X 



The work next in point of age, namely, Susruta, is more 



systematic in its arrangement, contains better details of anatomy 

 and pathology, and shews on the whole more advanced state of 



i 



knowledge, both of general principles and of details of treatment. 

 The origin of the Susruta Ayurveda is thus described in the 

 introduction to that work. Dhanvantari, the surgeon of heaven, 

 descended upon earth in the person of Divadasa, king of Benares, 

 for the purpo36 of teaching surgery along with the other 

 branches of medical knowledge by which the gods preserve them- 

 eelves from decline, disease and death. Sasruta and other pupils 

 besought him for instruction in surgical knowledge, Dhan- 

 vantari asked them what they wished to learn. The pupils re- 

 plied "you will be pleased to make surgical knowledge the basis 

 of your instruction, and to address your lectures to Sasruta, who 

 will take notes." Dbanvantari replied, "be it so. For surgery 

 is the first and most important part of the Ayurveda, inasmuch as 

 the healing of wounds was the first necessity for the medical art 

 among the gods on account of their battles with the demons. 

 Besides, surgical treatment effects rapid cures, has recourse to 

 instruments, mechanical appliances, caustics and the actual 

 cautery and is intimately connected with the other branches o£ 

 medioal science." Accordingly -we find that Susruta devotes the 

 greater portion of his work to sach subjeots as anatomy, surgioal 

 instruments and operations, inflammation and surgical diseases, 

 care of the king and his troops *in the battle-field, obstetrical 

 operations, poisons, etc. 



The general diseases such as fever, diarrhoea, chest diseases, 

 etc, are treated of in the last book called "TJttira-tantra," but 

 there are reasons for believing, that this portion did not origin- 

 ally form a part of the work, but was subsequently added 

 by some writer with the object of giving completeness to it. This 

 is evident from several reasons. The very name Uttara "supple- 

 mental" is enough to suggest the idea of its being an after 

 thought, if not a subsequent woik. Had it been an integral 

 part of the original treatise, it would have been included in 

 the original scheme. But at the end of the firtt chapter of the 

 first book, an analysis of the contents of the entire work is 



given wherein it is said that this work consists of five parts 



