
Edwin Smith Papyrus

by Science Photo Library
Title
Edwin Smith Papyrus
Artist
Science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Edwin Smith Papyrus, Ancient Egyptian surgery. This papyrus is the world's oldest surviving surgical text. It was written in Egyptian hieratic script around the 17th century BC, probably based on material from a thousand years earlier. The papyrus is a surgical textbook describing 48 cases dealing with wounds and trauma. US archaeologist Edwin Smith discovered the papyrus in Egypt in the 1860s. This part of the scroll describes how to treat a 'hidden' skull fracture (below unbroken skin) and a forehead wound with skull fracture. For the full sequence showing the text on the scroll, see images C023/3425 to C023/3438.
Uploaded
June 27th, 2016
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