Sushruta Samhita - Contents

Contents

The Sushruta Samhita is divided into two parts. The first is the five section Purva-tantra, and the second is the Uttara-tantra. Together, the Purva-tantra and Uttara-tantra (apart from Salyya and Salakya) describe the sciences and practices of medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, diseases of the ear, nose, throat and eye, toxicology, aphrodisiacs and psychiatry.

• The Purva-tantra is dedicated to the four branches of Ayurveda. It is divided into five books and 120 chapters (It is noteworthy that the Agnivesa-tantra, better known as the Charaka Samhita and the Ashtanga Hridayam of Vagbhata, is also divided into 120 chapters). These five books are the Sutra-sthana, Nidana-sthana, Sarira-sthana, Kalpa-sthana and Chikitsa-sthana. The Nidana-sthana is dedicated to aetiology, the signs and symptoms of important surgical diseases and those ailments which have a bearing on surgery. The rudiments of embryology and the anatomy of the human body, along with instructions for venesection, the positioning of the patient for each vein, and protection of vital structures (marma) are dealt with in the Sarira-sthana. This also includes the essentials of obstetrics. The Chikitsa-sthana describes the principles of management of surgical conditions, including obstetrical emergencies, including chapters on geriatrics and aphrodisiacs. The Kalpa-sthana is mainly Visa-tantra, dealing with the nature of poisons and their management.

• The Uttara-tantra contains the remaining four specialities, namely Salakya, Kaumarabhfefefrtya, Kayacikitsa and Bhutavidya. The entire Uttara-tantra has been called Aupadravika, since many of the complications of surgical procedures as well as fever, dysentery, cough, hiccough, krmi-roga, pandu, kamala, etc., are briefly described here. The Salakya-tantra portion of the Uttara-tantra describes various diseases of the eye, the ear, the nose and the head.

The Samhita is dedicated to other disciplines as well. Sushruta emphasizes that unless students possess enough knowledge of relevant sister branches of learning, they cannot attain proficiency in their own subject of study. The Samhita represents an encyclopedic approach to medical learning, with special emphasis on Salya and Salakya, and can be thought of as a comprehensive treatise on the entire medical discipline.