Magyar László szerk.: Orvostörténeti Közlemények 170-173. (Budapest, 2000)

KÖZLEMÉNYEK — COMMUNICATIONS - Győry, Hedvig: "Providing protection to a new-born on the day of his birth ". Extra-and intrauterine complications and abnormalities in ancient Egypt. — „Az újszülött védelméről gondoskodni születése napján ". Méhen kívüli és belüli komplikációk és rendellenességek az ősi Egyiptomban

modern clinical practice, where the infant was washed by clean water, then it was swaddled or covered by warm cloths to protect the body from cooling. At last it was laid down on the purified bricks assuring a relatively clean and smooth place where it could be kept constantly warm. "I was conceived in Wry, was born in Mr-Ntrj

, was bathed in the "Lake of the Kings of Lower Egypt". My possessions are mine and yours, my possessions are in ... Spell to pronounce when / in front of (?) ...to give the child because of every kind of evil things. Excellent! " (MuK G. 6,8—7,1) Mother and new born child lived for a while separated from the rest of the family

112 and had contact with the outside world through servant girl. Presumably they were lying beside each other on a common bed. This relative solitude was not only very important for the consolidation of the mother's health but also protected the infant from the infections and harms of the environment, in a period when it was the most susceptible to them. Some ceremonies of the 12

th

—18

th Dynasties, applied with apotropaicon in the hand may relate to this period.

113 This instrument, which was the most effective against snakes manifesting the malevolent powers of darkness as H. Altenmüller had found out,

114 could also help mothers in delivery, moreover they could give common protection to mother and child as their inscriptions state. "I came to provide magical protection to NN mother and the child who was born from NN".

U5 They symbolised a sort of rebirth. This is also proved by the fact, that during the second hour of Amduat the deceased could take them with themselves for the Netherworld

116 another sign to signal the vicinity of delivery / birth and death. Having passed the time for cleaning, the woman put on festive attire and welcomed guests who given her presents.

117 Probably, at certain times and places, the baby got its name only at this moment,

118 and was shown to its father respectively. The new born thus got a particular treatment during the first days of its life; exactly what Sun-god Ra receives when reborn at dawn. Namely, Ra went down being old as Atum into the night, and reappeared rejuvenated as Kheper in the morning. He spent night by sailing through the body of the celestial mother, Nut. As the events of the twelve hours of night were similarly depicted by the ancient Egyptians in the "Book of the Night" as those of the twelve hours of day in the "Book of the Day", the many dangers which threatened him there are well known. Nevertheless he shined in the morning reborn in his usual beauty.

119 According ancient Egyptian concepts, however, not only babies and gods were born — also the birth of Horus and Nofertum is often represented —, but dead people were reborn in the 112 Emma Brunner-Traut: Die Wochenlaube, MIO 3, 1955, p. 11—30. 113 Percy E. Newberry — F. L. Grillith: El Bersheh, I, London, 1895, pi. 30; Walter Wreszinski: Bericht über die photographische Expedition von Kairo bis Wadi Haifa, Halle a. S. 1927, p. 78—, pi. 36 = tomb of Bebi, El Kab 114 Hartwig Altenmüller: Die Apotronaia und die Götter Mittelägyptens, Diss München, 1965, p. 184—186. 115 Hartwig Altenmüller: o.e.,, p. 136, p. 64—77. 116 Hartwig Altenmüller: Ein Zaubermesser aus Tübingen, Die Welt des Orients 14, 1983, (= Festschrift Hellmut Brunner I, Göttingen) p. 30—45. 117 see Emma Brunner-Traut: Die altägyptischen Scherbenbilder (Bildostraka) der Deutschen Museen und Sammlungen, Wiesbaden, 1956, VA 2344. 118 Hermann Ranke: o.e., IL, p. 10—12: the children in a family could get the same name, e.g. there was a family with 7 such children. They were distinguished by adjectives like Red, Long etc. 119 cf. Erick Hornung: Das Amduat. Die Schrift des verborgenes Raumes, Wiesbaden, 1963, II, p. 184.