Mediterr. J. Otol 2006; 3:133-142

Otology in medical papyri in ancient Egypt

Albert Mudry, MD,

Lausanne, Switzerland; and Wolfgang Pirsig, MD, Ulm, Germany  amudry@worldcom.ch

Ancient Egyptian medicine evolved in a unique environment. Three main historical sources are available for the study of ancient Egyptian medicine: papyri, human remains, and visual art. The goal of this work was to compile a repertoire of ancient Egyptian medical treatises on the ear and its diseases and to comment on them. Ear diseases and treatments are mentioned in 4 major papyri (the Ebers papyrus, the Edwin Smith papyrus, the Berlin papyrus, and the Kahun papyrus), in 2 minor papyri (the Leiden papyrus and the Vienna papyrus), and on 1 ostracon (potsherd), which is displayed in the Louvre. Those texts, which are the first written sources of otology in the history of medicine, are of great interest and include clearly defined descriptions of the principal symptoms of ear diseases (hearing loss, ear discharge, tinnitus, and ear pain). These ancient treatises show that the ear symptomatology of antiquity was not really different from that of the present day.