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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: congmei Han

It’s another sweltering morning in Memphis, Egypt.

這是埃及孟斐斯另一個悶熱早晨。

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

當陽光照亮了尼羅河時， 派瑟雪檢查了一下她的庫存。

Honey,

garlic,

蜂蜜、大蒜、孜然、

cumin,

acacia leaves,

皂莢樹樹葉、洋杉油。

cedar oil.

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

這些都是她用來治療病人 必要的用品，且庫存充足。

Peseshet is a swnw, or a doctor.

派瑟雪是一位 swnw （埃及文），也就是醫生。

In order to become one,

為了要成為醫生，

she had to train as a scribe

她得要接受抄寫員的訓練，

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

並研讀存放在帕安卡 （生命之屋）中的醫學草紙。

Now, she teaches her own students there.

現在她在那裡教她自己的學生。

Before teaching, Peseshet has a patient to see.

在開始教書前，派瑟雪 要先為一位病人看病。

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

神殿建造工地的一位工人 傷到了他自己的手臂。

When Peseshet arrives,

當派瑟雪抵達時，

the laborer’s arm is clearly broken,

很顯然工人的手已經斷了，

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

更糟的是，他的骨頭 已經碎裂成數塊。

Peseshet binds and immobilizes the injury.

派瑟雪將傷口包紮固定。

Her next stop is the House of Life.

她的下一站是生命之屋。

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

在路上，派瑟雪被一位女子攔住。

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

這位女子的兒子被蠍子螫傷。

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

派瑟雪看過許多類似的螫傷， 清楚知道要如何處理。

She must say an incantation to cast the poison out.

她必須要唸一段咒語， 把毒逼出來。

She begins to recite the spell,

她開始背誦咒語，

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

祈求塞爾凱特，也就是醫生的 守護神和有毒生物的女神。

Peseshet recites the spell as if she is Serqet.

派瑟雪背誦咒語的方式， 就好像她是塞爾凱特一樣。

This commanding approach has the greatest chance at success.

這種指揮式的方法， 成功的機會最大。

After she utters the last line,

在她唸完了最後一句之後，

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

她另外也試著用一把刀 把毒液割出來。

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

派瑟雪收好東西準備離開， 但這名女子有另一個問題。

She wants to find out if she is pregnant.

她想要知道她是否懷孕了。

Peseshet explains her fail-safe pregnancy test:

派瑟雪解說了她 萬無一失的懷孕測試法：

plant two seeds: one barley, one emmer.

種下兩顆種子：一顆大麥 和一顆二粒小麥。

Then, urinate on the seeds every day.

接著，每天在種子上撒尿。

If the plants grow, she’s pregnant.

如果植物長出來了， 她就是懷孕了。

A barley seedling predicts a baby boy,

大麥種子表示孩子是男孩，

while emmer foretells a girl.

二粒小麥種子表示孩子是女孩。

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

派瑟雪也建議可以做一段 對生育女神哈索爾的禱告。

When Peseshet finally arrives at the House of Life,

當派瑟雪終於抵達了生命之屋，

she runs into the doctor-priest Isesi.

她撞見了醫生兼祭師伊賽西。

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

她有禮貌地問候伊賽西， 但她認為祭師都很自以為是。

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

她並不羨慕伊賽西的 「neru pehut」角色，

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

「neru pehut」的直譯是 皇室的肛門牧人，

or, guardian of the royal anus.

或是皇家肛門的守護者。

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

生命之屋裡面和以往 一樣很吵，有抄寫員、

priests,

祭師、醫生，和學生。

doctors,

and students.

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

貯存在這裡的不僅是 醫療資訊的草紙，

are stored here.

還有各種記錄的草紙。

Peseshet’s son Akhethetep is hard at work copying documents

派瑟雪的兒子阿克和闐 很努力在複製文件，

as part of his training to become a scribe.

這是成為抄寫員的訓練的一部分。

He’s a particularly promising student,

他是位特別有前途的學生，

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

但他能獲准來學習， 是因為派瑟雪本身是位抄寫員，

as was her father before her.

同樣的，派瑟雪的父親也是。

Without family in the profession,

若沒有家人在這個行業中，

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

男孩會非常難取得這種教育，

to pursue this education.

女孩則完全不可能。

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

派瑟雪負責管理孟斐斯所有 女性醫生及在受訓中的未來醫生。

The men have their own overseer,

男性有他們自己的管理者，

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

因為男性醫生不受女性管理。

Today, Peseshet teaches anatomy.

今天，派瑟雪教的是解剖學。

She quizzes her students on the metu,

她給學生小考的主題是 metu，

the body’s vessels that transport blood,

也就是身體的各血脈管， 用來傳輸血液、

air,

urine,

空氣、尿液，

and even bad spirits.

甚至不好的精神。

Peseshet is preparing to leave

派瑟雪準備要離開了，

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

此時有位蒼白的瘦女子在門邊 搭訕她，請求她幫忙做檢查。

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

那名女子的手臂下方 有個一碰就痛的大腫塊。

Peseshet probes the growth and finds it cool to the touch

派瑟雪探查了這個贅生物， 發現它摸起來是冷的，

and hard like an unripe hemat fruit.

且像未成熟的河曼果一樣硬。

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

她曾經讀過像這樣的疾病， 但從未親眼看過。

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

沒有治療方法、藥物， 或咒語可以治好這種腫瘤。

All the texts give the same advice: do nothing.

所有的文獻都給予 同樣的建議：什麼都不要做。

After delivering the bad news, Peseshet goes outside.

傳遞完壞消息之後， 派瑟雪走到外面。

She lingers on the steps of the House of Life,

她在生命之屋的階梯上逗留，

admiring the city at dusk.

欣賞黃昏時的城市。

In spite of all her hard work,

儘管她盡力而為，

there will always be patients she can’t help,

永遠都還是會有 她無法幫助的病人，

like the woman with the tumor.

就像長了腫瘤的那名女子。

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

派瑟雪忘不了這些人， 但她沒有時間多想。

In a few short weeks,

再過短短幾週，

the Nile’s annual flooding will begin,

尼羅河每年的泛濫就會開始，

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

帶給土壤生命，讓隔年能夠豐收，

and a whole new crop of patients.

也會帶來一大群新病人。