The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1906-02-16
: PAPYRUS EBERS."
OLDEST WORK ON MEDICINE OBJ
TANNED IN EGYPT.
Most Complete and Valuable Collec-
tion of information on An
cient Medical Topics
Extant.

GeOrg Ebers, who was widely known
In the seventies as the author Of several
Egyptian romances, enjoyed at the same
time more limited but more solid fame
as leading Psychologist, and his work
proved Of abiding value In the regula-
tion Of the vast historic and liteary her
itage which ancient Egypt has commit
ted to modern eras, says the Hartford
Times.
Dr. Klein, of Chicago, has recently
read an extensive paper before the
American Academy of Medicine on the
''Papyrus Ebers" This is roll of papy-
rus acquired by DR.. Ebers In the vicinity
Of Thebes in the winter of 1872 from an
Arab who made ancient grave robbing
a business, and who had struck line of
rock tombs undiscovered as yet by the
others of the guild He found this roll
of papyrus between the legs Of mum
my It was single, tightly rolled, yell
low brown, about a foot wide, and writ
ten over for the length of over 65 feet in
regular columns that are numbered II
is exactly preserved, and was deposited
cation and translation was deposited
in the library of the University of Leip-
zig. 1t was cut in sections there and
placed between glass for purposes of
preservation and examination. The
script Of this papyrus is hieratic-other
scripts are hieroglyphic and domotica
running script in red and black inks
Every heading is in red ink
BY certain signs especially an al
manac on the outside and an inscription
which refers to Amenophis /, the date
Of this papyrus is placed at about 1862
before Christ. But it has been estab-
lished to the satisfaction of Egyptelo
gists that the paper is but a transcript
ton or copy Of an older work. which is
put 5000 years before that and this
places the original at period Of over
1000 years ago.
But the most marvellous matter about
this papyrus is that it is a comprehen-
sive treatise on medicine, as well classi-
fled and as logically arranged as any
modern textbook. The diagnosis Of dis
eases is carefully given, their nature
treated Of, and the remedies arranged in
logical order. Diseases of the abdomen.
the chest, the heart, the eyes and ears,
and SO on, are carefully arranged and
described in a manner that would hold
water at the present day. For instance.
of the heart, the papyrus classiies the
troubles as: Fatty degeneration, dila-
tation, carditis, angina or spasm, hyper |
trophy (enlargement) thrombosis (plug-
ging) and dropsy. That comes pretty
near to us Of medicines over 700 DIFF
ferent substances are enumerated, and
they are prescribed in pills, in tablets, in /
capsules, in decoctions. powders, inhral- /
ations, lotions, ointment, plasters.
The completeness Of the work. the /
close observations, the logical division /
and the common sense in treatment
manifested in this ancient docdment are
startlingly surprising to the modern
man. These ancients had their special /
lists. just as we. But, above all, is the /
revelation how much we thought was
our own discovery which, it seems, was
known to these Egyptian doctors 1000
years ago. The anatomical and medical
hints in the law OF Moses are found
closely related to the text Of this an
cient papyrus. while many of the teach
1ngs Of Hyppocrates are derived from it.
Seven more rolls Of papyrus on medi-
cal science have been found. but none as
complete and ancient as this. The others
are in Berlin, London. Leyden. Turin.
Broheck and Leipzig.