Thousands of years ago, ancient Egyptians were performing some  medical treatments similar to some that doctors still perform today. Text and archeological evidence reveal that they could build prostheses and fill dental cavities. Ancient Egyptians may have also tried to treat brain cancer, albeit without the benefits of strong anesthetics and other major medical advances. In a study published May 29 in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, an international team of scientists describe how they uncovered evidence of attempts at surgical procedures in two 4,000 year-old human skulls.

We see that although ancient Egyptians were able to deal with complex cranial fractures, cancer was still a medical knowledge frontier.

Case report: Boundaries of oncological and traumatological medical care in ancient Egypt: new palaeopathological insights from two human skulls

Results pointed towards neoplastic lesions in both cases and healed severe skull trauma in one of them suggesting successful traumatological therapy. Interestingly, our analysis has identified the presence of perimortem cutmarks associated with metastatic lytic lesions in one of the skulls, indicating a potential surgical treatment attempt or postmortem medical exploration.

Ancient Egyptian Civilization has provided outstanding written and bioarchaeological evidence of medical advancement in antiquity regarding infections, traumatisms, and other conditions. Skull E270, provides evidence in such direction, as the healed cranial injuries described are indicative of survival for the individual and some kind of treatment and degree of post-traumatic care.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1371645/full#h5