Bad Medicine

A poem about...

Folk who lived in ancient Egypt,
Who were rich and who were dead,
Would have a hook shoved up their nose,
And their brain pulled out their head.

They’d cover up the corpse with salt,
For weeks of desiccation,
Then rub the dried up flesh with oil,
And costly medication.

The mummy then was bandaged up,
With spells and charms together,
Then sealed in a sarcophagus,
So its soul could live forever.

After many centuries,
These mummies were exhumed,
Then ground up into powder,
And as medicine consumed!

Europe’s 16th Century doctors,
Held one rule to be true,
“Read the old Greek manuscripts,
Do what the Greeks would do!”

‘Mumia’ was an ancient drug,
For diseases and bad tummies,
But Europe’s doctors thought it was
Another word for mummies.

So Egypt’s ancient corpses,
Became a cure-all tonic,
Of course, it didn’t help at all,
It just made patients vomit.

From pre-scientific medicine,
Learn this lesson you should follow:
Don’t trust what you read in books,
And be careful what you swallow.