Cataract surgery in ancient Egypt.
Ophthalmology was one of the most important specialties in Egyptian medicine, and more specialists are known in this field than in any other. This specialization seems, however, to have been of a purely noninvasive nature. Even though it has been claimed that cataract surgery was performed in pharaonic Egypt, careful analysis of the sources does not support the claim. No example of cataract surgery or of any other invasive ophthalmologic procedure can be found in the original sources.
From the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Neuroscience, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. Electronic address: patric.blomstedt@neuro.umu.se.
Patric
P
Blomstedt
D002386:Cataract / Q000266:history*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000266:history*; D000076144:Egypt, Ancient; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008488:Medical Illustration / Q000266:history; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000266:history*