Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 100: Getting Old

This week, FFFF is getting old – with its hundredth edition. The jokes are starting to sag, the factual reliability gave way long ago, but there is still a glimmer in its ancient roving eye. And this week the funtabulously frivolous focus is on… old things. Question 1. What is the world’s oldest surviving medical text? Reveal the funtabulous answer! expand(document.getElementById('ddet1416813207'));expand(document.getElementById('ddetlink1416813207')) Even in 1900BC, legal disclaimers were amazingly convoluted. The Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus. The Kahun Papyri were discovered near El-Lahun, Egypt in 1889 By Flinders Petrie (grandson of Captain Matthew Flinders, who first surveyed the Australian Coastline). Kahun was an ancient settlement close to the Pyramid of Sensuret II. It was abandoned about 1700 BC. Petrie unearthed about a thousand fragments of papyrus relating to medical, legal and veterinary matters, dating from 1825 BC. The medical texts attribute most ailments to problems of the uterus, and prescribe a variety of vulval poultices and fumigants. “Treatment for a woman whose eyes ache, who sees not, and has pain in the neck: Thou shalt say as to it, it is discharges of the uterus in her eyes. Thou shalt fumigate her on fresh incense and fresh fat: fumigate her eyes with the shanks of the legs of bee-eaters; thou shalt make her eat the liver of an ass, raw.” Hieratic Papyri from Karun and Garob, F Ll Griffith 1898 Question 2. What is the...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - Category: Emergency Medicine Doctors Authors: Tags: Arcanum Veritas Education Featured Frivolous Friday Five Health Medical Humor FFFF old Source Type: blogs