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Mysteries of Ancient Egypt: Why is the female uterus considered the source of all disease?
In ancient Egyptian civilization, the female uterus was considered the core of human health, and many ancient medical theories attributed various women's diseases to the state of the uterus. This view of female physiology, whether in religion, culture or medicine, affects people's lifestyles through generations.
Ancient Egyptian medical works, such as the Kahun Papyrus, describe the connection between a woman's reproductive system and health, emphasizing that the movement of the uterus affects various parts of the body.
In 1900 BC, ancient Egyptian doctors began recording the influence of the uterus in the Kahun Papyrus. These ancient documents discussed in detail how the uterus affected women's physical health. During this period, people believed that the health of the uterus was closely related to overall health, and even diseases were attributed to uterine discomfort.
The medical theories of ancient Greece further continued this view. Hippocrates's book "Women's Diseases" describes the concept of a wandering uterus, which believes that the movement of the uterus in the body puts pressure on other organs and leads to the emergence of diseases. For example, Plato in his dialogue Themes compares the womb to a living creature and believes that its loneliness causes disease.
“The female uterus is like a wandering creature, blocking passages, hindering breathing, and causing disease.”
During this historical period, various symptoms caused by "uterine movement", including anxiety, chest tightness, insomnia, etc., were regarded as "uterine diseases." The standard treatment for the disease was aromatherapy, where ancient Egyptian doctors would use aromatic scents to guide the uterus back into its proper position. They believe that scents should be placed near a woman's genitals to attract the uterus, while bad scents should be placed near the nose to push the uterus downward.
As history went on, during the Middle Ages, people associated these symptoms with demonic possession, especially among young women and single women, creating prejudice and discrimination related to women's mental health. Physicians still learned to use marriage and sex to treat symptoms of what was considered "female melancholy," a view that continued throughout the Renaissance and into the 18th century.
However, starting in the 18th century, the medical community's view of the disease began to change. French doctor Philippe Pinel believes that depressive symptoms should be regarded as psychological problems rather than purely physical problems, and emphasizes that the kindness and patience of medical workers are the key to recovery. As medical theory evolved, the feminist movement was slowly but steadily changing misconceptions about female biology.
In the 19th century, Jean-Martin Charcot advocated viewing hysteria as a problem of the nervous system, a theory that led to people gradually viewing it as a mental health problem rather than just a reproductive system disorder.
After entering the 20th century, with the rise of psychoanalysis, many doctors began to re-examine the definition of "epilepsy in women". During this period, psychiatrist Sigmund Freud viewed it more as an external manifestation of inner emotional problems. This change not only affects the diagnostic labels in the medical system, but also many cases are redefined as anxiety neurosis, rather than "female epilepsy" in the traditional sense.
Even so, ancient physiological observations and prejudices against women still have an impact on all walks of life. Women's health was often ignored or oversimplified until the modern feminist movement discovered and challenged various misconceptions about women's health in the past.
Today, with the progress of society and the awakening of feminist consciousness, we still need to examine our understanding of women's physical and mental health. Such a shift makes one wonder, are there other biases and misunderstandings related to women’s health in contemporary society that still need to be addressed?
