“I am the Nile…”
Cleopatra
The Edwin Smith Papyrus is located in the New York Society of Medicine. Like many similar objects it was liberated from Egypt in the 1800s. The 4.86m scroll is believed to be a scribe copy of a document from around 3000-2500 BCE. The author is thought to be the architect, priest and physician, Imhotep. It is the oldest known surgical text, with a focus on military surgery. It breaks new ground describing examination, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment in an ordered manner. The text has 39 exemplar cases used to make its points. Anatomy, pathology and physiology are described. There are remarkable insights into infection control, haemostasis, and the connection between brain injury, spinal damage and paralysis. Case 39 is the first ever description of breast cancer, particularly lymph involvement. Most impactful is the clinical reasoning and ethics. Prognosis is classified as cases to treat actively, cases to simply contend with, and those cases not to be treated. Wise words even in 2026. #whototreat #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 