This volume contains the original hieratic text, complete transcription into hieroglyphs, transliteration, English translation, philological apparatus and copiously illustrated medical commentaries for the 48 clinical cases of the Edwin Smith Papyrus, as well as extensive bibliographical resources, and a lucid introduction exploring the importance of the document, the history of previous scholarship, and distinctive aspects of the current edition. It offers an authoritative treatment of the Egyptian text, which clarifies the meaning of many passages from the papyrus and points the way to their correct medical interpretation. The Edwin Smith Papyrus is the first comprehensive trauma treatise in the history of medicine. Not only is the ESP the source of numerous anatomical and functional concepts of the nervous system, it is the basis for the development of modern objective clinical thinking, establishing the foundations of modern medicine more than a thousand years before Hippocrates. The volume features an impressive array of medical material that reveals the precise conditions described by the ancient physician and explores the Egyptian contribution to modern diagnostics, clinical practice, and methodology. This publication sets the standard in the presentation of ancient medical documents. It also includes the previously unpublished translation of the papyrus by Edwin Smith himself. Reviews: "An extraordinary contribution to our medical and surgical history! There is no question that the collaboration of an Egyptologist and a neurosurgeon has clearly made this translation a better result and a clear improvement on Breasted's original brilliant accomplishment, bringing this remarkable historical document back to new life. The addition of the illustrations will help the nonmedical reader understand what the various injuries represent--as always a 'picture is worth a thousand words.' A landmark work!" -- James T. Goodrich, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sci., (Hon) Director, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Children's Hospital at Montefiore. Professor of Clinical Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Albert Einstein College of Medicine "Sanchez and Meltzer have performed a minor miracle, producing a new edition of Papyrus Edwin Smith that surpasses all previous efforts at translating and understanding this difficult and fascinating text. Meltzer has taken full advantage of this opportunity to test the Standard Theory of Egyptian grammar against a text that is perfect for the task. His translation remains lucid for a beginner while the grammatical notes are thought-provoking for professionals. This book is truly an important accomplishment in the history of translation and our understanding of medical history." -- Edward Bleiberg, Ph.D., Curator of Egyptian Art, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY "This eloquent volume brings a cascade of new insights and breathes fresh vitality into the ancient Edwin Smith Papyrus. The eminent scholars, Gonzalo M. Sanchez, a distinguished neurosurgeon and strong contributor to the field of Egyptology, and Edmund S. Meltzer, a noted philologist, have teamed up to bring modern neuroscience and sophisticated advances in the interpretation of ancient Egyptian texts to bear on new case translations and commentaries. Remarkably, they have also brought to light the notes of Edwin Smith himself, which are published here for the first time. A visual index in color at the start of the volume makes the basic nature of the injuries clear to all, specialist and nonspecialist alike. Black and white photographs demonstrate the particular injuries in the cases. The authors convincingly demonstrate that the approach to treatment of trauma in ancient Egypt was very much in keeping with modern concepts of medical-surgical care. Not only will this sumptuous Lockwood Press volume fascinate clinical neuroscientists, Egyptologists, and historians of science, it will bring new audiences to this remarkable document." -- John Booss, MD, Professor Emeritus, Departments of Neurology and Laboratory Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine; Former National Director of Neurology, Department of Veterans Affairs "This new edition of the Edwin Smith Papyrus should stand for a long time as the definitive study of a very important text, and--thanks to the very successful and happy collaboration of Edmund Meltzer and Gonzalo Sanchez--as a model for future studies of ancient Egypt's technical literature. This is a complete publication, which provides students and scholars with a facsimile of the original hieratic text, an accurate transcription of the hieratic, a modern translation and exhaustive philological commentary, and--particularly important for non-Egyptologists--an expert medical commentary by an experienced neurosurgeon. This is a milestone not only for Egyptology, but for the history of science and of medicine." - Stephen Vinson, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Indiana University

This is a new release of the original 1930 edition.

Diseases and injuries were major concerns for ancient Egyptians. This book, featuring some sixty-four objects from the Metropolitan Museum, discusses how both practical and magical medicine informed Egyptian art and for the first time reproduces and translates treatments described in the spectacular Edwin Smith Papyrus.

The skills of the ancient Egyptians in preserving bodies through mummification are well known, but their expertise in the everyday medical practices needed to treat the living is less familiar and often misinterpreted. John F. Nunn draws on his own experience as an eminent doctor of medicine and an Egyptologist to reassess the evidence. He has translated and reviewed the original Egyptian medical papyri and has reconsidered other sources of information, including skeletons, mummies, statues, tomb paintings and coffins. Illustrations highlight symptoms of similar conditions in patients ancient and modern, and the criteria by which the Egyptian doctors made their diagnoses - many still valid today - are evaluated in the light of current medical knowledge. In addition, an appendix listing all known named doctors contains previously unpublished additions from newly translated texts. Spells and incantations and the relationship of magic and religion to medical practice are also explored. Incorporating the most recent insights of modern medicine and Egyptology, the result is the most comprehensive and authoritative general book to be published on this fascinating subject for many years.

A unique biographical review of the global contributors to field of anatomy Knowledge of human anatomy has not always been an essential component of medical education and practice. Most European medical schools did not emphasize anatomy in their curricula until the post-Renaissance era; current knowledge was largely produced between the 16th and 20th centuries. Although not all cultures throughout history have viewed anatomy as fundamental to medicine, most have formed ideas about the internal and external mechanisms of the body—influences on the field of anatomy that are often overlooked by scholars and practitioners of Western medicine. History of Anatomy: An International Perspective explores the global and ancient origins of our modern-day understanding of anatomy, presenting detailed biographies of anatomists from varied cultural and historical settings. Chapters organized by geographic region, including Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, review the lives of those that helped shape our current understanding of the human form. Examining both celebrated and lesser-known figures, this comprehensive work examines their contributions to the discipline and helps readers develop a global perspective on a cornerstone of modern medicine and surgery. Offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary examination of the history of anatomy Traces the emergence of modern knowledge of anatomy from ancient roots to the modern era Fills a gap in current literature on global perspectives on the history of anatomy Written by an internationally recognized team of practicing physicians and scholars History of Anatomy: An International Perspective is an engaging and insightful historical review written for anatomists, anthropologists, physicians, surgeons, medical personnel, medical students, health related professionals, historians, and anyone interested in the history of anatomy, surgery, and medicine.

A bestselling history of medicine, enriched with a new foreword, concluding essay, and bibliographic essay. Erwin H. Ackerknecht’s A Short History of Medicine is a concise narrative, long appreciated by students in the history of medicine, medical students, historians, and medical professionals as well as all those seeking to understand the history of medicine. Covering the broad sweep of discoveries from parasitic worms to bacilli and x-rays, and highlighting physicians and scientists from Hippocrates and Galen to Pasteur, Koch, and Roentgen, Ackerknecht narrates Western and Eastern civilization’s work at identifying and curing disease. He follows these discoveries from the library to the bedside, hospital, and laboratory, illuminating how basic biological sciences interacted with clinical practice over time. But his story is more than one of laudable scientific and therapeutic achievement. Ackerknecht also points toward the social, ecological, economic, and political conditions that shape the incidence of disease. Improvements in health, Ackerknecht argues, depend on more than laboratory knowledge: they also require that we improve the lives of ordinary men and women by altering social conditions such as poverty and hunger. This revised and expanded edition includes a new foreword and concluding biographical essay by Charles E. Rosenberg, Ackerknecht’s former student and a distinguished historian of medicine. A new bibliographic essay by Lisa Haushofer explores recent scholarship in the history of medicine.