Edwin Smith Papyrus

Last updated

Edwin Smith Papyrus
Edwin Smith Papyrus v2.jpg
Plates vi & vii of the Edwin Smith Papyrus at the Rare Book Room, New York Academy of Medicine [1]
Sizelength: 4.68 meters
Createdc. 1600 BC
Discovered Egypt
Present location New York City, New York, United States

The Edwin Smith Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian medical text, named after Edwin Smith who bought it in 1862, and the oldest known surgical treatise [2] on trauma. From a cited quotation in another text, it may have been known to ancient surgeons as the "Secret Book of the Physician". [3]

Contents

This document, which may have been a manual of military surgery, describes 48 cases of injuries, fractures, wounds, dislocations and tumors. [4] It dates to Dynasties 16–17 of the Second Intermediate Period in ancient Egypt, c. 1600 BCE. [5] : 70  The papyrus is unique among the four principal medical papyri in existence [6] that survive today. While other papyri, such as the Ebers Papyrus and London Medical Papyrus, are medical texts based in magic, the Edwin Smith Papyrus presents a rational and scientific approach to medicine in ancient Egypt, [7] : 58  in which medicine and magic do not conflict. Magic would be more prevalent had the cases of illness been mysterious, such as internal disease. [8]

The Edwin Smith papyrus is a scroll 4.68 meters or 15.3 feet in length. The recto (front side) has 377 lines in 17 columns, while the verso (backside) has 92 lines in five columns. Aside from the fragmentary outer column of the scroll, the remainder of the papyrus is intact, although it was cut into one-column pages some time in the 20th century. [5] : 70  It is written right-to-left in hieratic, the Egyptian cursive form of hieroglyphs, in black ink with explanatory glosses in red ink. The vast majority of the papyrus is concerned with trauma and surgery, with short sections on gynaecology and cosmetics on the verso. [9] On the recto side, there are 48 cases of injury. Each case details the type of the injury, examination of the patient, diagnosis and prognosis, and treatment. [10] : 26–28  The verso side consists of eight magic spells and five prescriptions. The spells of the verso side and two incidents in Case 8 and Case 9 are the exceptions to the practical nature of this medical text. [5] : 70  Generic spells and incantations may have been used as a last resort in terminal cases. [8]

Authorship

Authorship of the Edwin Smith Papyrus is debated. The majority of the papyrus was written by one scribe, with only small sections copied by a second scribe. [8] The papyrus ends abruptly in the middle of a line, without any inclusion of an author. [5] : 71  It is believed that the papyrus is an incomplete copy of an older reference manuscript from the Old Kingdom, evidenced by archaic grammar, terminology, [9] form and commentary. James Henry Breasted speculates - but emphasises that this is pure conjecture based on no evidence - that the original author might be Imhotep, an architect, high priest, and physician of the Old Kingdom, 3000–2500 BCE. [11] : 9 

Procedure

The rational and practical nature of the papyrus is illustrated in 48 case histories, which are listed according to each organ. [6] Presented cases are typical, not individual. [2] The papyrus begins by addressing injuries to the head, and continues with treatments for injuries to neck, arms and torso, [10] : 29  detailing injuries in descending anatomical order [9] like a modern anatomical exposition. [2] The title of each case details the nature of trauma, such as "Practices for a gaping wound in his head, which has penetrated to the bone and split the skull". [5] : 74  The objective examination process [12] included visual and olfactory clues, palpation and taking of the pulse. [9] Following the examination are the diagnosis and prognosis, where the physician judges the patient’s chances of survival and makes one of three diagnoses: "An ailment which I will treat," "An ailment with which I will contend," or "An ailment not to be treated". [9] Last, treatment options are offered. In many of the cases, explanations of trauma are included to provide further clarity. [5] : 70 

Hieroglyph designating the brain or skull Hieroglyphic-brain.png
Hieroglyph designating the brain or skull

Among the treatments are closing wounds with sutures (for wounds of the lip, throat, and shoulder), [13] bandaging, splints, poultices, [9] preventing and curing infection with honey, and stopping bleeding with raw meat. [5] : 72  Immobilization is advised for head and spinal cord injuries, as well as other lower body fractures. The papyrus also describes realistic anatomical, physiological and pathological observations. [12] It contains the first known descriptions of the cranial structures, the meninges, the external surface of the brain, the cerebrospinal fluid, and the intracranial pulsations. [2] : 1  The procedures of this papyrus demonstrate an Egyptian level of knowledge of medicines that surpassed that of Hippocrates, who lived 1000 years later, [7] : 59  and the documented rationale for diagnosis and treatment of spinal injuries can still be regarded as the state-of-the-art reasoning for modern clinical practice. [14] The influence of brain injuries on parts of the body is recognized, such as paralysis. The relationship between the location of a cranial injury and the side of the body affected is also recorded, while crushing injuries of vertebrae were noted to impair motor and sensory functions. [12] Due to its practical nature and the types of trauma investigated, it is believed that the papyrus served as a textbook for the trauma that resulted from military battles. [5] : 11 

History

The Edwin Smith Papyrus dates to Dynasties 16–17 of the Second Intermediate Period. Egypt was ruled from Thebes during this time and the papyrus is likely to have originated from there. [5] : 70–71  Edwin Smith, an American Egyptologist, [6] was born in Connecticut in 1822 – the same year Egyptian hieroglyphic writing was decoded. [2] Smith purchased it in Luxor, Egypt in 1862, from an Egyptian dealer named Mustafa Agha. [10] : 25 

The Breasted edition (1930): left page photograph of the original papyrus, right page transcription of hieroglyphics. This is Plate XIII (column 13, case 38-41) Images from Edwin Smith Papyrus Wellcome L0003140.jpg
The Breasted edition (1930): left page photograph of the original papyrus, right page transcription of hieroglyphics. This is Plate XIII (column 13, case 38-41)

The papyrus was in the possession of Smith until his death, when his daughter donated the papyrus to New York Historical Society. There its importance was recognized by Caroline Ransom Williams, who wrote to James Henry Breasted in 1920 about "the medical papyrus of the Smith collection" in hopes that he could work on it. [15] [16] He completed the first translation of the papyrus in 1930, with the medical advice of Dr. Arno B. Luckhardt. [10] : 26  Breasted’s translation changed the understanding of the history of medicine. It demonstrates that Egyptian medical care was not limited to the magical modes of healing demonstrated in other Egyptian medical sources. Rational, scientific practices were used, constructed through observation and examination. [11] : 12 

From 1938 through 1948, the papyrus was at the Brooklyn Museum. In 1948, the New York Historical Society and the Brooklyn Museum presented the papyrus to the New York Academy of Medicine, where it remains today. [5] : 70 

From 2005 through 2006, the Edwin Smith Papyrus was on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. James P. Allen, curator of Egyptian Art at the museum, published a new translation of the work, coincident with the exhibition. [5] This was the first complete English translation since Breasted’s in 1930. This translation offers a more modern understanding of hieratic and medicine.

List of cases

As listed in [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic surgery</span> Medical surgical specialty

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. While reconstructive surgery aims to reconstruct a part of the body or improve its functioning, cosmetic surgery aims to improve the appearance of it. A comprehensive definition of plastic surgery has never been established, because it has no distinct anatomical object and thus overlaps with practically all other surgical specialties. An essential feature of plastic surgery is that it involves the treatment of conditions that require or may require tissue relocation skills.

<i>Book of the Dead</i> Ancient Egyptian funerary text

The Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom to around 50 BC. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated r(ꜣ)w n(y)w prt m hrw(w), is translated as Book of Coming Forth by Day or Book of Emerging Forth into the Light. "Book" is the closest term to describe the loose collection of texts consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife and written by many priests over a period of about 1,000 years. Karl Richard Lepsius introduced for these texts the German name Todtenbuch, translated to English as Book of the Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebers Papyrus</span> Ancient Egyptian medical papyrus

The Ebers Papyrus, also known as Papyrus Ebers, is an Egyptian medical papyrus of herbal knowledge dating to c. 1550 BCE. Among the oldest and most important medical papyri of Ancient Egypt, it was purchased at Luxor in the winter of 1873–1874 by the German Egyptologist Georg Ebers. It is currently kept at the Leipzig University Library in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turin King List</span> Ancient Egyptian manuscript

The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio in Turin. The papyrus is the most extensive list available of kings compiled by the ancient Egyptians, and is the basis for most chronology before the reign of Ramesses II.

The study of neurology and neurosurgery dates back to prehistoric times, but the academic disciplines did not begin until the 16th century. From an observational science they developed a systematic way of approaching the nervous system and possible interventions in neurological disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clavicle fracture</span> Medical condition

A clavicle fracture, also known as a broken collarbone, is a bone fracture of the clavicle. Symptoms typically include pain at the site of the break and a decreased ability to move the affected arm. Complications can include a collection of air in the pleural space surrounding the lung (pneumothorax), injury to the nerves or blood vessels in the area, and an unpleasant appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minoan language</span> Language of ancient Minoans written in Cretan hieroglyphs and Linear A syllabary

The Minoan language is the language of the ancient Minoan civilization of Crete written in the Cretan hieroglyphs and later in the Linear A syllabary. As the Cretan hieroglyphs are undeciphered and Linear A only partly deciphered, the Minoan language is unknown and unclassified: indeed, with the existing evidence, it is impossible to be certain that the two scripts record the same language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Egyptian medicine</span> Remedies from ancient Egypt

The medicine of the ancient Egyptians is some of the oldest documented. From the beginnings of the civilization in the late fourth millennium BC until the Persian invasion of 525 BC, Egyptian medical practice went largely unchanged and included simple non-invasive surgery, setting of bones, dentistry, and an extensive set of pharmacopoeia. Egyptian medical thought influenced later traditions, including the Greeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of surgery</span>

Surgery is the branch of medicine that deals with the physical manipulation of a bodily structure to diagnose, prevent, or cure an ailment. Ambroise Paré, a 16th-century French surgeon, stated that to perform surgery is, "To eliminate that which is superfluous, restore that which has been dislocated, separate that which has been united, join that which has been divided and repair the defects of nature."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Smith (Egyptologist)</span>

Edwin Smith was an American dealer and collector of antiquities who gave his name to an Ancient Egyptian medical papyrus, the Edwin Smith Papyrus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus</span>

The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus is the oldest known medical text in Egyptian history, dated to c. 1825 BCE, during the Twelfth Dynasty. The Papyrus addresses gynecological health concerns, pregnancy, fertility, and various treatments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian medical papyri</span>

Egyptian medical papyri are ancient Egyptian texts written on papyrus which permit a glimpse at medical procedures and practices in ancient Egypt. These papyri give details on disease, diagnosis, and remedies of disease, which include herbal remedies, surgery, and magical incantations. Many of these papyri have been lost due to grave robbery. The largest study of the medical papyri to date has been undertaken by Humboldt University of Berlin and was titled Medizin der alten Ägypter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooklyn Papyrus</span>

The Brooklyn Papyrus is a medical papyrus dating from ancient Egypt and is one of the oldest preserved writings about medicine and ophiology. The manuscript is dated to around 450 BCE and is today kept at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of the Book of Abraham</span> Scholarly assessment of Mormon text

The Book of Abraham is a work produced between 1835 and 1842 by the Latter Day Saints (LDS) movement founder Joseph Smith that he said was based on Egyptian papyri purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition. According to Smith, the book was "a translation of some ancient records ... purporting to be the writings of Abraham, while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus". The work was first published in 1842 and today is a canonical part of the Pearl of Great Price. Since its printing, the Book of Abraham has been a source of controversy. Numerous non-LDS Egyptologists, beginning in the mid-19th century, have heavily criticized Joseph Smith's translation and explanations of the facsimiles, unanimously concluding that his interpretations are inaccurate. They have also asserted that missing portions of the facsimiles were reconstructed incorrectly by Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Ghalioungui</span> Egyptian endocrinologist

Paul Ghalioungui or Ghalioungi (1908–1987), MD (Cairo), MRCP (Lond), Professor of Medicine and former Chairman of Internal Medicine department, Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine. An Egyptian endocrinologist, historian of Egyptian medicine, Egyptologist and an authority on Pharaonic medicine, he wrote a vivid history of Egyptian medicine in English, French, Arabic, German, and Spanish.

The history of medical diagnosis began in earnest from the days of Imhotep in ancient Egypt and Hippocrates in ancient Greece but is far from perfect despite the enormous bounty of information made available by medical research including the sequencing of the human genome. The practice of diagnosis continues to be dominated by theories set down in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brugsch Papyrus</span>

The Brugsch Papyrus, also known as the Greater Berlin Papyrus or simply Berlin Papyrus, is an important ancient Egyptian medical papyrus. It was discovered by Giuseppe Passalacqua in Saqqara, Egypt. Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia acquired it in 1827 for the Berlin Museum, where it is still housed. The style of writing is that of the 19th Dynasty, and it is dated between 1350 and 1200 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Medical Papyrus</span>

The London Medical Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian papyrus in the British Museum, London. The writings of this papyrus are of 61 recipes, of which 25 are classified as medical while the remainder are of magic. The medical subjects of the writing are skin complaints, eye complaints, bleeding and burns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Egyptian anatomical studies</span>

The Ancient Egyptian anatomical studies is an article about the history of anatomy within ancient Egypt.

References

  1. ↑ Martin, Andrew J. (2005-07-27). "Academy Papyrus to be Exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art" (Press release). The New York Academy of Medicine. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilkins, Robert H. (1992) [First published 1965]. Neurosurgical Classics (2nd ed.). Park Ridge, Illinois: American Association of Neurological Surgeons. ISBN   978-1-879284-09-8. LCCN   2011293270.
  3. 1 2 The Edwin Smith surgical papyrus, published in facsimile and hieroglyphic transliteration with translation and commentary in two volumes (PDF). Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago, Oriental Institute. 1930. ISBN   978-0-918986-73-3., fulltext of translation with commentary.
  4. ↑ Lawrence, Christopher (2008). "Surgery". In Lerner, K.Lee; Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth (eds.). Biomedicine And Health: Surgery. In Context. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale. ISBN   978-1-4144-0299-4. LCCN   2007051972. Archived from the original on 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Allen, James P. (2005). The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt. New York/New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-10728-9. LCCN   2005016908.
  6. 1 2 3 Lewkonia, Ray (2006) [First published 1986]. "education" . In Lock, Stephen; Last, John M.; Dunea, George (eds.). The Oxford Companion to Medicine (Online ed.). Oxford Reference. ISBN   978-0-19-172745-0. LCCN   2001021799. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  7. 1 2 Ghalioungui, Paul (1965) [First published 1963]. Magic and Medical Science in Ancient Egypt. New York: Barnes & Noble. LCCN   65029851.
  8. 1 2 3 Ritner, Robert K. (2005) [First published 2001]. "Magic" . In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). Archived copy. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Online ed.). Oxford Reference. ISBN   978-0-19-518765-6. LCCN   99054801. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-01-04.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ritner, Robert K. (2005) [First published 2001]. "Medicine" . In Redford, Donald B. (ed.). Archived copy. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Online ed.). Oxford Reference. ISBN   978-0-19-518765-6. LCCN   99054801. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-01-04.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. 1 2 3 4 Nunn, John F. (1996). Ancient Egyptian Medicine. Vol. 113. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 57–68. ISBN   978-0-8061-2831-3. LCCN   95039770. PMID   10326089.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  11. 1 2 Breasted, James Henry (1991) [First published 1930]. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus: published in facsimile and hieroglyphic transliteration with translation and commentary in two volumes. University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications, v. 3–4. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN   978-0-918986-73-3. LCCN   31007705.
  12. 1 2 3 Zimmerman, Leo M.; Veith, Ilza (1993) [First published 1961]. Great Ideas in the History of Surgery. San Francisco: Jeremy Norman Publishing. ISBN   978-0-930405-53-3. LCCN   93013671.
  13. ↑ Sullivan, Richard (August 1996). "The Identity and Work of the Ancient Egyptian Surgeon". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine . SAGE Publications. 89 (8): 467–73. doi:10.1177/014107689608900813. PMC   1295891 . PMID   8795503.
  14. ↑ van Middendorp, Joost J.; Sanchez, Gonzalo M.; Burridge, Alwyn L. (2010). "The Edwin Smith papyrus: a clinical reappraisal of the oldest known document on spinal injuries". European Spine Journal. 19 (11): 1815–1823. doi: 10.1007/s00586-010-1523-6 . PMC   2989268 . PMID   20697750.
  15. ↑ Sheppard, Kathleen (December 16, 2016). "The Contributions of Caroline Ransom Williams (1872-1952) to Archaeology". Brewminate. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  16. ↑ Randolph, Louise F. (1921). "College Women and Research". Journal of the American Association of University Women. 15: 51. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.