manuscripts (object)

Veterinary papyrus containing the diagnoses and treatments (including perscriptions) for animals, mainly bulls, but also fishes and dogs written in neat, cursive hieroglyphs. It first establishes a diagnosis, followed by a description of the medical procedure (and medicine), which includes an oral prediction ‘it is under treatment – it will die from this or it will live from this’. It concludes with advice for the practitioner in the case the animal does not recover after the treatment. Recto: text relating to treatment of diseases (?of eye) in animals; red and black ink in vertical columns with horizontal titles above, divided by black lines; linear hieroglyphs face to right. Verso: blank papyrus fragmentary at left side, broken in places along width. Text has been translated as: 'Medical prescription for a bull infested with internal bodily worms … when the bull is laid on the ground, then it should be put on its side. The disease is called ‘hidden bowing’ and the following should be read aloud (by the practitioner to the attendees): ‘Then I shall introduce my hand inside his behind, a cup of water beside me, while someone strokes its spine. The assistant should clean his hand with this cup of water each time, while you shall keep extracting until you remove blood, clots of blood, matter or mucus from it. You can observe that it becomes well when mucus comes out. Be careful with your fingers not to hurt its… Medical prescription for the eyes of a bull with breathing difficulties If I see a bull with breathing difficulties, running eyes, heavy tears, reddened gums, and a stretched neck, then the following should be read aloud: It should be put on its side, and sprinkled with fresh water. Its eyes should be rubbed, along with its flanks and all its limbs, with khenesh or shu-plants, as well as fumigated with khenesh plants until he sweats. Its sweat should be removed … to be kept away from water. Then it will be rubbed with part of qadet-plants. Then you should cut it at its nostrils and its tail, and say: ‘it is under treatment – it will die from this or it will live from this’. If it does not recover, and it is heavy under your finger with its eyes blocked, then you should wrap its eyes with fine linen heated at a fire, for the bleariness'.

Lahun

Kahun Workmen's Town (November 1889)

excavation

- Collier, Mark, The UCL Lahun Papyri: religious, Literary, Legal etc., 55-57
- Bardinet, Thierry, Les papyrus medicaux de l'Egypte pharaonique, 231-232, 480-481
- Griffith, Francis Llewellyn, The Petrie Papyri. Hieratic Papyri from Kahun and Gurob, principally of the Middle Kingdom, 12-14, pl. 7
- Garnett, Anna, There and (eventually) back again: a tale of three papyri [UCL Culture blog]

() Middle Kingdom

2024 BC - 1700 BC

LDUCE-UC32036

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology