Jacob Abbott
Published: 2021-03-18
Total Pages: 146
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It has been found, in all ages of the world, that there is some peculiar quality of thesoil, or climate, or atmosphere of Egypt which tends to produce an inflammation ofthe eyes. The inhabitants themselves have at all times been very subject to thisdisease, and foreign armies marching into the country are always very seriouslyaffected by it. Thousands of soldiers in such armies are sometimes disabled fromthis cause, and many are made incurably blind. Now a country which produces adisease in its worst form and degree, will produce also, generally, the bestphysicians for that disease. At any rate, this was supposed to be the case in ancienttimes; and accordingly, when any powerful potentate in those days was afflictedhimself with ophthalmia, or had such a case in his family, Egypt was the country tosend to for a physician.Now it happened that Cyrus himself, at one time in the course of his life, wasattacked with this disease, and he dispatched an embassador to Amasis, who wasthen king of Egypt, asking him to send him a physician. Amasis, who, like all theother absolute sovereigns of those days, regarded his subjects as slaves that were inall respects entirely at his disposal, selected a physician of distinction from amongthe attendants about his court, and ordered him to repair to Persia. The physicianwas extremely reluctant to go. He had a wife and family, from whom he was veryunwilling to be separated; but the orders were imperative, and he must obey. Heset out on the journey, therefore, but he secretly resolved to devise some mode ofrevenging himself on the king for the cruelty of sending him.