Egyptian medical papyri

Lore & Background

Early Egyptian medicine was based on a mixture of magic and religious spells, with illnesses thought to be caused by spiteful behavior. Amulets or magical spells were commonly used, and doctors performed medical treatments if necessary. Instructions for these rituals were later inscribed on papyrus scrolls by the priests performing the actions. The first papyrus discovered was the Berlin Papyrus, published by Heinrich Brugsch in 1863, with a translation by Walter Wreszinski in 1909. Other key papyri include the Ebers Papyrus (published 1875), the Kahun Papyri (published 1898), and the Ramesseum Papyri (discovered 1898).

Reader's Guide

The Egyptian medical papyri are significant for documenting the evolution of medical practice from reliance on spells and magic to physical treatments like surgery. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, the world's oldest surgical text, shifted focus to trauma surgery, while the Ebers Papyrus covered general pathology and included references to migraines. The Kahun Papyrus is the oldest known medical text, focusing on gynecology. These texts reveal that the Egyptians understood the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, ureters, and bladder, and that blood vessels connected to the heart. The papyri also show that some treatments were purely physical, while others combined magic and religion. Their study has corrected earlier mistranslations, as Warren R Dawson discovered in 1932. The papyri remain crucial for understanding ancient Egyptian medical knowledge and its influence on later medicine.

Did You Know?

• The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus, dated to circa 1800 BCE, is the oldest known medical text in Egypt.
• The Edwin Smith Papyrus is the world's oldest surgical text, focusing on trauma surgery.
• The Ebers Papyrus, the lengthiest medical papyrus, includes references to migraines.
• Warren R Dawson discovered in 1932 that some earlier translations of the papyri were incorrect.