This has been studied by Elliot Smith, Wood Jones, Ruffer and Rietti.

The majority of the lesions appear to have been the common osteo-arthritis, which involved not only the men, but many of the pet animals kept in the temples.

In a much higher proportion apparently than in modern days, the spinal column was involved.

It is interesting to note that the "determinative" of old age in hieroglyphic writing is the picture of a man afflicted with arthritis deformans.

Evidences of tuberculosis, rickets and syphilis, according to these authors, have not been found.
A study of the internal organs has been made by Ruffer, who has shown that arterio-sclerosis with calcification was a common disease 8500 years ago; and he holds that it could not have been associated with hard work or alcohol, for the ancient Egyptians did not drink spirits, and they had practically the same hours of work as modern Egyptians, with every seventh day free.
ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN MEDICINE OF equally great importance in the evolution of medicine was the practically contemporary civilization in Mesopotamia.