Ancient Egyptian eye makeup may have been more therapeutic than cosmetic.
In the days of the ancient Egyptian empire, the Nile River delta was a place where eye infections were likely commonplace, as sanitation and hygiene practices were not established.
The periodical, Analytical Chemistry, recently published an article regarding the lead-based compounds found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians. Their conclusion is that “lead-based compounds were used during antiquity as both pigments and medicines in the formulation of makeup materials.”
”According to ancient Egyptian manuscripts,” says Analytical Chemistry, ”these were essential remedies for treating eye illness and skin ailments. This conclusion seems amazing because today we focus only on the well-recognized toxicity of lead salts.” Analytical Chemistry goes on to say that, “one may argue that these lead compounds were deliberately manufactured and used in ancient Egyptian formulations to prevent and treat eye illnesses by promoting the action of immune cells.”
In modern times, ocular infections still cause problems for millions of people each year. If you think you might have an infection, walk like an Egyptian to Iowa EyeCare. Iowa EyeCare has a doctor on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, call 319-377-2222.
Contact Iowa EyeCare in Cedar Rapids, Marion, or Robins, Iowa.
Tags: disease, eye infection, pink eye