Plastic Surgery, Earlobe Reconstruction, Arresting Hemorrhage - We have done it all, in 6th Century B.C. and even before that!

"How reknowned and intellectual were our ancestors! They were able to mark up space and celestial movements, mark up ones' own characteristics (josyam or astrology as we call).  They were also able to provide remedies and did surgeries some of which we are learning out now only".....

As the intro sums it a little, this article is about medicine. I am not good in science, and hence do not know to describe everything in detail, but can share the information what I have with you. It is amazing to note that, after having a glimpse of Atharva Veda, (just saw a little for writing this article), there is a note of almost all diseases. There should be a hidden cure in each verse for the ailment, but I cannot understand it clearly. I could get the English translation in the internet but I cannot interpret it properly. But it is amazing to see that most of the ailments are listed in Vedas (Atharva Veda is a part of our four Vedas) thousands and thousands of years ago. According to Ralphs. T.H.Griffith's translation, here are the list of few ailments listed in that Veda. For a full reference, you can go to these links :

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/hinduism/athar/


Few ailments listed in Atharva Veda (just a few as this page is not enough if I need to list everything)

Charm against Takman (Fever) and related diseases
Charm against Jaundice and related diseases
Charm against cough and cold
Charm against discharges from the body
Charm against constipation and retention of urine
Charm to strengthen hair and promote its growth
Charm for a wound or bruise
Charm to facilitate child birth
Charm against internal pain (colic)
Charm against dropsy, heart disease

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/
Atharva-Veda_samhita_page_471_illustration.png

Actually, this article is not intended to write about Atharva Veda, but it is related to this post. Let me tell you how...

If you have heard about Sushrutha, then you might get a quick idea of what this article is about. But for those who do not know, he is considered to be the "Father of Surgery". He is believed to have lived in 6th Century B.c. ( Exact date is not known and this is just approximate). He has written a book "Sushrutha Samhitha" which describes 1,120 illnesses, 700 medical plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushruta_Samhita

In "The source book of Plastic Surgery" Frank McDowell described Sushrutha as follows :

"Through all of Sushrutha's flowery language, incantations and irrelevancies, there shines an unmistakable picture of a great surgeon. Undaunted by his failures, unimpressed by his successes, he sought the truth unceasingly and passed it on to those who followed. He attacked disease and deformity definitively, with reasoned and logical methods. When the path did not exist, he made one."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/The_Susruta-Samhita_
or_Sahottara-Tantra_%28A_Treatise_on_Ayurvedic_Medicine%29_
LACMA_M.87.271a-g_%286_of_8%29.jpg

While we think plastic surgery, cesarean section, earlobe reconstruction, orthopedic procedures, extraction of stones in urinary system, curing fractures, physiotheraphy, preparation for surgery including anesthesia procedure etc, all belong to modern day science, it is amazing to note that he has done all this in 6th century B.C itself. And his book, "Sushrutha Samhitha" is considered to be one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda, while Ayurveda itself is a part which originated from Atharva Veda.

He states that, anyone who wants to gain knowledge about anatomy, must prepare a dead body and carefully observe the parts. His method of study was to submerge the dead body in water thereby allowing it to decompose and study the body in regular intervals during that stage of decomposition.

There is a website which describes the surgical instruments used by Sushrutha. I do not want to produce it here due to copyright issues, that website may have. For those who are interested, please google it as "sushrutha internet scientific publications".

Some Procedures (I am listing only a few) as described in his "Sushrutha Samhita"

1. Plastic Surgery : Sushrutha described various techniques in plastic surgery including reconstruction of nose (often injured or lost in wars and cut off as a form of punishment). His book lays down the basic principles of plastic surgery such as advocating proper physiotheraphy, release of the skin for covering small defects, rotation of the flaps to make up for partial loss, pedicle flaps for complete loss of skin in that area.

2. Arresting of Hemorrhage : He has pointed out that Hemorrhage can be arrested by apposition of the cut edges with stitches, application of styptic decoctions, by cauterisation with chemicals or heat.

3. Bones and their reaction to injuries : He states varieties of dislocation of joints (Sandhimuktha) and fractures on the shaft (Kanda-bhagna). He gives details of 6 types of dislocations and 12 varieties of fractures. He also gives the principle for fracture treatment such as traction, manipulation, appositions and stabilisation. He has mentioned the procedure for entire orthopedic surgery.

4. Diabetes, Obesity and Hyper-tension : Sushrutha recognized diabetes and defined it as Madhumeha. He interconnected it with obesity and sedentary lifestyle, advising exercises to help in curing that. He also explains hyper-tension in the manner as it is explained in modern science. He also related obesity with heart disorder.

5. Other Surgical Procedures : Some other surgical procedures in his book includes, techniques for making incisions and excisions, probing and extraction of foreign bodies, teeth extraction, use of trocars for draining abcesses, hernia surgery, cataract surgery  and surgery for intestinal obstruction.

Please watch this video to know about our ancient plastic surgery :

Once again, I am not good in science, and I am unable to explain all the details in full. I have just shared the information collected over the net. If this article makes even one person think and exclaim about our ancient traditions, I am more happy.

It is really surprising to see these facts and I am certainly proud to note the vision of our ancestors. So far I thought that Atharva Veda is just a sacred book and never imagined that it had such a hidden gem in it.