English Language · Reading Comprehension

Read the given passage and answer the question that follows. It has long been known that ancient Egyptians had fairly detailed knowledge of the human body and its afflictions. For instance, 'it is clear according to preserved papyri and hieroglyphs that ancient Egyptian medicine was advanced enough to describe, classify and successfully treat specific diseases and traumatic injuries, including bone trauma,' the study said. According to Dr. Khaled Elsayad, 'Specialised physicians would take a medical history, perform a manual examination and assess clinical/vital findings to diagnose a disease. The range of conditions treated and the various conservative and surgical treatments used are astounding' ('What Ancient Egyptian Medicine Can Teach Us', published in JCO Global Oncology, 2023). He further wrote: 'Ancient Egyptians understood the importance of maintaining good hygiene and eating habits for good health. The emphasis on healthy food, sport, personal hygiene, daily body cleansing and mouthwash is still relevant today.' Despite ancient Egypt cultivating one of the most advanced medical knowledge bases known in Antiquity, cancer represented a 'clear medical frontier' concerning diagnosis and treatment. The Edwin Smith Papyrus, considered to be the oldest medical surgical treatise in the world, dated to around 3,600 years ago, refers to what many researchers believe to be a cancer case. The text describes it as 'a grave disease', for which there 'was no treatment.' Yet, the latest discovery suggests that ancient Egyptians might have tried to treat the disease, even if unsuccessfully. 'Reliable perimortem [at or near death] cut marks on the bone surface have been identified in clear association with the metastatic lesions [cancer] on the posterior cranial region. The position of the marks, running through two of the lesions with a clear associa ted start and end at both sides of the lesions, suggests some kind of perimortem anthropic [human] intervention… which might indicate medical surgical exploration or an attempt of care or treatment,' the study said. However, the authors caution that they cannot, with certaint y, tell the exact timing of the cutting. It is possible the cut marks, which were made using metal tools, indicate p ostmortem exploration of the cancerous tumour and its patholog y. Which of the following is the most appropriate title for the passage?