Papyrus Ebers

Ancient Egyptian medical papyrus dating from around 1534 BC. It was named after German Egyptologist Maurice Ebers who bought it from US Egyptologist Edwin Smith in 1872. At 110 pages and over 900 paragraphs, the papyrus is the longest of all known Egyptian medical papyri. It contains a collection of medical texts covering the whole spectrum of ancient Egyptian medicine, with descriptions of most diseases and illnesses and over 700 remedies or treatments. Rational treatments are combined with the use of prayers. The presence of spiritual remedies alongside practical treatments indicates that the Egyptians saw the two as complimentary in medicine.

Papyrus Ebers starts with prayers in paragraphs 1–3, and in paragraphs 242–247 gives remedies made by the gods. It lists treatments for flesh wounds and burns, and diseases of the stomach, anus, skin, head, bladder, heart, limbs, nose, ears, and teeth. The papyrus allows historians to understand the range of treatments used, as well as the level of knowledge held by Egyptian physicians. It is believed to be roughly contemporary with the Papyrus Edwin Smith, a list of 48 case histories and treatments.