McDonnell started by looking at the Ebers Papyrus, a 3,500-year-old document from ancient Egypt that’s full of medicinal recipes. The document lists “cures” for a number of ailments, ...

The Ebers Papyrus, a medical text, suggested around 1550 BC that abortion could be induced using a “plant-fibre tampon coated with a compound that included honey and crushed dates.” ...