Ancient Egyptian Medical Papyri

8/6/2019 Ancient Egyptian Medical Papyri

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suggested and we can see this in relation various parts of the body such as head, jaw

neck, spine, arms and legs. Unlike most of the other papyri this one is relatively fre

of magic and spells. It is difficult to know if this was a typical manual to cater for th

normal expected cases one would encounter in war situations or whether it was just

example of a physician dealing with his own everyday patients.

2. The Ebers Papyrus

Again this was purchased by Edwin Smith in 1862 and is said to have come from a tom

on the West Bank and maybe from the same tomb as the Edwin Smith papyrus abov

It gets its name from Georg Ebers who purchased it in 1872. It is now housed in t

University Library in Leipzig. Various translations were made with Dr. Cyril Bry

translating it into English from the German translation of Dr. Joachim's (1890). D

Ebbell made a further translation to English in 1937 although some parts of this wo

has been challenged on account of some dubious translations. The papyrus is 110 pag

and dates back to 1534 BC to the reign of Amenhotep I. This document has a mo

haphazard order than the Smith papyrus and unlike that document it deals wi

remedies only of the skin, belly and other parts of the body. The final part deals wi

surgical procedures, ulcers and tumors. It is generally difficult to follow and there m

have been many sources with the scribe not entering remedies and ailments in th

correct order. Again like the previous example there is some content on the rever

side.

3. The Kahun Papyrus

This is kept in University College London and was discovered by Flinders Petrie in 188

It is dated to 1825 BC to the reign of Amenemhat III. It is badly fragmented a

deals mainly with gynaecological matters. In some ways it is similar in style to t

Edwin Smith papyrus in that it was instructions to follow for various ailments such

women suffering from teeth and gum problems.

4. The Hearst Papyrus

This is named after the mother of newspaper heir William Randolph Hearst, w

funded much of the work carried out by the University of California in Egypt. T

papyrus was given to the Expedition in 1901 by a peasant, in exchange for some wast

soil he required as fertilizer. It dates from the 18th Dynasty and the reign

Tuthmosis III and is kept in the University of California. It contains 18 pages (26

paragraphs) and concentrates on ailments of the urinary system, blood, hair and bites

5. The Chester Beatty Papyri


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Sir Alfred Chester Beatty was a millionaire industrialist and was a great collector

books, manuscripts and art and gave 19 papyri to the British Museum. These we

found at Deir el-Medina (the workers village) in 1928 and is part of a wider collectio

now dispersed between a number of museums, the Ashmolean, the French Institute

Cairo and the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. This started off as a private collecti

by the scribe Qen-her-khepeshef in the 19th Dynasty and passed on down through h

family until there were placed in a tomb. They have undergone extensive reconstructi

and translated into English by Gardiner in 1935. The content comprises of many magic

incantations against headache. There is much space given over to rectal ailments wi

various remedies and incantations but there is some doubt as to the exact ailmen

these refer to.

6. The Berlin Papyrus

This papyrus was aquired by Giuseppe Passalacqua in Seqqara and was sold on

Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia with other objects in 1827 for the Berlin Museum. T

style indicates that it is 19th Dynasty and Wreszinski translated it into German

1909. This comprises of 24 pages (21 to the front and 3 on the back) and bears a gre

similarity to the Ebers papyrus.

7. The London Medical Papyrus

This pasted to the British Museum in 1860 having been in the possession of the Roy

Institute of London prior to that. It dates to the reign of Tutankhamun and is in ve

poor condition. It is comprised of 19 pages, mostly concentrating on magical spells.8. The Ramesseum Papyri

This gets its name from having been discovered in the great temple of the Ramesseu

Gardiner thinks it relates to the 13th Dynasty (Early Second Intermediate Period).

total 17 papyri were found but the main content is concentrated in parts III, IV and

which are written in vertical columns which is completely new. They contain sections

diseases of the eyes, gynecology, diseases of children, muscles and tendons.

9. Carlsberg Papyrus

This papyrus dates from the 19th/20th Dynasties by its style but very little

known about it. I t is the property of the Carlsberg Foundation and is housed

the Egyptological Institute of the University of Copenhagen. It deals with e

diseases and pregnancy and there some similarity between it and both the Kah

and Berlin papyri.


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10. The Brooklyn Papyrus

This papyrus concentrates exclusively on snake bites and dates to the 30th Dynasty

Early Ptolemic Period and is housed in the Brooklyn Museum. It speaks about remedi

to drive out poison from snakes, scorpions and tarantulas. The style of these remedi

relates to that of the Ebers papyrus.

The above all contain major findings that help us study medical practices in ancient timbut remedies have also been found on pieces of pottery and ostraca dating from the Amar

Period to the time of Roman occupation. For greater detail on these various papyri pleas

read Ancient Egyptian Medicine by John F Nunn who deals with this subject in gre

detail.

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Ancient Egyptian Medical Papyri