Sushruta Samhita: The Field of Ayurvedic Surgery (Shalya)

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About the Book The Sushruta Samhita is an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and one of the most important such treatises on this subject to survive from the ancient world. Sushruta is the listed author of the Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta's Compendium), a treatise considered to be one of the most important surviving ancient treatises on medicine and is considered a foundational text of Ayurveda. The treatise addresses all aspects of general medicine, but the impressive chapters on surgery have led to the false impression that this is its main topic. Sushruta's medical prowess is exhibited through his writings on rhinoplasty, involving nasal reconstructions using skin from the patient's forehead or cheek, often for criminals punished with amputations. Based on reports in the October 1794 edition of The Gentleman's Magazine, published in London, Indians maintained Sushruta's surgical practices until the late 18th century. The present book is a translation version of old Sanskrit text which will help the readers to understand and comprehend the subject easily. The modern-day surgeons in India and abroad would also be benefited by understanding the knowledge embedded in Sushruta Samhita.

About The Author Varahamihira Kapoor is a distinguished Ayurvedic surgeon and researcher specializing in Shalya Tantra (Ayurvedic surgery). His scholarly inquiries into ancient surgical practices and their applications in modern healthcare promote evidence-based Ayurvedic medicine and surgical education.

Preface The Sushruta Samhita is an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and one of the most important such treatises on this subject to survive from the ancient world. The Compendium of Suœruta is one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine), alongside the Charaka-SaChita, the Bhela-SaChita, and the medical portions of the Bower Manuscript. It is one of the two foundational Hindu texts on the medical profession that have survived from ancient India. The SuúrutasaChitâ is of great historical importance because it includes historically unique chapters describing surgical training, instruments and procedures. Some of these techniques, especially rhinoplastic reconstruction, rediscovered in the late eighteenth century, inspired aspects of contemporary plastic surgery. One of the oldest Sushruta Samhita palm-leaf manuscripts is preserved at the Kaiser Library, Nepal. The Sushruta Samhita, in its extant form, is divided into 186 chapters and contains descriptions of 1,120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources. The Suúruta-SaChita is divided into two parts: the first five books (Skt. Sthanas) are considered to be the oldest part of the text, and the "Later Section" (Skt. Uttaratantra) that was added by the author Nagarjuna. The content of these chapters is diverse, some topics are covered in multiple chapters in different books, and a summary according to the Bhishagratna's translation.

Introduction The Susrutasamhita is in two parts, the Purva-tantra in five sections and the Uttara-tantra. Those two parts together encompass, apart from Salya and Salakya, the other specialities also like medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, diseases of the ear, nose, throat and eye, toxicology, aphrodisiacs and psychiatry. Thus the whole Samhita, devoted as it is to the science of surgery, does not fail to include the salient portions of other disciplines too. In fact, Susruta emphasizes in his text that unless one possesses enough knowledge of relevant sister branches of learning, one cannot attain proficiency in one's own subject of study.