Sushruta

About Sushruta

• Sushruta was a distinguished surgeon who flourished around 600 BCE in the ancient city of Kashi, India.
• He is believed to be the son of a sage Vishwamitra and disciple of guru Divodas or Dhanvantari, the King of Kashi. 
• He is widely regarded as the ‘Father of Indian Medicine’ and ‘Father of Plastic Surgery’.
• He was among the first in history to advocate for the use of human dissection to teach surgery students about anatomy.
• He introduced new techniques in various fields such as plastic surgery, cataract surgery, treatment of tumours and ENT surgery.
• Literary work: He is known for his pioneering operations and techniques and for his influential treatise ‘Sushruta Samhita’ or Compendium of Sushruta which is the main source of knowledge about surgery in ancient India.
  • It forms the foundations of the ancient Hindu form of medicine known as Ayurveda and is highly regarded as one of the ‘Great Trilogy of Ayurvedic Medicine.’
  • It was written in Sanskrit.
  • In the eighth century AD, Sushruta Samhita was translated into Arabic as ‘Kitab Shah Shun al -Hindi’ and ‘Kitab-I-Susurud.’
• Other contribution:
  • Besides trauma involving general surgery, Sushruta gave an in-depth account of the treatment of 12 varieties of fracture and six types of dislocation. This continues to spellbind orthopedic surgeons even today.
  • He mentioned the principles of traction, manipulation, apposition, stabilization, and postoperative physiotherapy.
  • He also prescribed measures to induce growth of lost hair and removal of unwanted hair.
  • He implored surgeons to achieve perfect healing which is characterized by the absence of any elevation, induration, swelling mass, and the return of normal coloring.
• Legacy: Sushruta Jayanti is celebrated annually on July 15th to honor Acharya Sushruta.