Thrifty Banker
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Investing
  • Politics
  • Business
  • World
  • Investing

Thrifty Banker

World

Evidence of surgical tumor removal in ancient Egyptian skull is ‘milestone in the history of medicine’

by May 29, 2024
May 29, 2024
Evidence of surgical tumor removal in ancient Egyptian skull is ‘milestone in the history of medicine’

Cancer is often regarded as a disease of the modern age. However, medical texts from ancient Egypt indicate that healers of the time were aware of the condition. Now, new evidence from a skull more than 4,000 years old has revealed that ancient Egyptian physicians may have tried to treat certain cancers with surgery.

The skull belonged to a man who was about 30 to 35 years old when he died, and it resides in the Duckworth Laboratory collection at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Since the mid-19th century, scientists have studied the skull’s scarred surface, including multiple lesions thought to represent bone damage from malignant tumors. Archaeologists regard the skull, labeled 236 in the collection, as one of the oldest examples of malignancy in the ancient world, dating back to between 2686 BC and 2345 BC.

But when researchers recently peered more closely at the tumor scars with a digital microscope and micro-computed tomography (CT) scans, they detected signs of cut marks around the tumors, suggesting that sharp metal instruments had been used to remove the growths. The scientists reported the findings Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Medicine.

“It was the very first time that humanity was dealing surgically with what we nowadays call cancer,” said senior study author Dr. Edgard Camarós, a professor in the department of history at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Coruña, Spain.

“If those cut marks were done with that person alive, we’re talking about some kind of treatment directly related to the cancer,” he said. But if the cut marks were made posthumously, “it means that this is a medical autopsy exploration in relation to that cancer.”

Either way, “it’s amazing to think that they performed a surgical intervention,” Camarós added. “But we cannot actually distinguish between a treatment and an autopsy.”

Medical ‘knowledge and mastery’

Medicine in ancient Egypt, documented extensively in medical texts such as the Ebers Papyrus and the Kahun Papyrus, was unquestionably sophisticated, and the new findings offer important, direct evidence of this knowledge, said Dr. Ibrahem Badr, an associate professor in the department of restoration and conservation of antiquities at Misr University for Science and Technology in Giza, Egypt.

“We can see that ancient Egyptian medicine was not solely based on herbal remedies like medicine in other ancient civilizations,” said Badr, who was not involved in the new research. “It directly relied on surgical practices.”

Related article ‘Extraordinary’ archive of ancient brains could help shed light on mental illness

But while this evidence from antiquity was well studied during the 19th and 20th centuries, 21st century technologies, such as those used in the new study, are revealing previously unknown details about ancient Egypt’s medical arts, Badr added.

“The research provides a new and solid direction for reevaluating the history of medicine and pathology among ancient Egyptians,” he said. The study authors’ methods “transition their results from the realm of uncertainty and archaeological possibilities to the realm of scientific and medical certainty.”

The scientists also found cancer lesions in a second skull from the Duckworth collection. Labeled E270 and dating from 664 BC to 343 BC, it belonged to an adult woman who was at least 50 years old. The team identified three lesions on the specimen where malignant tumors had damaged the bone.

Unlike skull 236, E270 showed no signs of surgery related to the disease. But the woman’s skull did contain long-healed fractures, showing the success of prior medical intervention for head injuries.

“That person survived many years after that trauma,” Camarós said.

Writing cancer’s ‘biography’

The analysis of both skulls “is a remarkable piece of research that provides new and clear scientific evidence about the field of pathology and the development of medicine among the ancient Egyptians,” Badr said.

Badr, who collaborates with scientists from Europe and the United States to study atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arterial walls) in ancient Egyptian mummies, explained that his work follows the same scientific direction as the skull investigation. By conducting detailed examinations of mummies using 21st century technologies such as CT scans and DNA sequencing, Badr and his colleagues hope to further illuminate the extent of medical knowledge in Egyptian antiquity.

Related article Newly mapped lost branch of the Nile could help solve long-standing pyramid mystery

“There is an urgent need to reevaluate the history of Egyptian medicine using these scientific methodologies,” Badr said. “By utilizing these modern techniques, we will be able to study and gain a more comprehensive and precise understanding of medicine in ancient Egypt.”

The new findings also help to complete a portion of cancer’s “obscure biography” by adding a chapter that was written thousands of years ago, Camarós added.

“The more we look into our past, the more we know that cancer was much more prevalent, much more present than we thought,” he said.

A medical milestone

Ancient Egyptians’ perception of cancer centered around the visible tumors that the disease produced. The earliest recorded observation of cancer is in an ancient Egyptian medical text known as the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, which dates back to around 3000 BC to 2500 BC. This text contains 48 case studies covering diverse ailments, including one description of breast cancer.

While healers in ancient Egypt may have been aware of cancer, treating it was another story. Most of the medical cases in the Edwin Smith papyrus included mention of medicines or strategies for healing. But there was none for the breast cancer patient’s tumors, Camarós said.

“It specifically says there’s no treatment,” he said. “They realized this was a frontier when it came to their medical knowledge.”

However, the incisions around the skull tumors suggest that healers in ancient Egypt were trying to change that, surgically removing the tumors to either heal the patient, or to examine the tumors more closely.

Related article The doctor behind the next big thing in cancer treatment

“We have these two possibilities: in a way that they tried to treat it, or in a way that they tried to medically understand it, in terms of probably treating it in the future,” Camarós said. “I think that’s a milestone in the history of medicine.”

Mindy Weisberger is a science writer and media producer whose work has appeared in Live Science, Scientific American and How It Works magazine.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Thailand indicts former leader Thaksin Shinawatra on royal insult charges
next post
Shaking seats and piped-in fog: How 4DX is carving out a niche moviegoing market

Related Posts

Danish Queen Margrethe announces surprise abdication after 52...

January 1, 2024

How not to end a war: 3 lessons...

March 14, 2025

Prisoners in Ukraine to be granted parole for...

May 9, 2024

Manhunt underway as newlyweds killed on honeymoon in...

October 20, 2023

North Korea-Russia flights due to take off for...

August 21, 2023

Pakistan announces mass deportation of ‘illegal immigrants’ including...

October 5, 2023

Images of ‘wonder and woe’ in the Wildlife...

August 31, 2023

Caught between China and the US, asylum seekers live in...

May 18, 2024

Jordan’s Queen Rania says being pro-Palestinian does not equal...

November 6, 2023

Fossil discovery causes monumental shift in understanding of...

August 11, 2023

    Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest insights, updates, and exclusive content straight to your inbox! Whether it's industry news, expert advice, or inspiring stories, we bring you valuable information that you won't find anywhere else. Stay connected with us!


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Popular

    • 1

      Top 10 Countries for Natural Gas Production (Updated 2024)

      April 6, 2024
    • 2

      Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be revived under new House GOP bill

      June 27, 2024
    • 3

      Top 10 Uranium-producing Countries (Updated 2024)

      April 18, 2024
    • 4

      A GOP operative accused a monastery of voter fraud. Nuns fought back.

      January 3, 2025
    • 5

      Top 9 Nickel-producing Countries (Updated 2024)

      April 23, 2024
    • 6

      Australian abolitionist, Grace Forrest, receives coveted ‘Freedom from Fear’ award

      April 13, 2024
    • 7

      LME Sanctions on Russian Metal Push Copper, Nickel and Aluminum Prices Higher

      April 17, 2024

    Categories

    • Business (1,028)
    • Investing (2,046)
    • Politics (2,977)
    • Uncategorized (20)
    • World (3,347)
    • About us
    • Contact us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: thriftybanker.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 thriftybanker.com | All Rights Reserved