Disease and sickness were among the more unpleasant fact of life in ancient Egypt and Nubia, where many of the illnesses we encounter today, such as tuberculosis, leprosy, and malaria, were already flourishing. Drawing extensively on the evidence provided by human remains, texts, statuary, and other works of art, Joyce Filer describes some of the health problems suffered by king and commoner alike. She examines the case of individuals such as Seneb, an achondroplastic dwarf who achieved high status as a court official during the Old Kingdom, or the young child whose crippling bone disease was revealed by its mummified remains. Dental disease, chest complaints, and parasitic infection from the waters of the Nile were a common part of Egyptian daily life.

Set against the background of the ancient Egyptian environment, the author produces a detailed picture of diet and domestic arrangements and of both good and bad health. From the predynastic to the early Christian period, the effects of ill health and the constant threat of infectious disease on the life of the individual is assessed in the wider context of Egyptian society.