H07 Papyri and sarcophagi: a tour of dermatology in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Long before medicine was demystified by the Renaissance, Enlightenment and modern thinkers with whom we are most familiar, the skin and its diseases were pondered on by the Ancient Egyptians. Through their writings and remains, modern scholars are able to assemble a picture of what dermatological conditions ailed the Egyptians and how they were contemporaneously perceived. The Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 Bc), the largest record of Ancient Egyptian medicine, is noted for its vivid descriptions of lesions and grisly details of treatments. Some of the conditions mentioned therein are straightforwardly identified from their descriptions, whereas others are open to interpretation. Recent DNA evidence has also shed light on this topic, causing scholars to re-evaluate the presence of various conditions, such as leprosy and tuberculosis, in different parts of the ancient world. The Egyptians are perhaps most famed for the preservation of bodies through the process of mummification, which provides us with a unique glimpse into the nature of skin disease in the ancient world. Mummified skin tends to be shrunken, deeply pigmented and brittle. Even so, nails, hair and epidermal ridging are preserved. Prolonged rehydration and staining can reveal the stratum corneum, keratinocytes, melanin, collagen and elastic fibres, along with adnexal structures and subcutaneous tissue. Mummies with identifiable dermatological disease include Ramses V (d. 1145 Bc), whose face, neck, shoulders, lower abdomen and scrotum bear the marks of smallpox. The diagnosis was later confirmed by electron microscopy, which identified the variola viral corpuscle in his skin. Skin tumours have also been found in mummified remains, as have syndromic features of diseases, which predispose to multiple dermatological malignancies, such as Gorlin–Goltz syndrome, which is suspected in two fraternal mummies from around 3000 Bc. One specimen from c. 1300 Bc was identified as having a venous ulcer, which was subsequently confirmed when histology demonstrated perivascular haemosiderin deposition. Other tentative diagnoses have been made on appearance alone, including pustular dermatosis, impetigo and pemphigus foliaceus. Too often do we perceive medical history as starting in earnest during the last few centuries. The Ancient Egyptians have bequeathed to us a wealth of information, both historical and archaeological, which, combined with modern techniques, has allowed us to peer through the millennia into a dermatological world that can feel simultaneously alien and familiar. This presentation/poster will showcase what we understand of this world and what future research might hold in store.