Ancient Egypt '' at the
New York Academy of Medicine •
Ramesseum medical papyri (c. 1800 BCE) •
Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus (c. 1800 BCE) •
London Medical Papyrus (c. 1600 BCE) •
Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE) •
Edwin Smith Papyrus (c. 1500 BCE) - Earliest mention of the
brain; the
pulse; the role of the
heart in circulating blood, but not complete circulation. It is the world's oldest surgical textbook, containing descriptions of the
zygomatic bone,
dura mater,
cerebrospinal fluid, and nasal cavity. Compared with the Egyptian papyri, the Hippocratic writings exhibit an improved understanding of brain structure and function. It correctly attributed the primary control of the body's function to the brain. It contributed to the Chinese understanding of
anatomy, and it continues to be used as an influential reference work for practitioners of
traditional Chinese medicine. The book contains many guidelines and recommendations for the prevention of chronic diseases and
micronutrient deficiencies such as
beriberi,
xerophthalmia, and
goitre. • ''
Wushi'er Bingfang'' (c. 200 BCE) •
Shennong Ben Cao Jing (c. 200 CE) •
Shanghan Lun (c. 220 CE) •
Liu Juanzi Guiyi Fang (C. 499 CE) •
Compendium of Materia Medica (c. 1578 CE)
Ancient India •
Kashyapa Samhita (6th century BCE) •
Sushruta Samhita (c. 300 BCE) - Early description of
cataract surgery. The
Sushruta Samhita emphasizes the importance of anatomical structure and function, and it contains the earliest written description of the
pedicled flaps. It was translated into
Arabic during the latter part of the 8th century. •
Charaka Samhita (c. 300-500 CE) - One of the fundamental texts of
Ayurveda medicine, it was translated into
Chinese,
Arabic, and
Tibetan languages.
Roman Empire •
De medicina Islamic Golden Age '' in
Latin (1484) •
Kitab al-Taṣrif (c. 1000) - Surgical encyclopedia. •
Book of Optics (c. 1000) - Exerted great influence on Western science. It was translated into
Latin and it was used until the early 17th century. The German physician
Hermann von Helmholtz reproduced several theories of
visual perception that were found in the first
Book of Optics, which he cited and copied from. •
The Canon of Medicine (c. 1000) - Described by Sir
William Osler as a "medical bible" and "the most famous medical textbook ever written".
The Canon of Medicine introduced the concept of a
syndrome as an aid to
diagnosis, and it laid out an essential framework for a
clinical trial. It was translated into Latin by
Gerard de Sabloneta and it was used extensively in European medical schools. It also became the most authoritative text on anatomy until the 16th century. • ''
Commentary on Anatomy in Avicenna's Canon'' (c. 1200): First description of the
pulmonary circulation system, and the first description of the presence and function of
coronary circulation.
Medieval Europe depicting
Henri de Mondeville, from an
illuminated manuscript of
La Chirurgie (14th century) •
Compendium Medicinæ ("Compendium of Medicine") (c. 1230-1250) •
Thesaurus Pauperum ("Treasury of The Poor") (c. 1270) •
Rosa Anglica ("The English Rose") (1304-1317) •
La Chirurgie ("Surgery") (1306-1320) •
Stockholm, Royal Library, manuscript X. 90 (early fifteenth-century). A significant and compendious collection of
Middle English medical recipes, charms, and treatises. • Universa Medicina
Renaissance •
De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem •
Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus • De pulmonibus obseruationes anatomicae • Adversaria Anatomica • De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis == Modern textbooks ==