red to recite formulae,
ring bells, and manipulate bowls of water, candles, joss-sticks, and
curious charms. Sometimes the family insists that one of the priests
shall ascend a ladder, the rounds of which are formed of swords or
knives with the sharp edge uppermost, and go through his exorcisms at
the top. Instead of the priest, the mother may make a fire of paper
and wave a small garment of her sick child over it.

A relative or friend of a sick person will visit a temple and beat the
drum, which notifies the god that there is urgent need of his help. To
be sure that the god hears, his ears are tickled, and the part of the
image which corresponds to the afflicted part of the sick person's
body is rubbed. Some ashes from the censor standing before the image
may be taken to the sick-room and there reverenced. Holy water is
brought from the temple, boiled with tea, and drunk as a certain cure
for disease. Spells are written on paper and burned; the ashes are
then put into water and drunk as medicine. Charms and magical tricks
of all kinds are tried in order to drive away the demon.

There were schools of medicine in Egypt in the fifteenth century
before the Christian era, and the Egyptians made great progress in the
study and practice of medicine. Notwithstanding this, we find many
examples of mental healing, or at least attempts at healing by mental
means, among the recipes and prescriptions which have come down to us.
Poor and superstitious persons, especially, had recourse to dreams, to
wizards, to donations, to sacred animals, and to exvotos to the gods.
Charms were also written for the credulous, some of which have been
found on small pieces of papyrus, which were rolled up and worn, as by
the modern Egyptians.

The Ebers papyrus, an important and very ancient manual of Egyptian
medicine, has thrown much light on early Egyptian practices. It shows
that an important part of the treatment prior to 1552 B. C., consisted
in the laying on of hands, combined with an extensive formulary and
ceremonial rites. The physicians were the priests, and among the
interesting contents of this manuscript are several formulae to be used
as prayers while compounding medicaments. Some of the prescriptions
given here are accompanied by exorcisms which were to be used at the
same time. Many of the prescriptions could have had little but mental
influence because the remedies recommended consisted of horrible
mixtures of unsavory ingredie