A doctor is called to the house of a young man with a severe wound on his cheek. The flesh is split open, red and inflamed.After assessing the damage, the doctor applies a special enzymatic cleanser to the affected area, then covers it in a bandage soaked in an antibacterial compound, to reduce the risk of infection. Chances are, the man will make a complete recovery.While this course of treatment may sound modern, the doctor in question lived and practiced almost 4,000 years ago, in an ancient Egypt where skilled medicine worked hand-in-hand with magic potions and incantations to the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet.The anonymous physician in question -- practicing in the Middle Kingdom period of about 1900 B.C. -- passed on his knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of 48 serious injuries in a document now known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus.
