In Egyptian societies and in earlier ones, magic, played an important role in the treatment of illness, but it was proscribed in Judaism. Instead, prayer was the principal form of treatment. This makes sense considering that the source of illness was thought to be a failure of faithfulness of God. It also is consistent with the fact that until exposure to the scientific medicine of Greece in the second century B.C., Judaism lacked a counterpart to the priests of ancient Egypt. Prayer by individuals does not require assistance

From “Blind Faith” ~ Richard P. Solon