Sushruta Samhita: The Ancient Treatise on Surgery

Today, Ayurveda, the traditional system of Indian medicine is becoming the hottest fad around the world. From Turmeric latte which is Haldi with milk, to Moringa, or drumstick leaves, that is dubbed the worlds new wonder drug, everyone is discovering herbal remedies which have been passed through generations for centuries, in India. Scholars had noted the strides made in ancient India, centuries back. Noted 19th-century British Historian James Grant Duff famous for his work ‘History of the Marathas’ observed –

‘Many of the advances in the sciences that we consider today to have been made in Europe were in fact made in India, centuries ago.’

However, these Ayurvedic herbal remedies are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The field of medicine was so advanced in India, that ancient Indian medical practitioners composed texts on advanced surgery and the human physiology 2000 years ago! The most prominent of text which has survived is the Sushruta Samahita or ‘Sushruta’s compendium’, believed to have been composed by a Rishi Sushruta.