THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SOURCES OF NEUROSURGERY

Abstract

Aim (Background): The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus is considered to be the first scientific study of the causes of diseases and of the methods of treatment. This article aims to analyse a significant breakthrough that the Egyptians made in the field of surgery. Materials and methods: We will present a comparison of a few selected cases from The Edwin Smith Papyrus with modern medical procedures in order to estimate the degree of analogy between them. Results: The research shows the existence of a large amount of similarities in the proceedings of the Egyptian doctors in relation to the procedures undertaken by physicians in similar situations today. The Egyptian doctors, who described their observations in The Edwin Smith Papyrus, gave a good basis for the characterization of human anatomy of, among others, the skull, the dura mater and brain, which is certainly a milestone in the development of neurosurgery. Conclusion: Although in the times which we refer to in this article the Egyptians certainly did not know the symptoms of diseases so well as at present, they associated some important facts such as a spinal cord injury with a paralysis of limbs or with other neurological disorders. It is significant that the physicians without medical imaging, which is widely used in modern medical practice, were able to make the diagnosis correctly. The purpose of the proposed article is to create a concise description of ancient Egyptian knowledge in the field of surgery – based on The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus – in relation to modern surgical practices in similar clinical cases.