Moses and Medicine

Moses was reared in the house of Pharaoh. He was educated like any king’s son. The Egyptians were obviously brilliant engineering and building skills. But, what about their medical and scientific knowledge?

The Egyptian medical book called the Papyrus Ebers reveals the common medical practices of Egypt in about 1552 B.C.. The Israelites left Egypt about 1400 B.C..

This is an example of Egyptian medicine.

"To prevent hair from turning gray, anoint it with the blood of a black calf which has been boiled in oil, or with the fat of a rattlesnake." When hair falls out, one remedy is to apply a mixture of six fats, namely those of the horse, the hippopotamus, the crocodile, the cat, the snake and the Ibex. To strengthen it, anoint with the tooth of a donkey crushed in honey...to remove embedded splinters apply worms blood and asses’ dung."

Moses was reared in the house of Pharaoh. He was educated like any king’s son.

How do we explain the contrast in the things Moses wrote?

In Leviticus 17:11-14 he writes of life being in the blood. In verse 14 he speaks of the danger of eating blood. The diagnosis of leprosy is explained in Leviticus 3. Leviticus 13-15 talks about the principles of quarantine. According the Leviticus 11 some animals carry diseases and should be quarantined. Leviticus 15:19-33 speaks of bacterial contamination and how to avoid it.

These are just a few examples of medical knowledge found in the writings of Moses. Did Moses learn these things in his Egyptian Education? How did he know these things? How did any Egyptian know these things? 

   Copyright © 2000, Charles Valentine