Sushruta

Lore & Background

Suśruta was born in Kanyakubja and later moved to Varanasi, where he wrote The Compendium of Suśruta. The treatise consists of 186 chapters and addresses all aspects of general medicine, including diet, surgery, nosology, anatomy, developmental biology, therapeutics, toxicology, paediatrics and other subjects. The inclusion of particularly impressive and historically important chapters on surgery has wrongly led some to believe that this is the work's primary focus. The authorship of the Suśruta Saṃhitā is complex. Printed editions normally contain the phrase 'as Lord Dhanvantari declared' at the start of each chapter, framing the work as Dhanvantari's discourse, but the earliest manuscripts omit this attribution, framing the work instead as that of Divodāsa, king of Varanasi. Rao in 1985 suggested that the author of the original 'layer' was 'elder Sushruta' (Vrddha Sushruta), although this name appears nowhere in early Sanskrit literature. The text was redacted centuries later by another Sushruta, then by Nāgārjuna, and later a collection of chapters called the Uttara-tantra was added. It is now generally accepted that several ancient authors contributed to this text. Suśruta attracted a number of disciples and required them to study for six years before beginning hands-on surgical training. He instructed them by having them practice cutting on vegetables or dead animals to perfect incision length and depth. Once students proved capable with these materials and had observed actual procedures on patients, they were allowed to perform their own surgeries. Students were trained in every aspect of the medical arts, including anatomy.

Reader's Guide

The Suśruta Saṃhitā is an instruction manual for physicians, describing the ideal nurse as 'cool-headed and pleasant in demeanor, does not speak ill of anyone, is strong and attentive to the requirements of the sick, and strictly and indefatigably follows the instructions of the physician.' Suśruta's medical prowess is exhibited through his writings on rhinoplasty, involving nasal reconstructions using skin from the patient's forehead or cheek, often for criminals punished with amputations. Suśruta is credited with an early diagnostic observation related to diabetes (madhumeha), describing the sweetness of urine as an indicator of the disease, a condition historically associated with urine attracting ants. The translator G. D. Singhal called Suśruta 'the father of plastic surgery' on account of the detailed accounts of surgery in the work.

Did You Know?

• The Suśruta Saṃhitā consists of 186 chapters and addresses all aspects of general medicine, including surgery, diet, anatomy, and paediatrics.
• The earliest manuscripts of the work frame it as the work of Divodāsa, king of Varanasi, not Dhanvantari.
• Suśruta required his disciples to study for six years before beginning hands-on surgical training, practicing on vegetables and dead animals.