2) Traditional Indian—Ayurvedic Focus

Traditional Indian Medicine comprises three distinct phases—the pre-Vedic (or pre-historic), the Vedic, and the Ayurvedic. It is the last of these that is best known in the West, and will be the main focus of this chapter.

The pre-Vedic is, as you might guess, little recorded. It was an epic consisting of over 100,000 hymns, and was deemed to be the source of all knowledge pertaining to drugs and medicine. Brahma, first teacher of the Universe, is said to have created the epic.

In the Vedic phase the Vedas—a series of Hindu texts—were written down. Rigveda was written down between 4500 and 2000BC, whilst Atharvaveda appeared between 1500 and 1000BC. The Vedas were probably based on the older tales and hymns of the pre-Vedic era, including explanations of the workings of the body, and descriptions of diseases. The vedic texts are said to be only a shadow of the former epic.

Over one thousand different healing herbs were detailed, and there were many references in the Vedas to medical knowledge, anatomy, diseases, winds, healing, demons, charms, drugs and spells. The roles of physicians, surgeons and magicians were also outlined to a large degree.

Ayurveda—which means 'science of life'—is based on the 'Triad of Ancients'. These classic texts were Caraka Samhita, Susrata Samhita, and Vaghata Samhita. They were all written down roughly between 1000BC and 100AD.

Ayurvedic Medicine is based on 4 pillars—physician, medicine, attendant and patient—and on 8 branches—internal medicine, diseases of the head, surgery, toxicology, demonic diseases, pediatrics, rejuvenation and aphrodisiacs. Its focus is more on the maintenance of health, rather than the treatment of disease i.e. is more prophylactic in nature.

The Caraka, largely a medical text, focused on the attainment and maintenance of well-being and happiness. Three principal forms of medicine detailed were mantras & religious acts, diet & drugs, and psychic therapy. Anatomy, physiology and the development of the human body, and the foundation and evolution of the universe were all outlined.

Ayurvedic physiology views bodily functions in terms of three essences or 'dosas'. These are 'Vata' (air/breath), 'Pitta' (bile) and 'Kapha' (phlegm). These three primary humours in combination with the blood form the vital functions of the human body.
It is likely that Greek travellers in India picked up this idea of the three dosas and exported them back to Greece. In time the Greeks developed this into the theory of the Four Humours—blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile—as described by Empedocles in around 450BC, and as championed by Hippocrates. The Four Humours theory was prominent in Modern Western Medicine until the 1800s.

The Susrata, in contrast, concentrates on surgery. Ayurvedic surgery was highly accomplished, which is even more astounding when you consider that Hindus were forbidden by their religion to cut open a dead body and experiment upon it. A theory of furnaces, tubes and valves underpinned their understanding of anatomy.

The Susrata mentions over 700 vegetable-based medicines and details more than 120 different surgical equipment. Ayurvedic surgeons performed very elaborate operations including removing cataracts, stitching wounds, repairing broken bones, draining fluids, delivering caesarean births, removing bladder & kidney stones and performing plastic surgery & amputations.

Perhaps it is the last of these—plastic surgery—that is the most amazing. The official punishment for adultery was to cut off the nose of the offender. Ayurvedic surgeons became highly proficient at rebuilding noses. It wasn't until 1793 that British doctors first observed surgeons performing this operation, which they then incorporated into Modern Western Medicine as 'The Hindu Method'.

Another important feature of Ayurvedic surgery was the high survival rate amongst patients. It was considerably higher than Europe up until the 1800s. Hygiene was very important to the surgeons and physicians. They emphasised the importance of washing the body thoroughly and of cleaning the teeth regularly, for example. Meditation, exercise and yoga were also an intrinsic part of promoting well-being. The Ayurvedic physician would use a combination of patient observation, promoting a natural environment, use of incantations, performing surgical operations and administering drugs (from minerals and animal parts) and herbal medicine. Restoring the balance was the imperative.