ts. It
undoubtedly accounts for the fact that an Egyptian physician treated
only one part of the body and refused to infringe on the domain of his
brother physician.

Incubation was commonly practised at the temples of Isis and Serapis
as it was afterward among the Greeks. This "temple sleep" was closely
akin in its effects to hypnotism and was undoubtedly efficacious in
the case of some diseases.

The Babylonian system of therapeutics was not unlike the Egyptian as
far as incantations were concerned. Many of these have been
discovered. The formulas usually consist of a description of the
disease and its symptoms, a desire for deliverance from it, and an
order for it to depart. Some draughts were given which may have had
some medicinal effect, but they were supposed to be enchanted drinks.
Knots were supposed to have some magical effect on diseases, and
conjurations were also wrought by the power of numbers. The Book of
Daniel shows the official recognition given to magicians, astrologers,
and sorcerers.

The Jews seem to have got their early medical knowledge from the
Egyptians, and changed it only in so far as their religion made it
necessary, for with them as with others the healing art was a part of
the religion, and the Levites were the sole practitioners. Much
valuable medical knowledge was mixed with much that could only have
had a mental influence. Disease was considered a punishment for sin,
and hence the cure was religious rather than medical. The disease
might be inflicted by God direct, and the cure would be a proof of his
forgiveness; it might also be inflicted by Satan or the spirits of the
air with the permission of Jehovah, and the cure would then be brought
about by exorcism.

There seems to have been a rather elaborate system of demonology among
the Jews, who were at one time the chief exponents of the doctrine,
and consequently the principal exorcists. Among the Jews a prominent
"demoness of sickness is Bath-Chorin. She touches the hands and lower
limbs by night. Many diseases are caused by demons." According to
Josephus, "to demons may be ascribed leprosy, rabies, asthma, cardiac
diseases, nervous diseases, which last are the specialty of evil
demons, such as epilepsy." Incantations were in use among the later
Jews, and amulets of neck-chains like serpents and ear-rings were
employed to protect the wearers against the evil eye and similar
troubles.

In India, medicine became a separate scienc