“Fry the skull of a catfish in oil. Apply it to the head”: on the issue of the diagnostics and treatment of conversion disorders in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

The article deals with theoretical and applied aspects of the diagnostics and treatment in Ancient Egypt of diseased states, which in contemporary medicine are called conversion mental disorders. The analysis of medical papyri and ancient authors' data made it possible to reveal Egyptian priests' main approaches to the treatment of conversion disorders. The study identified essential socio-cultural predictors of the success of treatment actions, associated with the specificity of Ancient Egyptians' archaic consciousness.