Ancient Egypt's reputation as a land of healers is not well-known except by scholars. Even among the learned, it has been eclipsed by Greece since it was Grecian medicine that was preserved through the Romans and, later, the Arabs. Nevertheless, it was in Pharonic Egypt that the practice of medicine first reached its height.

The first Egyptian physician to gain fame was Imhotep, whose skill (along with his abilities as an architect and builder) was so great that he was later recognized as a God. Later, places of healing (called "per ankh" or "house of life") appeared near or in temple complexes throughout the land.

While Grecian medical practice can be traced back to only the fourth century BCE, evidence indicates that there was a organized system of medicine in Egypt dating back, at least, 4,500 years, to the time of the Pyramid builders. One of the most important pieces of evidence is the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. ( )