The "channel theory" was prevalent at the time of writing of the Ebers papyrus it suggested that unimpeded flow of bodily fluids is a prerequisite for good health. The papyrus contains chapters on contraception, diagnosis of pregnancy and other gynecological matters, intestinal disease and parasites, eye and skin problems, dentistry and the surgical treatment of abscesses and tumors, bone-setting, and burns. The descriptions of these disorders suggest that Egyptians conceived of mental and physical diseases in much the same way. Disorders such as depression and dementia are covered. Mental disorders are detailed in a chapter of the papyrus called the Book of Hearts. The Egyptians seem to have known little about the kidneys and made the heart the meeting point of a number of vessels which carried all the fluids of the body-blood, tears, urine and semen. It notes that the heart is the centre of the blood supply, with vessels attached for every member of the body. The papyrus contains a "treatise on the heart". It contains many incantations meant to turn away disease-causing demons and there is also evidence of a long tradition of empiricism. The scroll contains some 700 magical formulas and folk remedies. The Ebers Papyrus is written in hieratic Egyptian writing and represents the most extensive and best-preserved record of ancient Egyptian medicine known. The Ebers papyrus suggested treatment for asthma is a mixture of herbs heated on a brick so that the patient could inhale their fumes.
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