The papyrus is astonishingly well structured. This suggests that the writer (or writers) was about to write down more cases dealing with wounds and injuries to the thoracolumbar spine, sacrum and lower limbs. The text of the last case (case 48) comes to an unexpected end in the middle of a sentence. The papyrus includes 48 cases of wounds, injuries and fractures topographically ordered from the skull, neck, upper limbs, chest to the thoracolumbar spine. Before going into detail on the spinal injury cases, it is important to appraise the style and perspective the papyrus was written in. For the clinical appraisal of the spinal injury cases, this latter translation was used for the current review. After thoroughly reinterpreting the original hieratic document, Sanchez and Burridge are currently producing a novel “medically based translation” of the Edwin Smith papyrus. After the publication of his translation in 1930, several other Egyptologists and physicians suggested alternative interpretations of a number of hieroglyphs and fragments written in the original text. Īlthough his translation of the Edwin Smith papyrus is still regarded as a masterpiece, Breasted encountered several problems in his interpretation of the text. Nonetheless, the original authorship remains a controversial issue.

and probably is a copy of an older document. A recent reappraisal summarized that the papyrus was most likely penned in the seventeenth century b.c. Breasted suggested that the Egyptian physician Imhotep, who served under the Third Dynasty of pharaoh Djoser (twentysixth century b.c.), could have been the author of the original text. This information led to further speculations on the original authorship.

Interestingly, since the hieroglyphics used in the text were more common in earlier times, around 3,000–2,500 b.c., he-and others-believed that the scroll must be a copy of an older text. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.Based on his vast experience and extensive research, Breasted concluded that the papyrus must have been written during the sixteenth century b.c. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.įor librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. View the institutional accounts that are providing access.View your signed in personal account and access account management features.Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.Ĭlick the account icon in the top right to: See below.Ī personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions. Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account. When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society.If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal: Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways: If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian. If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.Įnter your library card number to sign in. Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution.Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.Click Sign in through your institution.Shibboleth / Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.Ĭhoose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways: Get help with access Institutional accessĪccess to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases.

Edwin smith papyrus