A day in the life of an ancient Egyptian doctor - Elizabeth Cox

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

It’s another sweltering morning in Memphis, Egypt.

Još jedno vruće jutro u Memphisu, Egipat.

As the sunlight brightens the Nile, Peseshet checks her supplies.

Dok sunce obasjava Nil, Peseshet provjerava svoje zalihe.

Honey,

garlic,

Med,

češnjak,

cumin,

kumin,

acacia leaves,

lišće akacije,

cedar oil.

ulje cedra.

She’s well stocked with the essentials she needs to treat her patients.

Dobro je opremljena s osnovnim stvarima koje su potrebne za liječenje pacijenata.

Peseshet is a swnw, or a doctor.

Peseshet je swnw, ili liječnik.

In order to become one,

Kako bi to postala,

she had to train as a scribe

morala je trenirati za pisara,

and study the medical papyri stored at the Per Ankh, the House of Life.

i proučavati medicinske papiruse pohranjene u Per Ankhu, Kući Života.

Now, she teaches her own students there.

Sada, tamo podučava svoje učenike.

Before teaching, Peseshet has a patient to see.

Prije podučavanja, Peseshet ima pacijente.

One of the workers at the temple construction site has injured his arm.

Jedan od radnika na izgradnji hrama ozlijedio je ruku.

When Peseshet arrives,

Kada Peseshet stiže,

the laborer’s arm is clearly broken,

ruka radnika je očito slomljena,

and worse, the fracture is a sed, with multiple bone fragments.

i još gore, radi se o kompliciranom prijelomu, sa više komada kosti.

Peseshet binds and immobilizes the injury.

Peseshet povezuje i imobilizira ozljedu.

Her next stop is the House of Life.

Njena sljedeća postaja je Kuća Života.

On her way, a woman intercepts Peseshet in the street.

Na njenom putu, žena zaustavlja Peseshet na ulici.

The woman’s son has been stung by a scorpion.

Ženinog sina ubo je škorpion.

Peseshet has seen many similar stings and knows exactly what to do.

Peseshet je vidjela puno takvih ugriza i zna točno što učiniti.

She must say an incantation to cast the poison out.

Mora izreći inkantaciju kako bi istjerala otrov.

She begins to recite the spell,

Počinje recitirati čaroliju,

invoking Serqet, patron of physicians and goddess of venomous creatures.

prizivajući Serqet, zaštitnicu liječnika i božicu otrovnih bića.

Peseshet recites the spell as if she is Serqet.

Peseshet recitira čaroliju kao da je ona Serqet.

This commanding approach has the greatest chance at success.

Ovaj pristup ima najveću šansu za uspjeh.

After she utters the last line,

Nakon što izgovara zadnju liniju,

she tries to cut the poison out with a knife for good measure.

ona pokušava isjeći otrov s nožem, za dobru mjeru.

Peseshet packs up to leave, but the woman has another question.

Peseshet se pakira, ali žena ima još jedno pitanje.

She wants to find out if she is pregnant.

Želi otkriti da li je trudna.

Peseshet explains her fail-safe pregnancy test:

Peseshet objašnjava njen provjereni test za trudnoću:

plant two seeds: one barley, one emmer.

zasadi dvije sjemenke, jednu ječma, jednu žita.

Then, urinate on the seeds every day.

Onda, neka urinira na sjemenke svaki dan.

If the plants grow, she’s pregnant.

Ako biljke izrastu, trudna je.

A barley seedling predicts a baby boy,

Sjemenka ječma predviđa da je dječak,

while emmer foretells a girl.

dok žito predviđa djevojčicu.

Peseshet also recommends a prayer to Hathor, goddess of fertility.

Peseshet također preporuča molitvu Hathor, božici plodnosti.

When Peseshet finally arrives at the House of Life,

Kada Peseshet napokon stiže u Kuću Života,

she runs into the doctor-priest Isesi.

sreće doktoricu-svećenicu Isesi.

She greets Isesi politely, but she thinks priests are very full of themselves.

Pristojno pozdravlja Isesi, ali misli kako su svećenici puni sebe.

She doesn’t envy Isesi’s role as neru pehut,

Ne zavidi Isesi na ulozi neru pehut,

which directly translates to herdsman of the anus to the royal family,

što se direktno prevodi na pastir anusa kraljevske obitelji,

or, guardian of the royal anus.

ili čuvar kraljevskog anusa.

Inside, the House of Life is bustling as usual with scribes,

U Kući Života puno je aktivnosti kao i inače sa pisarima,

priests,

svećenicima,

doctors,

liječnicima

and students.

i učenicima.

Papyri containing all kinds of records, not just medical information,

Papirusi sa svakakvim zapisima, ne samo zdravstvenim informacijama,

are stored here.

pohranjeni su ovdje.

Peseshet’s son Akhethetep is hard at work copying documents

Peseshetin sin Akhethetep radi na kopiranju dokumenata

as part of his training to become a scribe.

kao dio njegovog treninga da postane pisar.

He’s a particularly promising student,

On je posebno obećavajuć učenik,

but he was admitted to study because Peseshet is a scribe,

ali primljen je na nauk jer je Peseshet bila pisar,

as was her father before her.

kao i njen otac prije nje.

Without family in the profession,

Bez obitelji u ovoj profesiji,

it’s very difficult for boys, and impossible for girls,

jako je teško za dječake, a nemoguće za djevojčice,

to pursue this education.

da se bave ovim obrazovanjem.

Peseshet oversees all the female swnws and swnws-in-training in Memphis.

Peseshet nadgleda sve ženske swnws i swnse-naučnike u Memphisu.

The men have their own overseer,

Muškarci imaju svoje nadglednike,

as the male doctors won’t answer to a woman.

jer ženski liječnici neće odgovarati ženi.

Today, Peseshet teaches anatomy.

Danas, Peseshet podučava anatomiju.

She quizzes her students on the metu,

Ispituje učenike o metu,

the body’s vessels that transport blood,

posude tijela koje prenose krv,

air,

urine,

zrak,

urin,

and even bad spirits.

i čak zle duhove.

Peseshet is preparing to leave

Peseshet se sprema otići

when a pale, thin woman accosts her at the door and begs to be examined.

kada je blijeda, mršava žena zaustavlja na vratima i moli za pregled.

The woman has a huge, sore lump under her arm.

Žena ima veliku, bolnu kvrgu ispod ruke.

Peseshet probes the growth and finds it cool to the touch

Peseshet opipava izraslinu i utvrđuje kako je hladna na dodir

and hard like an unripe hemat fruit.

i tvrda kao nezrela voćka.

She has read about ailments like this, but never seen one.

Čitala je o ovakvim bolestima, ali nije ju do sada vidjela.

For this tumor there is no treatment, medicine or spell.

Za ovaj tumor nema tretmana, lijeka ili čarolije.

All the texts give the same advice: do nothing.

Svi tekstovi daju isti savjet: ne čini ništa.

After delivering the bad news, Peseshet goes outside.

Nakon što je dala loše vijesti, Peseshet izlazi van.

She lingers on the steps of the House of Life,

Ostaje na stepenicama Kuće Života,

admiring the city at dusk.

diveći se gradu u suton.

In spite of all her hard work,

Unatoč svom svom radu,

there will always be patients she can’t help,

uvijek će biti pacijenata kojima neće moći pomoći,

like the woman with the tumor.

kao ova žena s tumorom.

They linger with her, but Peseshet has no time to dwell.

Ostaju s njom, ali Peseshet nema vremena za to.

In a few short weeks,

Za par tjedana,

the Nile’s annual flooding will begin,

godišnje poplave Nila će krenuti,

bringing life to the soil for the next year’s harvest

donoseći život zemlji za žetvu sljedeće godine

and a whole new crop of patients.

i potpuno novi usjev pacijenata.