AYURVEDIC MEDICINE

The VEDAS are a series of Hindu texts written in India between 1200BC and 900BC, though they are probably based on much older stories. In among the religious parts of the Vedas are explanations of the workings of the body and detailed descriptions of diseases, including dropsy and tumors. Treatments recommended in the Vedas included herbal remedies and also prayers and magic rituals to expeldemons. Ayurvedic medicine was practiced up to around 1000BC.
After 1000BC a new school of medicine emerged in India, still based on the Vedas, but drawing in beliefs from other systems, such as Buddhism. This is known as AYURVEDIC (knowledge of life) MEDICINE.
Its principles were written down in two influential books. These were the Caraka-samhita and the Sushruta-samhita, written by two doctors called Caraka and Sushruta. Both believed that desires upset the body`s balance so they have to be satisfied in moderation.
The Hindus believed that the body was built from three essences or elements. These were air or breath, phlegm and bile. They had to be in balance for a person to enjoy good health. The essences interacted to produce the body`s flesh, fat, marrow, blood, bone, chyle (fatty fluid) and semen. Ayurvedic treatment involved restoring the balance of the essences, with a combination of prayer, herbal medicine, diet and, sometimes, surgery.
Indian doctors were very skilled in making a diagnosis (identifying a disease). As apprentices, they had to memorize passages from the Vedas. During the examination of the patient, appropriate verses would come to mind. The verses helped the doctor to make a proper diagnosis and suggest the right treatment. There was a large range of herbal medicines to choose from, as well as drugs prepared from animal parts or minerals. Drugs used included the dung or urine of elephants, and the eggs of peacock and crocodiles.
Partly for religious reasons, hygiene was very important to Ayurvedic surgeons. Doctors stressed the importance of washing the body and cleaning the teeth regularly.
Hindu surgeons were highly skilled. Operations included removing tumours and cataracts, repairing broken bones, stitching wounds, and performing caesarean births and amputations. They were even able to remove bladder stones. Thanks to their good hygiene, surgeons in India in 800BC had a higher survival rate among their patients than those in Europe up until the 1800s.

Source : “The Illustrated History Encyclopedia” By: John Farndon, Will Fowler, Simon Adams, Brian Ward.