IMHOTEP - the First Physician
The time-honoured message is etched on the sole
Like a metaphor— an understatement of a rare gem’s soul
Just half of his story which reflects our very own lives
That from adversity, a patient phoenix soars and thrives. Samira Edi
William Osler, the Canadian physician, regarded as the father of modern medicine described him as
"..first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity." Imhotep diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases, 15 diseases of the abdomen, 11 of the bladder, 10 of the rectum, 29 of the eyes, and 18 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue. Imhotep treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis. He also performed surgery and practiced some dentistry. Imhotep extracted medicine from plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs and circulation of the blood system. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The evidence afforded by Egyptian and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's reputation was very respected in early times. His prestige increased with the lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical teachings."
Imhotep is often recognized as the world’s first physician. But he donned many hats – which were of a highly skilled architect who built Egypt's first pyramid, was a priest, a writer, a sage, a poet, an astrologer, and a vizier. Some inscriptions even label him as a chief minister. He served Djoser (2630–2611 BC), the second king of Egypt's third dynasty. But he may have lived under as many as four kings.
An inscription on one of that kings statues describes Imhotep as "chancellor of the king of lower Egypt", the "first one under the king", the "administrator of the great mansion", the "hereditary Noble", the "high priest of Heliopolis", the "chief sculptor", and finally the "chief carpenter”.
Not hailing from a regal lineage, scant details are available about his early life. But once he adorned the court of Djoser, his genius shone all around. His multifaceted talents, his in-depth knowledge, his astute analysis, his clear understanding of stars and constellation with natural laws made him an versatile genius, who could never fail at any thing. Born in a suburb of Memphis, the cradle of the earliest civilization, he was a commoner by birth and there is no concrete history about his parentage or his family. It was during his time at Heliopolis, where he served as a chief priest, the city was regarded as the religious capital.
Saqqara’s step pyramid, for Djoser, was the first pyramid to be ever built, of which the doctor was the architect. This was the first stone monument and though in later years more pyramids were credited to his designs, Saqquara still remains the milestone.
With Imhotep probably started a personality cult, where a non-royal entity was levitated to a divine strata, and temples were constructed after him, much as the saints of Roman Catholicism. About 100 years after his death, he was elevated as a medical demigod. In about 525, around 2,000 years after his death, he was elevated to a full god, and replaced Nefertum in the great triad at Memphis. In the Turin Canon, he was known as the "son of Ptah". Imhotep was, together with Amenhote, the only mortal Egyptians that ever reached the position of full gods. He was also associated with Thoth, the god of wisdom, writing and learning, and with the Ibises which was also associated with Thoth.
Imhotep's best known writings were medical; which were the forerunner to the western and Arabic medical practice. It is quite probable that Imhotep authored the Edwin Smith Papyrus in which more than 90 anatomical terms and 48 injuries were described. He might have also founded a school of medicine in Memphis, a part of his cult center known as "Asklepion, which remained famous for two thousand years, some 2,200 years before the Western Father of Medicine Hippocrates was born.
Was Imhotep actually Joseph??
Dr. Moeller, a medical doctor at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, is also an archaeologist, explorer, marine biologist, scuba diver, and a scholar of both Egyptian history and the Bible. It was Dr. Mueller who directed the diving expedition which discovered coral-covered clumps of chariot wreckage from Egypt's 18th dynasty in the Gulf of Aqaba (see listed Ezine articles).
Moeller refers to an inscription on the island of Sihiel, near the first cataract of the Nile, which actually links Imhotep to the key biblical element of the Joseph story - telling of Pharaoh Djoser in the 18th year of his reign. The inscription states "seven meagre years and seven rich years". Commenting on the inscription, Moeller writes, "Pharaoh Djoser asks Imhotep to help him with the coming seven years of famine. All the biblical components of the story are there, and there is a similar inscription on the island of Philae in the Nile." (This is exactly as in the Bible with Joseph, except for listing the "meagre" years before the years of plenty. Note: The famine years were, of course, the event of significance, saving everyone from starvation and bringing in much wealth to Egypt - it is noted that the manuscript was written a thousand years after the occurrences.) A carving in Sakkara shows starving people (ribs prominently outlined), also shows sacks of grain being carried up steps (as in the "silo" vaults at Sakkara), also food being distributed. In summary, Moeller says, "It should be noted that there is no other period of famine of seven plus seven years in the history of Egypt - except for the one for which Imhotep was responsible." In Egyptian records, only one person is described as having the administrative authority to organize Egypt's survival during the long famine - Imhotep. The parallel to biblical Joseph is precise and compelling. Moeller cites the large number of similarities in the lives, the accomplishments, responsibilities and characteristics of Imhotep of Egypt and Joseph of the Bible. Noting the dove-tailing of their individual stories from separate Egyptian and biblical accounts, Moeller's conclusion is that the two - most probably - were the same person, the two stories told from different viewpoints.
• (Imhotep is appointed Administrator by Pharaoh Djoser during the periods of seven years famine and seven years of bountiful harvests); {Joseph is appointed Administrator to Pharaoh for the seven years of plenty then of famine};
• (Minister to the King of Lower Egypt); {Pharaoh .. made him ruler over all the land of Egypt};
• (Administrator of the GreatPalace); {Thou shalt be over my house};
• (Not of royal blood; attained position by ability); {From another nation and religion, not of royal blood, attained position by ability};
• (Not appointed by Pharaoh Djoser until he had reigned for some time); {Appointed well after Pharaoh ruled Egypt};
• (Given the status of "son" to Pharaoh); {Granted the status of "son" to Pharaoh};
• (High Priest in Heliopolis); {Married to Asenath, daughter of Poti-Pherah, High Priest in Heliopolis - by custom, would succeed father-in-law};
• (Builder and architect); {Builder of grain storehouses such as at Sakkara step-pyramid};
• (Exalted by Pharaoh Djoser as of godly character.); {"And Pharaoh said, 'a man in whom the spirit of God is!'"} ;
• ("I need advice from God."); {Noted as saying, "It is not in me; God shall give Pharaoh an answer."};
• (Had great medical skill - was compared to the Greek God of Healing);
• {Had doctors under his authority - worked by miracles, dreams and signs from God};
• (Decided the tax rate during the seven years of famine; also not to apply to priests); {Decided the tax rate during the seven years of famine; also not to apply to priests};
• (Realizes when he is dying - dies at age 110.); {Realizes when he is dying - dies at age 110.}.
Extremely noteworthy regarding Imhotep-Joseph is that the mummified bodies of neither have ever been found. The known facts regarding the burials of Imhotep and Joseph also strongly support the thesis that they were the same person:
- Both died at age 108.
- Imhotep's coffin in Sakkara - with innumeral Ibis birds mummified in the adjoining galleries (Imhotep was called "Ibis" because of his reputation for healing - a large number of Ibis birds were sacrificed to him at his funeral in Sakkara); many clay vessels bearing the seal of Pharaoh Djoser were near the coffin; and the coffin is oriented to the North, not East, and is empty.
- Joseph would have been buried at Sakkara, his coffin orientated to the North - indicating he did not believe in the gods of the Egyptians (who were buried facing East, the rising sun); the coffin would also be empty as Joseph's bones would have been taken by Moses with the Hebrews during the Exodus.
his main centers of worship were in the Ptolemaic temple to Hathor atf Dier el-Medina and at Karnak in Thebes, where he was worshipped in conjunction with Amenhotep-Son-of-Hapu, a sanctuary on the upper terrace of the temple at Deir el-Bahari, at Philae where a chapel of Imhotep stands immediately in front of the eastern pylon of the temple of Isis and of course, at Memphis in Lower (northern) Egypt, where a temple was erected to him near the Serapeum. At saqqara, we are told that people bought offerings to his cult center, including mummified Ibises and sometimes, clay models of diseased limbs and organs in the hope of being healed.
He was later even worshipped by the early Christians as one with Christ. The early Christians, it will be recalled, adapted to their use those pagan forms and persons whose influence through the ages had woven itself so powerfully into tradition that they could not omit them.
He was worshiped even in Greece where he was identified with their god of medicine, Aslepius. . He was honored by the Romans and the emperors Claudius and Tiberius had inscriptions praising Imhotep placed on the walls of their Egyptian temples. He even managed to find a place in Arab traditions, especially at Saqqara where his tomb is thought to be located.
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