Medicine in ancient Egypt was advanced for its time; it was well respected by other early civilisations, and today continues to fascinate us. Was surgery a separate branch of general medicine? And was any type of operative treatment practised? While there is considerable evidence for the management of injuries and trauma, there is less support for surgical procedures relating to conditions that did not result from trauma.
Medical papyri
The ancient Egyptian medical texts – the medical papyri – refer to minor surgical procedures, such as incisions to drain or excise swellings, cauterisation, sutures to close wounds, bandaging, and the reduction of dislocations. There is mention of the ‘knife or cutting treatment’ (Dwa), and a number of cases in the Ebers Papyrus describe the surgical removal and management of various swellings.
An example of treating such a swelling is Ebers Papyrus 865, which refers to an enlargement of the lower part of the abdomen in which ‘the water rose and dropped’. It has been suggested that this is a case of ascites (a condition in which fluid builds up in spaces within the abdomen). The treatment is to puncture the swelling with a knife, while taking care not to damage the anatomical structures below the puncture site.
