SURGICAL PROCEDURES IN SUSHRUTA SAMHITA AND ITS RELEVANCE IN MODERN SURGERY

Abstract

Sushruta Samhita is the first and foremost authentic text of Ayurveda in the specialty of surgery written in the holy city of Kashi around 1000BC by Acharya Sushruta who was primarily a surgeon and recognized as The Father of Surgery in the world. Even though Sushruta Samhita gives importance to surgery, it contains 184 chapters which describes on 1120 illness, 700 medicinal plants, 57 preparations from animal sources, 64 preparations from mineral sources and detailed anatomical description. Sushruta Samhita gives detailed description on plastic surgery, treatment of ulcers, various instruments used for surgery, para-surgical procedures and also in other aspects of medicine such as eye diseases, toxicology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology etc. All these concepts are relevant in present day modern surgery also. So an attempt is made to explore the surgical procedures mentioned in Sushruta Samhita and its relevance in modern surgery.