Edwin Smith Papyrus

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Edwin Smith Papyrus

The Edwin Smith Papyrus (also English Edwin Smith Papyrus called and German "wounds Book") is an ancient Egyptian medical text on papyrus was written and the oldest written documents belongs medical therapies. It testifies to a highly developed state of medicine in ancient Egypt, especially in the field of surgery .

In contrast to other medical papyri, it is an application book that is almost free of magical practices.

Research history

The medical text was offered in 1862 by the dealer Mustafa Aga in Luxor and acquired by the American antiquities dealer Edwin Smith (1822-1906). The papyrus was translated by him on a trial basis and, after his death, given by his daughter to the New York Historical Society . In 1930 it was published with facsimile, transcription, translation and commentary by James H. Breasted , who was supported by the physiologist Arno B. Luckhardt . In 1958 Hildegard von Deines, Hermann Grapow and Wolfhart Westendorf first translated it into German .

Today he is in the New York Academy of Medicine .

origin

The exact origin of the Edwin Smith papyrus is unknown; it may come from the Ramesseum or the grave of a doctor in West Thebes . The hieratic script is similar to that of the Ebers papyrus , which was also acquired by Edwin Smith in 1862.

construction

Anatomical distribution of the cases in the wound book.

The Edwin Smith papyrus is 4.68 m long and is the second longest medical papyrus from ancient Egypt. It is a Central Egyptian copy that dates back to around 1550 BC. ( Second Intermediate Period , approx. 16th – 17th Dynasty). As Breasted 1930 and Westendorf 1992 pointed out, the original probably comes from the Old Kingdom . The papyrus has a good hieratic script and is one of the most beautiful and longest Egyptian manuscripts.

The front side comprises 17 columns with 377 lines, the rear part five columns with 92 lines and lists 48 surgical case studies ( wound book ), whereby the relevant body parts are systematically described from the head to the shoulders to the upper body. In the 48th case, the text breaks off, theoretically other parts of the body such as the inside of the body or the organs should have followed.

The wound book is structured according to a classic teaching text ( schesau ). Each case contains a heading, instructions for the examination , a diagnosis , a prognosis and a possible therapy . Some cases have a more differentiated structure and contain several examinations and diagnoses. Numerous glosses at the end of each case serve to explain the outdated words and expressions in more detail and to make them understandable to readers of the time.

For the prognosis, one of three phrases was used that classified the disease and determined further treatment:

  • "A disease that I will treat."
  • "A disease I'll struggle with."
  • "A disease that is not treated."

The text on the back of the papyrus has a different context. The last two columns were made by a second author and come from a later period.

content

Wound book

The wound book treats open wounds , broken bones and strains from head to rib . The standard wound treatment is a bandage with fresh meat for the first day. Over the next few days, bandages with oil or fat, honey and fiber follow . Long-term positioning of the patient is also provided for in hopeless cases.

head

The injuries to the head range from simple wounds to gashes and splinter fractures . Depending on the type of injury, different treatment methods are suggested and different healing prospects are forecast. Standard wound treatment is sufficient for the simplest cases. Patients with more severe injuries are prescribed long-term storage. In the first case described, a measurement of the wrist artery and listening to the heartbeat are suggested and provide interesting insights into the examination methods used by Egyptian doctors. In another case shown, an attempt is made to heal a hopeless, splintered skull with the help of an ostrich ice cream. The procedure described is more of a sympathetic device that is accompanied by a spell at the same time .

Neck

An injured neck tube and various problems with the neck vertebra are treated . A displacement of two vertebrae and a contusion cannot be healed; in other cases, the usual wound dressing is used.

Collarbones

A detachment of the collarbone from the chest can be healed by attaching it with scraps of fabric and a wound dressing. In the event of a simple break, the collarbone is first aligned so that it falls back into place. This is followed by padding and a wound dressing.

upper arm

The injuries to the upper arm include a crevice, a tumor bladder, and a fracture, which is treated similarly to a broken collarbone. The most complicated is a break with a wound on it. A deep, bloody wound that has already softened cannot be healed.

chest

Tumors on the chest due to impact injuries are treated by burning out with a fire pin. On the other hand, abnormal wounds that are inflamed and cause a fever are first cooled, dried and then cured with a special powdered bandage.

Ribs

Tears and displacements in the ribs can easily be treated with a wound dressing. On the other hand, a fracture with a broken wound and loosened rib bones cannot be treated.

Armpit

A gash on the armpit has different remedies depending on the severity of the case. The type of suffering ranges from rheumatic pain in the shoulder blade to an inflamed wound that causes a fever.

move

There are three types of surgical injuries to the spine :

  1. to treat - cheap
  2. to fight - questionable
  3. not treat - hopeless

The last case involves a strain on the vertebrae . At this point, however, the papyrus breaks off before treatment begins.

Spells against plagues

The magical incantations serve to keep out the epidemics that occur during the annual flood of the Nile . The speaker is identified either with the sun god or with Horus .

Teaching texts and recipes

The teaching texts include menstrual disorders and anus disease . The recipes are used for skin care and in particular for the production of bitter fruit oil , which is used for skin rejuvenation.

Editions of works and translations

  • James Henry Breasted: The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus. 2 volumes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1930 (= University of Chicago Oriental Institute Publications. Vol. 3-4); Reprint ibid 1991, ISBN 978-0-918986-73-3 .
  • Hildegard von Deines, Hermann Grapow and Wolfhart Westendorf: Outline of the medicine of the ancient Egyptians. 9 volumes, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1954–1973; here volume 4.1: translation of medical texts. Berlin 1958.
  • Wolfhart Westendorf: Papyrus Edwin Smith. A medical textbook from ancient Egypt. Wound and trauma surgery. Magic spells against plagues, different recipes. Translated from the ancient Egyptian, commented and edited (= Hubert's classics of medicine and natural sciences. Volume 9), Bern / Stuttgart 1966.
  • Wolfgang Kosack: The medical papyrus Edwin Smith. The New York Academy of Medicine, Inv. 217; Newly transferred into hieroglyphs, translated and edited: Berlin 2011, Brunner, Basel 2012, ISBN 978-3-033-03331-3 .

See also

literature

  • Manuela Gander in: Medicine and Magic In: Kemet. Issue 2/2005 , ISSN  0943-5972 , p. 43.
  • H. Grapow: From the medical texts. In: H. von Deines, H. Grapow, W. Westendorf (ed.): Outline of the medicine of the ancient Egyptians. Volume 2, Berlin 1955, pp. 108-111.
  • JF Nunn: Ancient Egyptian Medicine. British Museum Press, London 1996, ISBN 0-7141-0981-9 , pp. 24-30.
  • Wolfhart Westendorf: awakening of the healing art. Medicine in ancient Egypt. Artemis & Winkler, Zurich 1992, ISBN 3-7608-1072-1 .
  • Wolfhart Westendorf: Handbook of ancient Egyptian medicine. Volume 1 (= Handbook of Oriental Studies. Vol. 36). Brill, Leiden / Boston / Cologne 1999, ISBN 90-04-11320-7 , pp. 16-21.
  • Wolfhart Westendorf: Handbook of ancient Egyptian medicine. Volume 2 (= Handbook of Oriental Studies. Vol. 36). Brill, Leiden / Boston / Cologne 1999, ISBN 90-04-11321-5 , pp. 711-748.
  • Kamal Sabri Kolta: Papyrus Edwin Smith. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 1100 f.

References and comments

  1. ↑ a b c d Nunn: Ancient Egyptian Medicine , 1996, pp. 24-30.
  2. ↑ Deines, Grapow, Westendorf: Outline of Medicine of the Ancient Egyptians , 4.1, 1958.
  3. ↑ a b Manuela Gander: Medicine and Magic , Kemet issue 2/2005, p. 43.
  4. ↑ Based on the Ebers papyrus.
  5. ^ A b c d Westendorf: Handbook of Ancient Egyptian Medicine I , 1999, pp. 16-21.
  6. ↑ However, the only spell in the wound book.
  7. ↑ As the son of Sekhmet , Bastet or Wadjet .
  8. ↑ Westendorf: Handbook of ancient Egyptian medicine II , 1999, pp. 747-748.

Web links

Commons : Edwin Smith Papyrus  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files