ABSTRACT
The art of healing is ancient, instinctual, and natural. People have been aware of biological cycles, birth, life, death, and biological changes for as long as humankind has existed. People have also been aware of illness, abnormalities, and injury. To address them humankind devised remedies, often combined with ritual, to promote good health and combat ill health. Today the medical and pharmaceutical industries are mega-businesses, in which numerous resources including research, technology, and money are heavily invested. This chapter will discuss medical knowledge and practice in the ancient Near East, including a brief overview of Mesopotamian and Egyptian medical practice, pharmacology, some procedures, and some medicines.
