The Egyptian valley is often called the cradle of civilisation and the ancient Egyptians were an interesting lot to study. But there is more to the Egyptian civilisation than just pyramids, tombs and mummies. Studies show that they were quite adept in medical procedures and medicine too.
According to the Daily Mail report, scientists from the University of Tubingen in Germany, Cambridge in England, Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela in Spain analysed the DNA of 4,000-year-old skulls. They found evidence of brain tumour removal in patients thousands of years ago, which was way ahead of its time. These skulls were found during excavations in ancient Egypt.
Tatiana Tondini, head of the research team and scientist at the University of Tubingen, said that the purpose of the research was to know whether cancer was curable thousands of years back. If any such attempt had been made, then when and how was it carried out? How old is cancer? And how did people fight this disease in ancient times? According to Newsweek, the skulls on which research was done are kept in the Duckworth Museum of Cambridge University. The first skull can be dated from between 2687 and 2345 BC. It is of a 30 to 35 year old man. The second skull is between 663 and 343 BC. It is of a woman over 50 years old.
Researchers reported discovering a significant wound on the skull, suggesting abnormal tissue growth. They also observed several smaller wounds around the skull, indicating that the growth had metastasised. The team was astonished to find knife marks around each wound as if someone had intentionally attempted to excise the cancerous growths. Tondini remarked that when they first observed the cut marks under the microscope, they were surprised to see it. Co-author Albert Isidro noted that it appears the ancient Egyptians were aware of cancer surgery and might have attempted it.
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