Gynaecology from ancient Egypt: The papyrus Kahun: A translation of the oldest treatise on gynaecology that has survived from the ancient world

Abstract

This article presents a new translation of the papyrus Kahun. Interest in the papyrus lies in its being indisputably the most ancient document on gynaecology known. The text consists of a continuum of individual "cases" which lend themselves to subdivsion into four major sections. Selected commentaries accompany the translation which consist in the main of illuminating quotations from other Egyptian papyri. The aim is to propagate some insight into the gynaecological concepts behind medical practice around 2000 B.C.