Page 97 - SST Class 06

1. Do you think, architecture in ancient India was far superior to today’s trends in India? Why or why
not?
2. The stories from the Panchatantra and Jataka Tales are quite popular even today. What makes them
so popular?

Sushruta : Father of Plastic Surgery

Sushruta (7th of 6th century BCE) was a physician in ancient India known as the
‘Father of Indian Medicine’ and ‘Father of Plastic Surgery’ for inventing and
developing surgical procedures. His work on the subject, the Sushruta Samhita
is considered the oldest text in the world on plastic surgery and is highly
regarded as one of the Great Trilogy of Ayurvedic Medicine; the other two being
the Charaka Samhita, which preceded it, and the Astanga Haridaya, which
followed it.

Shushruta is a legendry scholar of the Indian medical science and founding father of surgery. He
together with his colleagues had conducted the variety of complex surgeries such as caesareans,
artificial limbs, cataract, urinary stones, fractures, and most specially the plastic surgery.

’
Little is known of Sushruta s life as his work focuses on the application of medical techniques and does
not include any details on who he was or where he came from.
All that is known for certain about him is that he practiced medicine in northern India around the region
of modern-day Varanasi (Banaras) by the banks of the Ganges River. He was regarded as a great healer
and sage whose gift were thought to have been given by the gods. According to legend, the gods passed
their medical insight down to the sage Dhanvantari who taught it to his follower Divodasa, who then
instructed Sushruta.

Culture and Science
97