Papyrus Edwin Smith

The ancient use of plants, not essential oils, can be found in fragments of Egyptian herbals. The names of various plants, their habitats, characteristics, and the purposes for which they were used are included in the following Veterinary papyrus (ca. 2000 b.c.). Gynaecological papyrus (pa. 2000 B.C.), Papyrus Edwin Smith (an army surgeon s manual, ca. 1600 b.c.). Papyrus Ebers (includes remedies for health, beauty, and the home, ca. 1600 b.c.). Papyrus Hearst (with prescriptions and spells, ca. 1400 b.c.), and Demotic medical papyri (second century b.c. to first century a.d.). 

Cancer is an unwelcome, potentially life-threatening diagnosis that one-third of us will experience. The oldest descriptions of cancer date back to Egypt around 1600 BC. The so-called Edwin Smith Papyrus describes eight cases of what appears to be breast cancer. The tumors of the breast were treated by cauterization, with a tool called the fire drill . Clearly there was a desire and need to treat this dreaded disease, but the conclusion was There is no treatment . It is only in the last 100 years that we have developed more sophisticated tools to treat cancer. 

Breasted, J. Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus Facsimile University of Chicago Press Chicago, 1930. 

The first written indication of malignant diseases can be found in the old Egyptian Kahun Papyrus as well as the Ebers Papyrus , where cancers of the uterus, breast, bladder, and also Kaposi-sarcoma are mentioned. In the Papyrus of Edwin Smith , even surgical techniques for cancer are described (Fig. 5.114). Already at that time, it had been recognised that surgical intervention has to... 

The Edwin Smith papyrus is an ancient Egyptian medicai text, which belongs among the earliest written documents on medical healing procedures. It was discovered in Thebes and purchased by Smith in Luxor from an Egyptian dealer named Mustafa Agha in 1862. 

Surgical treatment of cancer is described in the Edwin Smith Papyrus from ancient Egypt. 

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