4th-century toothpaste recipe

From Discovery News:

An Egyptian toothpaste formula dating to the fourth century A.D. recently was found in a collection of papyrus documents at the National Library in Vienna, Austria, making it the world's oldest-known recipe for toothpaste and also adding to the growing body of evidence that the medical system of ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced of its time.

Ingredients for the recipe, revealed at a recent dental congress in Vienna, include one drachma of salt, two drachmas of mint, 20 grains of pepper and — perhaps the most active component — one drachma of dried iris flower, which since has been found to be effective against gum disease.

The reference to "the medical system of ancient Egypt", however, is rather unspecific. Is it medical knowledge originating in Pharaonic times that is intended? Or is it late Roman medicine in Egypt? As the articile goes on to note:

Since the 4th-century toothpaste recipe was written on the back of correspondence between monasteries, researchers suspect a Christian monk may have invented the formula.

Steven Armstrong, a research associate at the Rosicrucian Museum and an expert on health care and religion in the ancient world, said the timing of the recipe would have coincided with the influential writings of Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in what is now Turkey. He, along with several colleagues, helped to spread health care and the monastic life.

Armstrong agreed that a monk may have written the toothpaste recipe and told Discovery News, "As monasticism evolved from the life of hermits to communal life, the sick often gathered around monastic communities for healing, care and comfort. Basil's model emphasized up-to-date medical care, as well as hospice ministry."

The mention of St. Basil seems somewhat of a red herring in this context, but I'll leave it to the historians of medicine to take it from here.

UPDATE: Dr. Weevil notes that the claim of priority in the article is demonstrably false; see his post here for more on 1st-century antecedents. There also appear to be some even earlier Chinese recipes, but the references I have found tend to be a bit too popularizing to be trusted entirely. This one is entertaining, at least:

Like toothbrushes, compounds for cleaning teeth (and freshening breath) have been used since ancient times. Early Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, and Roman writings describe numerous mixtures for both pastes and powders. The more palatable ingredients included powdered fruit, burnt shells, talc, honey, ground shells, and dried flowers. The less appetizing ingredients included mice, the head of a hare, lizard livers, and urine.

Posted by David on January 24, 2003 10:01 PM