![]() Early in 1862, during his residence in Thebes, Mr. It dates to the New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, around 1550 BC. Behind the scientifically accurate study and publication of The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, the most important document in the history of science surviving from the pre-Greek age of mankind (seventeenth century b.c.), lies a story as remarkable as the papyrus itself. It may be considered a precursor of ancient Greek humeral pathology and the subsequently established theory of the four humors, providing a historical connection between Ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and medieval medicine. The “channel theory” was prevalent at the time of writing of the Ebers papyrus it suggested that unimpeded flow of bodily fluids is a prerequisite for good health. Egyptian medicine occupied a dominant position in the world of the ancients for 2500 years. Specially trained priests observe prescribed magico-religious rites. With sure, sympathetic hands, the physician treats the patient, who is supported by a “brick chair.” Directions for treatment appear on the scroll held by his assistant. 1550-1292 BC), clothed in clean white linen and a wig, as became the dignity of his status, is confronted with a patient having symptoms of lockjaw (described in an ancient scroll now known as the Edwin Smith papyrus). Robert Thom (American, 1915-1979)Īncient Egyptian physician of the 18th Dynasty (ca. Medicine in Ancient Egypt, from “The History of Medicine”, 1952. The papyrus contains chapters on contraception, diagnosis of pregnancy and other gynecological matters, intestinal disease and parasites, eye and skin problems, dentistry and the surgical treatment of abscesses and tumors, bone-setting, and burns. The descriptions of these disorders suggest that Egyptians conceived of mental and physical diseases in much the same way. Disorders such as depression and dementia are covered. Mental disorders are detailed in a chapter of the papyrus called the Book of Hearts. The surviving scroll, a copy of an earlier text from around 3,000 B.C., gives us remarkable insight into the medical practice of ancient Egyptians in the Nile River bed during the dawn of civilization. ![]() The Egyptians seem to have known little about the kidneys and made the heart the meeting point of a number of vessels which carried all the fluids of the body-blood, tears, urine and semen. Abstract The Edwin Smith Papyrus, discovered in 1862 outside of Luxor, Egypt, is the oldest known surgical text in the history of civilization. It notes that the heart is the centre of the blood supply, with vessels attached for every member of the body. ![]() The papyrus contains a “treatise on the heart”. It contains many incantations meant to turn away disease-causing demons and there is also evidence of a long tradition of empiricism. 1) 7 was sold to the antiquities dealer Edwin Smith in 1862. The scroll contains some 700 magical formulas and folk remedies. After lying in a tomb in Thebes, Egypt, for over 3,000 years, the papyrus (Fig.
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