Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptians used a variety of surgical and medicinal procedure to treat illness and injury and possessed greater medical knowledge than other civilisations of their time.
The Edwin Smith Papyrus is an Ancient Egyptian medical text which dates to 1500BCE and is the oldest known surgical document. The text describes 48 examples of injuries such as wounds, tumours, fractures and dislocations and the techniques that were used to treat them. Their treatment methods included using stitches to close wounds, preventing infection with honey and using splints to immobilise fractures.
This papyrus highlights how sophisticated Ancient Egyptian's medical knowledge was. The text includes a list of symptoms and a physicians diagnosis and all procedures are practical. Their treatment methods were rational and effective as they all have basis in modern science. Their treatment methods such as splints and stitches are early examples of modern cures. Their knowledge has laid the foundations for modern medicine.
Three cases of amputation have been found in mummies at the archaeological site of Dayr-al-Barsha in Egypt. Two of the cases are from individuals that display amputations of the feet for unknown reasons. The specific healing patterns at the ends of the amputations suggest these individuals used foot binding or prosthetic devices. The third case shows an amputation of the right arm. Several cut marks were discovered at the top of the arm, indicating amputation of the arm at that point. A three part wood and leather toe, dating from between 950 and 710 BCE was found on a female mummy buried near Luxor in Egypt. This toe is the earliest known prosthetic device.
These mummies provide physical evidence that Ancient Egyptians performed trauma surgery. The fact that the mummies are all successfully healed shows that their surgical procedures were effective and relatively safe. The early prosthetics show how advanced the Ancient Egyptians medical knowledge was. Replicas of the ancient prosthetics have functioned during experiments that have been performed. This shows that the prosthetics would have functioned effectively. The Ancient Egyptian's surgical methods were practical and effective.
An Ancient Egyptians medical transcript named the Ebers Papyrus is a text of herbal knowledge dating to 1500 BCE. The document contains around 700 magical formulas and herbal remedies. Examples of herbs described in the scroll are aloe vera which was used to alleviate burns, ulcers, skin diseases and allergies, and onion which was taken to prevent colds and address cardiovascular problems
This papyrus demonstrates how Ancient Egyptian medical knowledge was quite accurate. We use aloe vera for many of the same purposes today and many of the herbs described in the text have been proven to have medicinal properties. However this scroll does show how the Ancient Egyptians had no knowledge of internal disease and blamed gods for many ailments.
Ancient Egyptians used many types of procedures to treat different types of illnesses and injuries. They had a strong understanding of medicinal treatment which would lead the way for modern medicine.
The Edwin Smith Papyrus is an Ancient Egyptian medical text which dates to 1500BCE and is the oldest known surgical document. The text describes 48 examples of injuries such as wounds, tumours, fractures and dislocations and the techniques that were used to treat them. Their treatment methods included using stitches to close wounds, preventing infection with honey and using splints to immobilise fractures.
This papyrus highlights how sophisticated Ancient Egyptian's medical knowledge was. The text includes a list of symptoms and a physicians diagnosis and all procedures are practical. Their treatment methods were rational and effective as they all have basis in modern science. Their treatment methods such as splints and stitches are early examples of modern cures. Their knowledge has laid the foundations for modern medicine.
Three cases of amputation have been found in mummies at the archaeological site of Dayr-al-Barsha in Egypt. Two of the cases are from individuals that display amputations of the feet for unknown reasons. The specific healing patterns at the ends of the amputations suggest these individuals used foot binding or prosthetic devices. The third case shows an amputation of the right arm. Several cut marks were discovered at the top of the arm, indicating amputation of the arm at that point. A three part wood and leather toe, dating from between 950 and 710 BCE was found on a female mummy buried near Luxor in Egypt. This toe is the earliest known prosthetic device.
These mummies provide physical evidence that Ancient Egyptians performed trauma surgery. The fact that the mummies are all successfully healed shows that their surgical procedures were effective and relatively safe. The early prosthetics show how advanced the Ancient Egyptians medical knowledge was. Replicas of the ancient prosthetics have functioned during experiments that have been performed. This shows that the prosthetics would have functioned effectively. The Ancient Egyptian's surgical methods were practical and effective.
An Ancient Egyptians medical transcript named the Ebers Papyrus is a text of herbal knowledge dating to 1500 BCE. The document contains around 700 magical formulas and herbal remedies. Examples of herbs described in the scroll are aloe vera which was used to alleviate burns, ulcers, skin diseases and allergies, and onion which was taken to prevent colds and address cardiovascular problems
This papyrus demonstrates how Ancient Egyptian medical knowledge was quite accurate. We use aloe vera for many of the same purposes today and many of the herbs described in the text have been proven to have medicinal properties. However this scroll does show how the Ancient Egyptians had no knowledge of internal disease and blamed gods for many ailments.
Ancient Egyptians used many types of procedures to treat different types of illnesses and injuries. They had a strong understanding of medicinal treatment which would lead the way for modern medicine.