Milestones in Dermatology, 1572-1808: Selected Treasures in the Galter Library's Special Collections
Written by: Ron Sims, MA, Special Collections Librarian
The recorded dawn of dermatology can be traced to the Ebers Papyrus, a work of the Ancient Egyptians, which dates to the 16th century B.C. The papyrus is a miscellaneous collection of extracts and scraps of medical information from at least forty sources and was found in a tomb in Thebes in 1862. The ancient manuscript describes many kinds of skin diseases, cosmetic problems, and therapies. The Galter Library has one German and two English translations of the Ebers Papyrus.



