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INTRODUCTION A few preliminary observations regarding the technique of the Ayurvedic system of medicine are necessary at the outset in order to understand the aim and scope of the Susruta Samhita correctly. Who was Susruta.? When and where did he live and flourish? These questions can only be vaguely answered like all similar questions respecting the lives of our ancient worthies. In a country like India where life itself is simply regarded as an illusion, the lives of kings or commoners are deemed matters of little moment to the vital economy of the race; and all histories and biographies are looked upon as the embodiment of the flimsy vanities of life. Lives of saints and canonized kings are made use of in certain instances as themes of national epics. But they are intended more to elucidate or enunciate the doctrines of certain schools of Ethics or Metaphysics than to record any historical fact or event. Authentic history can rarely he found beyond chronicles of state events and royal names in some instances; and those which are usually found in the Sanskrit puranas are strange combinations of 152

myths and legends, which often contradict each other. Hence the attempts to explain a historical fact by the light of a votive medal or tablet unearthed perhaps from the ruins of one of our ancient cities is an utter futility. Such an endeavour serves, in most cases, only to make the darkness visible, and the confusion more confounded. Susruta, the great sage surgeon', philosopher and teacher of ancient India, practiced around 600 B.C.. He is renowned all over the world for his contribution to surgery in general and plastic surgery in particular rhinoplasty. His contribution to surgery is reviewed here. The Golden Age of surgery in ancient India rests largely on the accomplishments of Susruta. Susruta practiced and taught the art of surgery at the University of Benares in the ancient city of the same. 2 name, located on the banks of the river Ganges. His monumental treatise on surgery, Susruta Samhita established him as the Father of Indian surgery. He was the first 3 surgeon to systematize surgery by dividing it into separate fields. He is known as the originator of plastic surgery, cataract operation, laparotomy, and vesical lithotomy. Susruta's fame rests for the most part on the famous compilation known in Sanskrit as the Susruta Samhita, or, the collection of Susruta. 153

Susruta Samhita is the first authoritative book on Ayurveda. It has the distinction of being the only authentic text on ancient Indian surgery and contains the description of many wonderful surgical feats conducted by ancient Indian surgeons. 4 Susruta, the author of the book is the pioneer in performing repair and reconstruction of 5 mutilated organs of the human body, known nowadays as plastic surgery. His method of repairing the mutilated nose Rhinoplasty has been adopted by European surgeons under the name 'The Indian ,6 method." He was the first medical man to have conducted dissection of the human dead body and described the anatomy of the human being. He was the first surgeon in the world to insist on training the students in surgical techniques using fruits, vegetables and artificially prepared parts of the human body. Susruta describes all aspects of surgery, pre-operative measures, method of operation in detail and post operative care. His methods of battle field surgery were the most scientific methods appropriate to those days. He has described many surgical instruments which had been fabricated ideally. Susruta opens a historical window to a school of professionalized surgical practice 154

which existed almost two millennium ago. In its day was almost certainly the most advanced school of surgery in the world."