practitioners, some under taking to cure diseases of the eye, others of
the head, others again of the teeth, others of the intestines, and some
those which are not local."(12)

(12) The History of Herodotus, Blakesley's ed., Bk. II, 84.

A remarkable statement is made by Pliny, in the discussion upon the
use of radishes, which are said to cure a "Phthisicke," or ulcer of the
lungs--"proofe whereof was found and seen in AEgypt by occasion that the
KK. there, caused dead bodies to be cut up, and anatomies to be made,
for to search out the maladies whereof men died."(13)

(13) Pliny, Holland's translation, Bk. XIX, Chap. V, Sect.
26.

The study of the anatomy of mummies has thrown a very interesting light
upon the diseases of the ancient Egyptians, one of the most prevalent
of which appears to have been osteo-arthritis. This has been studied by
Elliot Smith, Wood Jones, Ruffer and Rietti. The majority of the lesions
appear to have been the common osteo-arthritis, which involved not only
the men, but many of the pet animals kept in the temples. In a much
higher proportion apparently than in modern days, the spinal column was
involved. It is interesting to note that the "determinative" of old age
in hieroglyphic writing is the picture of a man afflicted with arthritis
deformans. Evidences of tuberculosis, rickets and syphilis, according to
these authors, have not been found.

A study of the internal organs has been made by Ruffer, who has shown
that arterio-sclerosis with calcification was a common disease 8500
years ago; and he holds that it could not have been associated with hard
work or alcohol, for the ancient Egyptians did not drink spirits, and
they had practically the same hours of work as modern Egyptians, with
every seventh day free.

ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN MEDICINE

OF equally great importance in the evolution of medicine was the
practically contemporary civilization in Mesopotamia. Science here
reached a much higher stage then in the valley of the Nile. An elaborate
scheme of the universe was devised, a system growing out of the
Divine Will, and a recognition for the first time of a law guiding
and controlling heaven and earth alike. Here, too, we find medicine
ancillary to religion. Disease was due to evil spirits or demons. "These
'demons'--invisible to the naked eye were the precursors of the modern
'germs' and 'microbes,' while the incantations recited by the priests
are the ea