Innovation No. 3 of 77 in the book
Antimicrobials
Honey used as an early, effective treatment for infected wounds
- When
- c. 1550 BCE
- Dynasty
- 18th Dynasty
- Era
- New Kingdom
Hospitals today pack stubborn, drug-resistant wounds with medical-grade honey. Egyptian healers were doing the same thing around 1550 BCE, in the early New Kingdom.
The Ebers Papyrus prescribes honey in hundreds of remedies; the surgical Edwin Smith scroll makes it the standard dressing for deep wounds and burns.
They had no idea bacteria existed. But honey works — it pulls water out of microbes and kills them — and they had noticed, and written it down, thousands of years before the microscope proved why.
It is the oldest wound-care technology still in use today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the earliest archaeological evidence for antimicrobials in ancient Egypt?
The earliest confirmed evidence dates to approximately 1550 BCE during Egypt's New Kingdom (18th Dynasty). Hospitals today pack stubborn, drug-resistant wounds with medical-grade honey. Egyptian healers were doing the same thing around 1550 BCE, in the early New Kingdom.
How did ancient Egyptians develop antimicrobials, and what is its legacy?
The Ebers Papyrus prescribes honey in hundreds of remedies; the surgical Edwin Smith scroll makes it the standard dressing for deep wounds and burns. The Ebers Papyrus prescribes honey in hundreds of remedies; the surgical Edwin Smith scroll makes it the standard dressing for deep wounds and burns. It is the oldest wound-care technology still in use today.