Ancient Egyptian medicine employed advanced surgical practices, while the prevention and treatment of diseases relied mostly on natural remedies and magical incantations. In the first of three volumes, The Medicine of the Ancient Egyptians explores these two different aspects, using textual sources and physical evidence to cast light on the state of ancient medical knowledge and practice and the hardships of everyday life experienced by the inhabitants of the land on the Nile. The first part of the book focuses on ancient Egyptian surgery, drawing mainly on cases described in the Edwin Smith papyrus, which details a number of injuries listed by type and severity. These demonstrate the rational approach employed by ancient physicians in the treatment of injured patients. Additional surgical cases are drawn from the Ebers papyrus. The chapters that follow cover gynecology, obstetrics, and pediatric cases, with translations from the Kahun gynecological papyrus and other medical texts, illustrating a wide range of ailments that women and young children suffered in antiquity, and how they were treated. Illustrated with more than sixty photographs and line drawings, The Medicine of the Ancient Egyptians is highly recommended reading for scholars of ancient Egyptian medicine and magic, as well as for paleopathologists, medical historians, and physical anthropologists.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgement 1 THE WISDOM OF THE AGES (E. Strouhal) 1.1 The Texts – Key to Ancient Egyptian Medicine 1.2 Selection of monographs on Ancient Egyptian medicine 1.3 The ‘Ancient Egyptian Medicine’ Programme 2 PAPYRUS SCROLLS OF THE EGYPTIAN PHYSICIANS (H. Vymazalová) 2.1 Kahun Papyrus 2.2 Ramesseum Papyri 2.3 Edwin Smith Papyrus 2.4 Ebers Papyrus 2.5 Hearst Papyrus 2.6 London Papyrus BM 10059 2.7 Papyrus Carlsberg VIII 2.8 Papyrus Berlin 3038 2.9 Chester Beatty Papyri 2.10 Book for Mother and Child (Papyrus Berlin 3027) 3 ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SURGERY (B. Vachala, E. Strouhal) 3.1 Medical Texts Dealing with Surgery (B. Vachala) 3.2 The Ingredients of the Remedies for Surgical Treatment (H. Vymazalová) 3.2.1 The Ingredients of Mineral Origin 3.2.2 The Ingredients of Herbal Origin 3.2.3 The Ingredients of Animal Origin 3.3 Translation of the Surgical Cases (B. Vachala) 3.3.1 Edwin Smith Papyrus 3.3.2 Ebers Papyrus 3.4 Surgical Treatment of Injuries and Other Illnesses (E. Strouhal) 3.4.1 Injuries of the Cranial Vault 3.4.2 Injuries of the Forehead 3.4.3 Injuries of the Nose 3.4.4 Injuries of the Face 3.4.5 Injuries of the Temporal Bones 3.4.6 Injuries of the Ear 3.4.7 Injuries of the Lower Jaw 3.4.8 Injuries of the Lip 3.4.9 Injuries of the Chin 3.4.10 Injuries of the Throat 3.4.11 Injuries of the Cervical Vertebrae 3.4.12 Injuries of the Collar Bones 3.4.13 Injuries of the Humerus 3.4.14 Diseases of the Chest 3.4.15 Injuries of the Shoulders and Back 3.5 Treatment with a Knife and Glowing Stick (E. Strouhal) 3.5.1 Benign Tumours 3.5.2 A Cyst in the Hair 3.5.3 Inflamed Bulges 3.5.4 Umbilical Hernia 3.5.5 A Bulge Caused by Subcutaneous Bleeding 3.5.6 A Bulge Caused by a Parasitic Cyst 3.5.7 A Bulge Caused by Fluid in the Abdominal Cavity 3.5.8 Bulges of Uncertain Origins 3.6 Operators and their Treatments (E. Strouhal) 3.6.1 The Questions of the Existence of Specialised Surgeons 3.6.2 Examination of the Patient to Determine a Diagnosis and Prognosis 3.6.3 Surgical Instruments and Aids 3.6.4 Pain Relief 3.6.5 Evidence of Surgical Operations 4 MOTHER AND CHILD CARE (H. Vymazalová, E. Strouhal) 4.1 Medical Texts Concerning Women and Children (H. Vymazalová) …109 4.2 The Ingredients of Medicinal Preparations for Women and Children (H. Vymazalová) 4.2.1 Units 4.2.2 Ingredients from the Kitchen 4.2.3 Ingredients of Mineral Origin 4.2.4 Ingredients of Herbal Origin 4.2.5 Ingredients of Animal Origin 4.2.6 Sundry Other Ingredients 4.3 Translation of the Texts (H. Vymazalová) 4.3.1 Kahun Papyrus 4.3.2 Papyri from Ramesseum 4.3.3 Edwin Smith Papyrus 4.3.4 Ebers Papyrus 4.3.5 London Papyrus (BM 10059) 4.3.6 Papyrus Carlsberg VIII 4.3.7 Papyrus Berlin 3038 4.3.8 Book for Mother and Child (Papyrus Berlin 3027) 4.4 Medicine and Women (H. Vymazalová, E. Strouhal) 4.4.1 Pains 4.4.2 Fever and Swellings 4.4.3 Bleeding and Menstruation 4.4.4 Urinary Problems 4.4.5 Other Women’s Problems 4.4.6 Support of Conception 4.4.7 Prevention of Conception 4.4.8 Tests of Fertility and Pregnancy 4.4.9 Pregnancy 4.4.10 Childbirth 4.4.11 Post-Natal Care of the Mother 4.4.12 Breasts 4.5 Care for Children (H. Vymazalová, E. Strouhal) 4.5.1 Tests of the Viability of a Newborn 4.5.2 Breastfeeding and Breast Milk 4.5.3 Children’s Diseases 4.5.4 Problems with Urination and Defecation Summary Brief Overview of the History of Ancient Egypt Bibliography