Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Ancient Egypt

The success of any civilisation rests on a number of factors, to include their ability to procreate and produce heirs. This given, the health of women in any society is of utmost importance given their primary role in both birth and raising children. The study of medicine dedicated to the care of women in ancient Egypt is of vital importance and to this end, various archaeological finds have been consulted and analysed. Information in the field of gynaecology shows a relatively advanced discipline with many overlaps with modern medicine and modern pharmacopoeia. Information on obstetrics is more limited with reliance on mythological texts, inscriptions, artefacts, conjecture and deductive reasoning required. Many areas still require exploration in the field and the study raises issues for future research.