracted medicine from
plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs and
circulation of the blood system. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The
evidence afforded by Egyptian and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's
reputation was very respected in early times. His prestige increased with the
lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical
teachings."
Imhotep is often recognized as the
world’s first physician. But he donned many hats – which were of a highly
skilled architect who built Egypt's first pyramid, was a priest, a writer, a
sage, a poet, an astrologer, and a vizier. Some inscriptions even label him as
a chief minister. He served Djoser (2630–2611 BC), the second king of Egypt's
third dynasty. But he may have lived under as many as four kings.
An inscription on one of that kings
statues describes Imhotep as "chancellor of the king of lower Egypt",
the "first one under the king", the "administrator of the great
mansion", the "hereditary Noble", the "high priest of
Heliopolis", the "chief sculptor", and finally the "chief
carpenter”.
Not hailing from a regal lineage, scant
details are available about his early life. But once he adorned the court of
Djoser, his genius shone all around. His multifaceted talents, his in-depth
knowledge, his astute analysis, his clear understanding of stars and
constellation with natural laws made him an versatile genius, who could never
fail at any thing. Born in a suburb of Memphis, the cradle of the earliest
civilization, he was a commoner by birth and there is no concrete history about
his parentage or his family. It was during his time at Heliopolis, where he
served as a chief priest, the city was regarded as the religious capital.
Saqqara’s step pyramid, for Djoser, was
the first pyramid to be ever built, of which the doctor was the architect. This
was the first stone monument and though in later years more pyramids were
credited to his designs, Saqquara still remains the milestone.
With Imhotep probably started a
personality cult, where a non-royal entity was levitated to a divine strata,
and temples were constructed after him, much as the saints of Roman
Catholicism. About 100 years after his death, he was elevated as a medical
demigod. In about 525, around 2,000 years after his death, he was elevated to a
full god, and replaced Nefertum in the great triad at Memphis. In the Turin
Canon, he was known as the "son of Ptah". Imhotep was, together with
Amenhote, the only mortal Egyptians that ever reached the position of full
gods. He was also associated with Thoth, the god of wisdom, writing and
learning, and with the Ibises which was also associated with Thoth.
Imhotep's best known writings were
medical; which were the forerunner to the western and Arabic medical practice.
It is quite probable that Imhotep authored the Edwin Smith Papyrus in which
more than 90 anatomical terms and 48 injuries were described. He might have
also founded a school of medicine in Memphis, a part of his cult center known
as "Asklepion, which remained famous for two thousand years, some 2,200
years before the Western Father of Medicine Hippocrates was born.
Was Imhotep actually Joseph??
Dr. Moeller, a medical doctor at
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, is also an archaeologist, explorer, marine
biologist, scuba diver, and a scholar of both Egyptian history and the Bible.
It was Dr. Mueller who directed the diving expedition which discovered
coral-covered clumps of chariot wreckage from Egypt's 18th dynasty in the Gulf
of Aqaba (see listed Ezine articles).
Moeller refers to an inscription on the
island of Sihiel, near the first cataract of the Nile, which actually links
Imhotep to the key biblical element of the Joseph story - telling of Pharaoh
Djoser in the 18th year of his reign. The inscription states "seven meagre
years and seven rich years". Commenting on the inscription, Moeller
writes, "Pharaoh Djoser asks Imhotep to help him with the coming seven years
of famine. All the biblical components of the story are there, and there is a
similar inscription on the island of Philae in the Nile." (This is exactly
as in the Bible with Joseph, except for listing the "meagre" years
before the years of plenty. Note: The famine years were, of course, the event
of significance, saving everyone from starvation and bringing in much wealth to
Egypt - it is noted that the manuscript was written a thousand years after the
occurrences.) A carving in Sakkara shows starving people (ribs prominently
outlined), also shows sacks of grain being carried up steps (as in the
"silo" vaults at Sakkara), also food being distributed. In summary,
Moeller says, "It should be noted that there is no other period of famine
of seven plus seven years in the history of Egypt - except for the one for
which Imhotep was responsible." In Egyptian records, only one person is
described as having the administrative authority to organize Egypt's survival
during the long famine - Imhotep. The parallel to biblical Joseph is precise
and compelling. Moeller cites the large number of similarities in the lives,
the accomplishments, responsibilities and characteristics of Imhotep of Egypt
and Joseph of the Bible. Noting the dove-tailing of their individual stories
from separate Egyptian and biblical accounts, Moeller's conclusion is that the
two - most probably - were the same person, the two stories told from different
viewpoints.
• (Imhotep is appointed Administrator by
Pharaoh Djoser during the periods of seven years famine and seven years of
bountiful harvests); {Joseph is appointed Administrator to Pharaoh for the
seven years of plenty then of famine};
• (Minister to the King of Lower Egypt);
{Pharaoh .. made him ruler over all the land of Egypt};
• (Administrator of the GreatPalace);
{Thou shalt be over my house};
• (Not of royal blood; attained position
by ability); {From another nation and religion, not of royal blood, attained
position by ability};
• (Not appointed by Pharaoh Djoser until
he had reigned for some time); {Appointed well after Pharaoh ruled Egypt};
• (Given the status of "son"
to Pharaoh); {Granted the status of "son" to Pharaoh};
• (High Priest in Heliopolis); {Married
to Asenath, daughter of Poti-Pherah, High Priest in Heliopolis - by custom,
would succeed father-in-law};
• (Builder and architect); {Builder of
grain storehouses such as at Sakkara step-pyramid};
• (Exalted by Pharaoh Djoser as of godly
character.); {"And Pharaoh said, 'a man in whom the spirit of God
is!'"} ;
• ("I need advice from God.");
{Noted as saying, "It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an
answer."};
• (Had great medical skill - was
compared to the Greek God of Healing);
• {Had doctors under his authority -
worked by miracles, dreams and signs from God};
• (Decided the tax rate during the seven
years of famine; also not to apply to priests); {Decided the tax rate during
the seven years of famine; also not to apply to priests};
• (Realizes when he is dying - dies at
age 110.); {Realizes when he is dying - dies at age 110.}.
Extremely noteworthy regarding
Imhotep-Joseph is that the mummified bodies of neither have ever been found.
The known facts regarding the burials of Imhotep and Joseph also strongly
support the thesis that they were the same person:
- Both died at age 108.
- Imhotep's coffin in Sakkara - with
innumeral Ibis birds mummified in the adjoining galleries (Imhotep was called
"Ibis" because of his reputation for healing - a large number of Ibis
birds were sacrificed to him at his funeral in Sakkara); many clay vessels
bearing the seal of Pharaoh Djoser were near the coffin; and the coffin is
oriented to the North, not East, and is empty.
- Joseph would have been buried at
Sakkara, his coffin orientated to the North - indicating he did not believe in
the gods of the Egyptians (who were buried facing East, the rising sun); the
coffin would also be empty as Joseph's bones would have been taken by Moses
with the Hebrews during the Exodus.
his main centers of worship were in the
Ptolemaic temple to Hathor atf Dier el-Medina and at Karnak in Thebes, where he
was worshipped in conjunction with Amenhotep-Son-of-Hapu, a sanctuary on the
upper terrace of the temple at Deir el-Bahari, at Philae where a chapel of
Imhotep stands immediately in front of the eastern pylon of the temple of Isis
and of course, at Memphis in Lower (northern) Egypt, where a temple was erected
to him near the Serapeum. At saqqara, we are told that people bought offerings
to his cult center, including mummified Ibises and sometimes, clay models of
diseased limbs and organs in the hope of being healed.
He was later even worshipped by the
early Christians as one with Christ. The early Christians, it will be recalled,
adapted to their use those pagan forms and persons whose influence through the
ages had woven itself so powerfully into tradition that they could not omit
them.
He was worshiped even in Greece where he
was identified with their god of medicine, Aslepius. . He was honored by the
Romans and the emperors Claudius and Tiberius had inscriptions praising Imhotep
placed on the walls of their Egyptian temples. He even managed to find a place
in Arab traditions, especially at Saqqara where his tomb is thought to be
located.
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