Table 1.

The diagnostic descriptions and therapeutic verdicts of the six spinal injury cases as reported in the Edwin Smith papyrus, based on the Sanchez and Burridge translation [9]

Case	Region	Injury type	Diagnosis of the spinal column	Significant symptoms	Injury of the spinal cord	Significant symptoms	Other documented signs and symptoms	Treatment verdict: “A medical condition…”
29	Cervical	Open	Fracture as a result of a penetrating injury	Stiffness of neck. Inability to rotate and bend the neck	No	–		“…I intend to fight with.”
30	Cervical	Closed	Wrenching/sprain with disc injurya	Ability to rotate and bend the neck. Painful rotation and flexion of the neck	No	–		“…I can heal.”
31	Cervical	Closed	Dislocationa	None reported	Yes	Motor and sensory loss of the upper and lower extremities, priapism, urinary incontinence, abdominal distention, priapismb and spermatorrheab	Bloodshot eyesc	“…that cannot be healed.”
32	Cervical	Closed	Compression fracturea	Inability to rotate and bend the neck (“face fixed”)	No	–		“…I can heal.”
33	Cervical	Closed	Burst fracturea	None reported	Yes	Motor and sensory loss of the upper and lower extremities	Stuporc and aphasiac	“…that cannot be healed.”
48	Lumbar	Closed	Wrenching /sprain with disc injury	Immediate contraction of the leg after extending it because of vertebral pain	No	–		“…I can heal.”

^aThis term is clarified in the case’s additional subheading “Explanation”, see Appendix

^bThis symptom was documented to be present in an injury located at “the middle vertebra of the back of neck”

^cThis symptoms is considered to be most likely the result of an inaccurately described closed head injury