Merit Ptah

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Merit Ptah
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Merit Ptah

Merit Ptah (c. 2700 BCE) was, possibly, the first physician in the world. She was also the first woman in science to be known by name. Her picture can be seen on a tomb in the necropolis near the step pyramid of Saqqara [1]. Her son, who was a High Priest, described her as "the Chief Physician."

The IAU named the impact crater Merit Ptah on Venus after her.

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  1. ^ The physician Merit Ptah ought not be confounded with Merit-Ptah, the wife of Ramose, the Governer of Thebes and Vizier under Amenophis IV. The couple is depicted in the tourist attraction tomb nr. 55 in Egypt's Valley of the Kings.