Ancient Egyptian Medicinal Practices Part 7: Lung Diseases in Ancient Egypt part 2
Lung Diseases in Ancient Egypt part 2
Pneumoconiosis This disease is directly related to dust, especially the dust that is formed from masonry and mining techniques. Released during these stone working operations, the dust, often containing silica, is inhaled by the workers. There are a number of symptoms of pneumoconiosis, primary among these are coughing, fever, fibrosis or the massive scarring of the lungs due to abrasions, and emphysema or the swelling of air sacs in the lungs causing breathlessness (“Silicosis”: 2000). As was discussed above, the treatable symptoms included coughing, fever and shortness of breath. Mummies whose lungs were left in place during the mummification process or bodies that were naturally preserved in ancient times have been examined. Of these bodies, most are found to be suffering from some sort of lung disease. Miners and quarrymen were not the only members of the ancient Egyptian population to suffer from lung diseases, as people in other occupations also suffered, indicating that the blowing sand, common to Egypt, was more than just an irritation. The sand not only irritated the body by getting into uncomfortable places, leading to the Egyptian’s obsession with cleanliness, but it would also penetrate the lungs, coating the lungs with a fine layer of dust (Halioua: 2005, 143-144). While blowing dust can cause people to suffer from lung diseases, miners and quarrymen suffered more as they were exposed to the dust to a greater extent than the rest of the population. A direct link between pneumoconiosis and the Oases are the mines located both in the Dakhleh and Kharga Oases. These mines produced alum and copper, and were a major export, as they were both used in the making of tools throughout Egypt and were medicinal in quality (Halioua: 2005, 38). In these mines, however, types of pneumoconiosis were prevalent (Halioua: 2005, 144). It is most probable that the Oases suffered from pneumoconiosis, despite the lack of hard evidence in the Oases themselves.
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