The format for the remedies is strictly pragmatic, and most are based on the species of snake responsible for the bite, or the symptoms suffered by the victim.

The remedies are in the typical format of prescriptions that appear in the Ebers Papyrus and other medical papyri which were apparently intended for lay doctors.

This papyrus provides the most striking evidence for the closely parallel roles of the physician swnw and the various priests concerned with healing.

[4][5] In 1989, French Egyptologist Serge Sauneron published an extensive description of the manuscript in his book Un traité égyptien d’ophiologie - Papyrus du Brooklyn Museum nos 47.218.48 et 85[10][2][4] The ancient Egyptians were well aware of both snake's usefulness in controlling vermin and the dangers posed by its poison.

Herpetologists have proposed identifications for many of the animals it describes, but some remain uncertain partly because the species no longer live in Egypt.

Niche modelling has been used to predict paleodistributions of ten species and found to lie within ancient Egypt or in trading areas.