The article considers the formation of the ethics of healing in ancient Egypt and Ancient India, as mandatory rules of behavior of a doctor. Based on historical sources, the article highlights the most characteristic ethical norms of ancient medicine. The formation of the foundations of medical ethics in these countries (III–II millennium BC), had very similar features, and the specifics were related to the historical and cultural characteristics of a particular society, it occurred spontaneously, at the level of subjective perception and evaluation of the appropriate actions of the doctor. The formation of the doctor's ethics is considered as a process of his socialization, i.e. as a kind of mastering of the ethical norms accepted in this society. It is shown that the formation of medical ethics changes the emphasis of public morality, shifting them towards interpersonal relations in the field of healing, thereby supplementing ethics with new values and understanding of human life.