Sushruta
Suśhrut (Sanskrit: सुश्रुत (sʊʃɾʊt̪), fl. 1500 BCE)[1] was an ancient Indian sage, who was one of the principal contributors to the ancient art and science of Ayurveda, a system of medicine and lifestyle developed in Ancient India.[2] Sushruta's collected writings (modified over the ages by various authors) are known today as Suśhruta Saṃhitā, which describes over 300 surgical procedures, 120 surgical instruments, and eight categories of human surgery.
Sushruta probably lived, taught and practiced on the banks of the Ganges in the area that corresponds to the present day city of Varanasi in North India.
Because of his seminal and numerous contributions to the science and art of surgery he is known by the title "Father of Surgery".[3]
Biography
Sushruta was educated in Varanasi.[4]
Contributions
Sushruta made numerous contributions to the field of surgery.[5] He demonstrated the surgical techniques of making incisions, probing, extraction of foreign bodies, alkali and thermal cauterization, tooth extraction, excisions, and trocars for draining abscess draining hydrocele and ascitic fluid. He described the removal of the prostate gland, urethral stricture dilatation, vesiculolithotomy, hernia surgery, caesarian section, management of haemorrhoids, fistulae, laparotomy and management of intestinal obstruction, perforated intestines, and accidental perforation of the abdomen with protrusion of omentum. He gave details of the six types of dislocations, twelve varieties of fractures, and classification of the bones and their reaction to the injuries. He provided principles of fracture management, viz., traction, manipulation, appositions and stabilization including some measures of rehabilitation and fitting of prosthetics. He classified eye diseases (76) with signs, symptoms, prognosis, medical/surgical interventions, and cataract surgery. He described the method of stitching the intestines by using ant-heads as stitching material.[citation needed] He was the first to deal with embryology and sequential development of the structures of the fetus. He pioneered the dissection and study of anatomy of human body. He introduced the use of wine to dull the pain of surgical incisions. He enumerated 1120 illnesses, and recommended diagnosis by inspection, palpation and auscultation.
Legacy
The earliest surviving excavated written material which mentions the name of Sushruta is the Bower Manuscript, which is dated to the 4th century AD.[6]
The medical works of both Sushruta and Charaka were translated into the Arabic language during the Abbasid Caliphate (750 AD).[7] These Arabic works made their way into Europe via intermediaries.[7] In Italy the Branca family of Sicily and Gasparo Tagliacozzi (Bologna) became familiar with the techniques of Sushruta.[7]
Reports on "Indian" rhinoplasty performed by a local Vaidya of the Koomhar caste (thought to be descendants of Brahma's son), using the forehead skin, in the presence of two British surgeons (not the cheek flap as mentioned in the susrutha samahita) were published in the Gentleman's Magazine in 1794. Joseph Constantine Carpue spent 20 years researching the Indian plastic surgery methods. Carpue was able to perform the first major rhinoplasty in the western world by 1815.[8]
Even today, nasal reconstruction using the paramedian forehead flap is referred to as the Indian method of nasal reconstruction.[5]
See also
References
- ^ P. V. Sharma, Suśhruta-Saṃhitā (Varanasi: Caukhambha Visvabharati, 2000), vol. 1, p. iv.
- ^ "Sushruta: The first Plastic Surgeon in 600 B.C." The Internet Journal of Plastic Surgery ISSN: 1528-8293.
- ^ "Sushruta".
- ^ Singh, P.B. (2002). Banaras Region: A Spiritual and Cultural Guide. Varanasi: Indica Books. p. 31. ISBN 81-86569-24-3.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Sushruta: The first Plastic Surgeon in 600 B.C." Internet Journal of Plastic Surgery. 4 (2). ISSN 1528-8293.
- ^ Kutumbian, pages XXXII-XXXIII
- ^ a b c Lock etc., page 607
- ^ Lock etc., page 652. Lock, Stephen etc. (2001). The Oxford Illustrated Companion to Medicine. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-262950-6.
External links
- Sushruta Samhita (English Translation) at Chest of Books