Ancient Egyptian Surgical Heritage

Abstract

Egyptian medicine influenced the medicine of neighboring cultures, including the culture of ancient Greece. From Greece, its influence spread onward, thereby affecting Western civilization significantly. The oldest extant Egyptian medical texts are six papyri: The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus and the Ebers Medical Papyrus are famous.

Keywords: :

• ancient Egypt
• Imhotep
• Ebers Papyrus
• Edwin Smith Papyrus
• protosurgery
• medical texts

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

To Mrs. Mervat Kamel for her help in writing and editing this report and my daughters Dr. Asmaa and Dr. Aya for their cooperation and preparation of the software of figures that made this work possible; really I feel indebted.