Karenberg A, Leitz C
Institute for the History of Medicine and Medical Ethics, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Cephalalgia. 2001 Nov;21(9):911-6. doi: 10.1046/j.1468-2982.2001.00274.x.
Despite the intensity with which many scholars have studied the evolution of Egyptian medicine, interdisciplinary studies on the history of headache are scarcely extant. Following a short discussion of historiographical issues, the main objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive and detailed overview on this subject. Scattered references to headache are extracted from so-called magical papyri and from medical texts of the New Kingdom. Although little is known about the quality of headache and about accompanying symptoms, four predominant localizations are distinguished. Due to the lack of precise descriptions it is impossible to establish the retrospective diagnosis of migraine. Explanations of the origin of cephalalgia and of the corresponding therapeutic actions differ according to the nature of the source. In magical papyri, headaches are attributed to the action of demons and supernatural forces, whereas medical papyri emphasize the role of head trauma and of 'pain matter' occurring in the body. Treatment could be magical, pharmacological or surgical. Examples of incantations and prescriptions are analysed in detail.
尽管许多学者对埃及医学的发展进行了深入研究，但关于头痛史的跨学科研究却几乎没有。在简短讨论了史学问题之后，本文的主要目的是对这一主题进行全面而详细的概述。从所谓的魔法纸莎草文献和新王国时期的医学文本中提取了对头痛的零散记载。尽管对头痛的性质和伴随症状了解甚少，但可区分出四种主要的疼痛部位。由于缺乏精确描述，无法进行偏头痛的回顾性诊断。根据资料来源的性质，对头痛的起因及相应治疗方法的解释各不相同。在魔法纸莎草文献中，头痛被归因于恶魔和超自然力量的作用，而医学纸莎草文献则强调头部创伤和体内“疼痛物质”的作用。治疗方法可以是魔法、药理学或外科手术。对咒语和处方的例子进行了详细分析。
