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Edwin Smith Papyrus, 1600 BCE

Papyrus parchment with text written in hieratic, a simplified form of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Some passages are written in black ink and others in red ink.

Digitized by the New York Academy of Medicine

Although the exact date of its discovery remains uncertain, the Edwin Smith papyrus, written circa 1600 BCE, is one of the most ancient documents to feature a description of cancer. This treatise on war surgery describes tumours in the chest area (breast cancer) for which there is no known cure.