Stiefel Marc, Shaner Arlene, Schaefer Steven D
Department of Otolaryngology, The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, NY, and Historical Collections, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Laryngoscope. 2006 Feb;116(2):182-8. doi: 10.1097/01.mlg.0000191461.08542.a3.
The Edwin Smith Papyrus, discovered in 1862 outside of Luxor, Egypt, is the oldest known surgical text in the history of civilization. The surviving scroll, a copy of an earlier text from around 3,000 B.C., gives us remarkable insight into the medical practice of ancient Egyptians in the Nile River bed during the dawn of civilization. The Papyrus is divided into 48 cases, most of which describe traumatic injuries. The text instructs the physician to examine the patient and look for revealing physical signs that may indicate the outcome of the injury. Although in modern medicine we take for granted that the use of physical examination and rational thinking lead to an accurate conclusion, 5,000 years ago, this was extraordinary. The Edwin Smith Papyrus cast aside the prevailing magic and mysticism of that time in favor of logic and deductive reasoning. As Egyptian civilization declined during the next millennium, the teachings of the Papyrus would be lost. It would not be until 300 B.C. when Hippocrates and his disciples in ancient Greece would once again revive logic in medical thinking and teaching. It is believed that the ancient Greeks had knowledge of the contents of the Edwin Smith Papyrus and its teachings and used them as the basis for their writings. As Europe entered the Dark Ages, so did medicine yet again, reverting to spells and prayers instead of judgment and reason. Although Hippocrates teachings were recognized by some scholars during the Middle Ages, they did not make up the basis for mainstream medical knowledge. With the dawn of the Renaissance, medicine would finally purge itself of its past supernatural foundation. Hippocratic teachings were used to form the basis of modern medicine, and medical pioneers in the 17 century studied the ancient Greek texts as the origin for their ideas. Many of the concepts physicians and patients today take as common knowledge originated in the Edwin Smith Papyrus. The authors attempt to uncover some of these fundamental ideas and trace them through time until their incorporation in our modern medical knowledge base. It is the rational, logical, and advanced thinking exhibited in the Edwin Smith Papyrus that mandates its respect from modern otolaryngologists and all physicians alike.
1862年在埃及卢克索城外发现的《埃德温·史密斯纸草书》是文明史上已知最古老的外科文献。现存的卷轴是公元前3000年左右一份早期文献的副本，让我们得以深入了解文明曙光时期古埃及人在尼罗河床的医疗实践。这份纸草书分为48个病例，其中大部分描述的是创伤性损伤。文献指导医生检查患者，并寻找可能表明损伤结果的明显体征。虽然在现代医学中，我们认为体格检查和理性思维的运用能得出准确结论是理所当然的，但在5000年前，这是非同寻常的。《埃德温·史密斯纸草书》摒弃了当时盛行的魔法和神秘主义，转而支持逻辑和演绎推理。随着埃及文明在接下来的一千年中衰落，纸草书的教义将会失传。直到公元前300年，古希腊的希波克拉底及其弟子才会再次在医学思维和教学中复兴逻辑。据信，古希腊人了解《埃德温·史密斯纸草书》的内容及其教义，并将其作为他们著作的基础。随着欧洲进入黑暗时代，医学也再次陷入黑暗，转而依靠符咒和祈祷，而非判断和理性。尽管希波克拉底的教义在中世纪被一些学者认可，但它们并没有构成主流医学知识的基础。随着文艺复兴的到来，医学最终摆脱了其过去的超自然基础。希波克拉底的教义被用作现代医学的基础，17世纪的医学先驱们研究古希腊文献，将其作为自己思想的起源。如今医生和患者视为常识的许多概念都起源于《埃德温·史密斯纸草书》。作者试图揭示其中一些基本思想，并追溯它们随着时间的推移，直到它们被纳入我们现代医学知识库的过程。正是《埃德温·史密斯纸草书》中展现出的理性、逻辑和先进思维，使其值得现代耳鼻喉科医生和所有医生的尊重。
