Development of

INDIA
CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD
 INDIA
► The Atharvaveda, a sacred text of
Hinduism dating from the Early Iron
Age, is one of the first Indian text
dealing with medicine.
► The use of herbs to treat ailments
would later form a large part of
Ayurveda.
► Ayurveda, meaning the “complete
knowledge for long life“ is another
medical system of India.
► According to the compendium of
Charaka, the Charakasamhitā, health
and disease are not predetermined
and life may be prolonged by human
effort.
► Charaka Samhita is credited with the
first Ayurvedic compilation. He was the
first physician to posit the concepts of
digestion, metabolism and immunity. He
studied the human body and offered
various remedies for numerous diseases.
► The compendium of Suśruta, the
Suśrutasamhitā defines the purpose of
medicine to cure the diseases of the sick,
protect the healthy, and to prolong life. Both
these ancient compendia include details of
the examination, diagnosis, treatment, and
prognosis of numerous ailments. The
Suśrutasamhitā is notable for describing
procedures on various forms of surgery,
including rhinoplasty, the repair of torn ear
lobes, perineal lithotomy, cataract surgery,
and several other excisions and other
surgical procedures.
► Most remarkable is Sushruta's penchant for scientific classification: His
medical treatise consists of 184 chapters, 1,120 conditions are listed,
including injuries and illnesses relating to aging and mental illness. The
Sushruta Samhita describe 125 surgical instrument, 300 surgical
procedures and classifies human surgery in 8 categories.

AYURVEDA
► Ayurveda - (Sanskrit: आयुवर्वेद IAST Āyurveda , “life-knowledge”; English
pronunciation /ˌaɪ.ərˈveɪdə/ or - Ayurveda medicine, is a system of
medicine with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. Globalized
and modernized practices derived from Ayurveda traditions are a
type of complementary or alternative medicine.
► Ancient Ayurveda treatises also taught surgical techniques, including
rhinoplasty, perineal lithotomy, the suturing of wounds, and the
extraction of foreign objects.
► Ayurveda is an ancient and traditional form of medicine
that is not only prevalent today, but incredibly
well-reputed and successful as well. The system of
medicines is solely based on herbs and herbal
compounds.
8 Components
► The earliest classical Sanskrit works on Ayurveda describe medical science as
being divided into eight components (Skt. aṅga). This characterization of the
physicians‘ art as the teaching found in “the medicine that has eight
components” (Skt. cikitsāyām aṣṭāṅgāyāṃ च कत्सायामष्टाङ्गायाम ्) is first found in the
Sanskrit epic, theMahābhārata. The components are:
► Kāyacikitsā: general medicine, medicine of the body
► Kaumāra-bhṛtya: the treatment of children, paediatrics
► Śalyatantra: surgical techniques and the extraction of foreign objects
► Śālākyatantra: treatment of ailments affecting ears, eyes, nose, mouth, etc.
► Bhūtavidyā: pacification of possessing spirits, and the people whose minds are
affected by such possession
► Agadatantra: toxicology
► Rasāyanatantra: rejuvenation and tonics for increasing lifespan, intellect and
strength
► Vājīkaraṇatantra: aphrodisiacs and treatments for increasing the volume and
viability of semen and sexual pleasure.
► Diagnosis Ayurveda has eight
ways to diagnose illness, called
Nadi (pulse), Mootra (urine), Mala
(stool), Jihva (tongue), Shabda
(speech), Sparsha (touch), Druk
(vision), and Aakruti
(appearance)Ayurvedic
practitioners approach diagnosis
by using the five senses.
► SHASTRAKARMA-THE ART OF SURGERY : The practice of
surgery has been recorded in India around 800 B.C. This
need not come as a surprise because surgery
(Shastrakarma) is one of the eight branches of Ayurveda
the ancient Indian system of medicine. The oldest treatise
dealing with surgery is the Shushruta-Samahita (Shushruta's
compendium). Shusruta who lived in Kasi was one of the
many Indian medical practitioners who included Atraya
and Charaka. Shushruta was one of the first to study the
human anatomy. In the ShusrutaSamahita he has
described in detail the study of anatomy with the aid of a
dead body.
► Susruta's forte was rhinoplasty (Plastic
surgery) and ophthalmialogy
(ejection of cataracts). Shushruta
has described surgery under eight
heads Chedya (excision), Lekhya
(scarification), Vedhya (puncturing),
Esya (exploration), Ahrya
(extraction), Vsraya (evacuation)
and Sivya (Suturing).
► OPHTHALMIC SURGERY: Sushruta specialised in
ophthalmic surgery (extraction of Cataracts). A
typically operation per formed by Shushruta for
removing cataracts is desired below. "It was a bright
morning. The surgeon sat on a bench which was as
high as his knees. The patient sat opposite on the
ground so that the doctor was at a comfortable
height for doing the operation on the patient's eye.
After having taken bath and food, that patient had
been tied so that he could not move during the
operation."
 Sushruta Samhita

► Was an ancient Indian physician known as the main author,

or the treatise “The Conpedium of Susruta.
► He is also consodered a foundational text of Ayurveda.
► An artist's impression of the great medicine man Sushruta
(the term and concept 'Doctor' did not exist then) Sushruta
lived in the 8th centory B.C. and has authored the Sushruta
Samahita Sushruta's Compendium on Medicine
Ancient Tools
Shastrakarma
Ophthalmic Surgery
► India is already a behemoth in the Medicine
world thanks to the sheer volume of doctors it
produces in comparison to the rest of the
world’s numbers and it’s not just because of the
population proportion either. However, if you
dig deeper into history, India has actually
always had a leading reputation in the field of
medicine. It recognised the use of medicines for
diseases far before anyone else in the world
and even today, the basis of most modern
medicines still boils down to the wisdom of
Indian medical practices of years gone by.
 References:
► https://www.britannica.com/science/history-of-medicine/Traditional-medi
cine-and-surgery-in-Asia
► http://homegrown.co.in/article/10038/indias-most-incredible-medical-co
ntributions-to-the-world
► https://images.app.goo.gl/CeG1wHKDKBYE6b8M7
► https://pin.it/1UIkDuz
► https://pin.it/1QdTWxE
► https://pin.it/1hMJn0x
► https://pin.it/9RUQpfL
► https://pin.it/6NjA9oJ
► https://images.app.goo.gl/QNPPUPwyQo72yUD3A
Thank You😊