Lhe ancient Egyptians developed cutting-edge treatments for many diseases. Numerous papyri thus bear witness to a sophisticated pharmacopoeia for treating various dermatological and gynecological conditions. But also digestive diseases, trauma and dental problems.
Had doctors from the Pharaonic era begun to develop a specific treatment for cancer? German, English and Spanish scientists suggest this. Two Egyptian skulls, analyzed recently, in any case present characteristics suggesting that they were the subject of extensive care.
Skulls found by chance
The bones in question come from the site of Giza, near Cairo. They are held in the Duckworth Collection at the University of Cambridge. It was the Spanish archaeologist Edgard Camarós who found them, in October 2022, in the reserves of this institution.
The researcher from the University of Santiago de Compostela was then in residence there. The 38-year-old Spaniard says he was intrigued by a label on a box. It bore a questioning handwritten note: “cancer? »
By examining the piles of bones found inside, the archaeologist specializing in the study of “paleopathologies” immediately realized that these skulls deserved attention. In collaboration with Tatiana Tondini, from the University of Tübingen in Germany, but also Albert Isidro, from one […] Read more
