Superstition played as prominent a part in =medicine= as in religion. The practice of dismembering the dead in primitive times must have taught the Egyptians some practical anatomy, and the operations connected with mummification in the later period must have added largely to their knowledge of the arrangement of the principal internal organs of the body. The Egyptians were well acquainted with the importance of the heart in the human economy, and they appear to have had some knowledge of the functions of the arteries. A considerable number of =medical prescriptions= have come down to us, _e.g._, those which are inscribed on a papyrus in the British Museum (No. 10,059) and are said to be as old as the time of Khufu (Cheops), a king of the IVth dynasty, and those of the Ebers Papyrus, of the XVIIIth dynasty; from these it is easy to see that they closely resemble in many particulars the prescriptions given in English medical books printed two or three hundred years ago. Powders and decoctions made from plants and seeds were largely used, and the piths of certain trees, dates, sycamore-figs, and other fruits, salt, magnesia, oil, honey, sweet beer, formed the principal ingredients of many prescriptions. With these were often mixed substances of an unpleasant nature, _e.g._, bone dust, rancid fat, the droppings of animals, etc. In order that certain drugs might have the desired effect it was necessary for the physician to recite a magical formula four times (Ebers Papyrus CVIII). Other medicines again owed their efficacy to the belief that they had been actually taken by one or other of the gods whilst they reigned upon earth, and the authorship of certain prescriptions was ascribed to Rā. Thus according to the Ebers Papyrus (XLVI) Rā suffered from attacks of boils of a most malignant kind, and he made up a salve, containing sixteen ingredients, which gave him instant relief, and which was therefore certain to cure ordinary mortals. The following is a characteristic example of a prescription which, as is evident, contains a number of substances which are well known to be good for inflamed eyes, and also some others the special value of which is not clear:— 𓎡𓐰𓏏𓐰𓈖𓐰𓏏𓂧𓐰𓂋𓐰𓂡𓇉𓄿𓍘𓏭𓻏𓅓𓁹𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏤 “Another [prescription] for driving inflammation from the eye. 𓂝𓐰𓈖𓅂𓈒𓐰𓏦 Myrrh 1 𓎃𓏤𓏜𓏪𓅨𓐰𓂋𓈒𓐰𓏦 ‘Great Protectors’ seed 1 𓍱𓐰𓊃𓇌𓏏𓐰𓈒 Oxide of copper 1 𓍑𓄿𓂋𓐰𓏏𓐰𓈒𓐱𓏦 Citron pips 1 𓎼𓄿𓇌𓏏𓐰𓆰𓎖𓐰𓏲𓐱𓏰 Northern cypress flowers 1 𓇅𓏲𓐰𓈒𓏪 Antimony 1 𓈎𓄿𓇌𓏏𓐰𓐎𓏪𓈖𓐰𓏏𓎼𓎛𓋴𓄛 Gazelle droppings 1 𓏶𓅓𓏭𓈖𓐰𓈎𓄿𓂧𓇌𓏏𓐰𓄛 Oryx offal 1 𓌻𓐰𓂋𓎛𓏏𓐰𓏊𓏪𓌉𓆓𓐳𓏏𓇳 White oil 1 [_Directions for use._] 𓂞𓁷𓐰𓏤𓈗𓁀 𓂜𓻈𓔾𓐎𓐰𓂝 𓁷𓐰𓂋𓋴𓂋𓐰𓇳𓐱𓏽𓎡𓐰𓇌𓆓𓐳𓂧 𓎘𓎛𓏲𓐰𓂡𓐍𓐰𓂋𓐰𓎡𓋴𓏏𓅓 𓆄𓆃𓈖𓐰𓏏𓈖𓐰𓂋𓐰𓏏𓅬