The Ebers Papyrus(c. 1500 BCE) is the longest known ancient Egyptian discourse on early medical knowledge. Stretching over twenty meters of papyrus paper, it contains over seven hundred formulae for magickal and medical remedies. Included among its curatives are several herbs and herbal compounds as healing aids, and potions for their purportedly correct use. Courtesy of the University of Leipzig. The papyrus contains a "treatise on the heart". It notes that the heart is the center of the blood supply, with vessels attached for every member of the body.

The Egyptians seem to have known little about the kidneys and made the heart the meeting point of a number of vessels which carried all the fluids of the body—blood, tears, urine and semen.

Mental disorders are detailed in a chapter of the papyrus called the Book of Hearts. Disorders such as depression and dementia are covered. The descriptions of these disorders suggest that Egyptians conceived of mental and physical diseases in much the same way.

The papyrus contains chapters on contraception, diagnosis of pregnancy and other gynecological matters, intestinal disease and parasites, eye and skin problems, dentistry and the surgical treatment of abscesses and tumors, bone-setting, and burns.

The "channel theory" was prevalent at the time of writing of the Ebers papyrus; it suggested that unimpeded flow of bodily fluids is a prerequisite for good health.

It may be considered a precursor of ancient Greek humeral pathology and the subsequently established theory of the four humors, providing a historical connection between Ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and medieval medicine.

Examples of remedies in the Ebers Papyrus include:

Birth control: "To prevent conception, smear a paste of dates, acacia, and honey to wool and apply as a pessary."

Diabetes mellitus: "Drink a mixture including elderberry, asit plant fibers, milk, beer-swill, cucumber flowers, and green dates." It is not known what "asit" is.

Guinea-worm disease: "Wrap the emerging end of the worm around a stick and slowly pull it out." 3,500 years later, this remains the standard treatment.[The papyrus contains a "treatise on the heart". It notes that the heart is the center of the blood supply, with vessels attached for every member of the body. ~RavenwinD~ 🌛🌕🌜