inspired the name of Thoth-the thrice great-which the Greeks translated as Hermes Trismegistus. Thoth had revealed to humans the arts of writing and healing. He was the physicians' patron, to whom they prayed for guidance. In mythology, Thoth protected Isis during her pregnancy. In addition, he was the reconciler of two warring gods, Horus and Seth, Medical Mythology: Thoth and restored to Horus the eye that Seth had stolen from him. Thoth is mentioned in the introduction of Marc A. Shampo, Ph.D., the medical papyruses found by Georg Ebers at and Robert A. Kyle, M.D. Thebes (an ancient city in southern Egypt) in 1873. Ebers presumed that these papyruses, dating back to about 1500 BC, were the lost sacred book of Thoth. After his reign on earth, Thoth ascended to the skies, where he was given various responsibilities. Among these was the role of herald of the gods, and he often served as their clerk and scribe. Usually, he is pictured in a funeral group in a tomb as reader of Identified by the Greeks with Hermes, messenger of the book of the good and bad deeds of humans or as the gods, Thoth was worshipped throughout Egypt taking part in .the ritual of the judgment-Thoth as a moon god and the patron of science, literature, weighed the hearts of the dead and reported the wisdom, and invention. Endowed with complete results to Osiris and his fellow judges. knowledge, Thoth invented all the arts and sciences Thoth usually is represented in human form with as well as arithmetic, surveying, geometry, astron- the head of an ibis, often surrounded by a crescent omy, soothsaying, magic, medicine, music (including moon. He was featured on a set of stamps issued by wind and string instruments), drawing, and writing. Egypt in 1925 to commemorate the International The infinite powers attributed to him by his followers Geographic Congress held in Cairo.

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