Returning to Ebers’ papyrus[17]—‘When the breath enters the nostrils it penetrates to the heart and to the internal organs, and supplies the whole body abundantly.’ This idea that certain of the vessels convey air, you will observe, is identical with the Greek conception and probably was its source. ‘Three vessels traverse the arms and extend to the fingers, three vessels also pass down the leg and are distributed to the sole of the foot, a vessel goes to each testis and one to each kidney. Four vessels enter the liver, conveying fluid and air; these may be the seat of various diseases as they are mixed with the blood; four vessels convey fluid and air to the intestine and spleen; two go to the bladder and from them the renal secretion is produced. Four vessels convey fluid and air to the lower abdomen, going to the right and left sides; from them is formed the alvine excretion.’[18] These vessels here described are clearly the iliac arteries and veins. ‘When the heart is diseased its work is imperfectly performed: the vessels proceeding from the heart become inactive, so that you cannot feel them’ [no doubt this is a reference to changes in the pulse], ‘they become full of air and water.... When the heart is dilated the vessels from it contain effete matter. If a suppurative or putrefactive disease occur in the body’ [abscess, I imagine, for which various sites are suggested] ‘then the heart causes it’ [_it_ being probably purulent or septic material] ‘to traverse the vessels, fever or inflammation of various kinds occur in the body, the heart is in a morbid state while the fever continues.’ [It may be noted in passing that the septic infection is asserted to enter the body by the _left_ eye]. ‘In heart disease there is either disturbance of the action of the heart or the heart is congested or overfilled with blood, the heart is moved downwards, comes nearer the praecordia, and weakness and nausea occur....[19] When the disease affects the basic region or lower mass of the heart there is shortness of breath, the heart is displaced on account of the volume of blood from the abdomen’ [probably the old idea of the rush of blood entering the heart from the liver]. ‘There may be fever or inflammation of the heart.’ At this point comes a passage of some therapeutic interest. ‘The heart during such disease must be made to rest to some extent if it be possible.’ Here we have wise advice from the ancient Egyptians, advice the importance of which we have scarcely as yet recognized, and which we may to-day follow with advantage. ‘If the heart is atrophied (or wastes itself) there will be an accumulation of blood within it. When the disease of the substance of the heart is accompanied by dropsy there is a lessening’ [in strength probably] ‘in the ventricle or cavity.... When the weakness of the heart is due to old age there is dropsy. When there is raising or increase of the heart it presses towards the left side, it