Edwin Smith Papyrus

Edwin Smith was an American antiquities dealer and forger who purchased the papyrus in Luxor, Egypt, in 1862. He bought it from a local dealer named Mustafa Agha Ayat, and it was later translated and published by James Henry Breasted in 1930.

The papyrus is considered the oldest known surgical treatise in the world, dating back to around 1600 BCE. Unlike other medical texts of the time that relied heavily on magic and spells, it offers a nearly magical-free, rational approach to diagnosing and treating physical trauma.

The text details 48 cases of trauma, including fractures, wounds, and dislocations of the head, neck, chest, and spine. It provides explicit instructions on how to stitch wounds, set broken bones, and even recognizes the brain and its surrounding meninges.

The original papyrus scroll is currently held in the archives of the New York Academy of Medicine. It was donated to the academy by Smith's daughter in 1920 after sitting in his personal collection for decades.