By keren shay group.14

Medicin and Densitry in ancient India

Around 500 BC, thanks to Persian influence, the city of Taxila (in modern Pakistan) became a great scientific center. Atreya, a great botanist (plant specialist) and doctor, was working at Taxila about this time. Around the 300's BC, Indian farmers seem to have been using water wheels to lift water for irrigation - the earliest water wheels in the world.

From the time of the Harappans to the time of the Islamic conquests, Indian scientists and mathematicians were leaders in many different fields.

By 250 or 200 BC, under Mauryan rule, Indian scientists were the first in the world to be smelting iron with carbon to make stell.

The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago

The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE, was the first major civilization in India

Some objects about ancient India

(B.C. stands for Before Christ, and it means the number of years before the time of Jesus Christ)

There are references of medicinal uses of zinc in the Charaka Samhita (300 BCE).

Zinc, mining and medicinal use: Zinc was first recognised as a metal in India. Zinc mines of Zawar, near Udaipur, Rajasthan, were active during 400 BCE

Ancient India saw great advancements in medical science. Some of these fields were dental surgery, and plastic surgery. It is amazing that even in the absence of anesthesia some of the complex operations are performed. Around 800 B.C the first instances of surgery were recorded. It was considered as one of the eight branches of Ayurveda.Shushruta- Samhita is the oldest treatise dealing with surgery. The main medical practitioners were Atraya, Charaka and Shusruta. Shushruta studied human anatomy with an aid of a dead body. He had described in great detail surgery .He excelled in plastic surgery and ophthalmology (removing cataracts).The restoration of mutilated nose or rhinoplasty was one of the greatest contributions of Shushruta.The success rate was very high attracting people from all the country and outside. He meticulously carried out the operation almost similar to the steps followed by modern day plastic surgeons .

Background about medicin in India

Charaka put more emphasis on prevention rather than cure. He made these remarks in his famous treatise Charaka Samahita which are held in great reverence even today. The other notable fields were physiology, etiology and embryology. He also wrote extensively on digestion, metabolism and immune system. He wrote that body functions as it contains three dosha- bile, phlegm and wind. These are produced when dhatus - blood, flesh and marrow act on food consumed. The body becomes sick when there is imbalance between three doshas. He prescribed drugs to restore this balance. Charaka also wrote about genetics like the factors responsible for sex of a child. Agnivesa another famous physician wrote an encyclopedic treatise in the eighth century B.C.

AYUR-VEDA is the oldest existing medical system, having its heritage in ancient India. It is recognized by the World Health Organization and is still widely practiced. Current interest in disease prevention and health promotion has led to its investigation by a growing number of Western physicians who are finding it to add valuable knowledge that is complementary to modern allopathic medicine .

The word Ayur-Veda comes from two Sanskrit roots: Ayus, meaning life or life span, and Veda, meaning

knowledge or science. Ayur-Veda is therefore translated as "the science of life," which emphasizes

its orientation toward prevention .

Ancient medicine of India

Hygiene is an Indian cultural value and a central practice of ayurvedic medicine. Hygienic living involves regular bathing, cleansing of teeth, skin the body with oil is also precare, and eye washing. Occasional anointing of scribed.

Over the following centuries, ayurvedic practitioners developed a number of medicinal preparations and

surgical procedures for the treatment of various ailments

Hundreds of plant-based medicines are used in ayurvedic medicine—including cardamom and cinnamon

Sesame and sunflower oil are used in ayurvedic medicine. Both contain linoleate in triglyceride form and may have antineoplastic properties

Discoveries and inventions of Medicine

Cataract surgery: Cataract surgery was known to the Indian physician Sushruta (6th century BCE).In India, cataract surgery was performed with a special tool called the Jabamukhi Salaka, a curved needle used to loosen the lens and push the cataract out of the field of vision,the eye would later be soaked with warm butter and then bandaged

Inoculation and Variolation: The earliest record of inoculation and variolation for small pox is found in 8th century India, when Madhav wrote the Nidāna, a 79-chapter book which lists diseases along with their causes, symptoms, and complications. He included a special chapter on small pox (masūrikā) and described the method of inoculation to protect against small pox.

Leprosy: Kearns & Nash (2008) state that the first mention of leprosy is described in the Indian medical treatise Sushruta Samhita (6th century BCE).However, The Oxford Illustrated Companion to Medicine holds that the mention of leprosy, as well as ritualistic cures for it, were described in the Atharva-veda(1500–1200 BCE), written before the Sushruta Samhita.

Plastic surgery: Plastic surgery was being carried out in India by 2000 BCE.The system of punishment by deforming a Sushruta and Charakwere translated into Arabic language during the Abbasid Caliphate (750 CE). These translated Arabic works made their way into Europe via intermidiateries. In Italy the Branca family of Sicily and GasparTagliacozziofBologna became familiar with the miscreant's body may have led to an increase in demand for this practice.The surgeon Sushruta contributed mainly to the field of Plastic and Cataract surgery.The medical works of both techniques of

Lithiasis treatment: The earliest operation for treating lithiasis, or the formations of stones in the body, is also given in the Sushruta Samhita 6th century BCE). The operation involved exposure and going up through the floor of the bladder.

Visceral leishmaniasis, treatment of: The Indian (Bengali) medical practitioner Upendra Nath Brahmachari (December 19, 1873 - February 6, 1946) was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929 for his discovery of 'ureastibamine (antimonial compound for treatment of kala azar) and a new disease, post-kalaazar dermal leishmanoid.Brahmachari's cure for Visceral leishmaniasis was the urea salt of para-amino-phenyl stibnic acid which he called Urea Stibamine.Following the discovery of Urea Stibamine, Visceral leishmaniasis was largely eradicated from the world, except for some underdeveloped regions

Dentistry ancient of indiaThe Indus Valley Civilization has yielded evidence of dentistry being practiced as 7000 BCas far back

A Sumerian text from 5000 BC describes a "tooth worm" as the cause of dent caries Evidence of this belief has also been found in ancient India 7000 BC – The Bow Drill Era

Dentistry got its start in the Indus Valley of India and Pakistan. These industrious would-be dentists were master beadmakers who used bow drills to cure tooth problems. This is also the first appearance of dental assistants, whose duties consisted of restraining the flailing arms and legs of patients during the undoubtedly excruciating procedures. Still, this obviously beat a life without teeth

700 BC – The First Bridges

The first society to use dental bridges and appliances were the Etruscans, starting around 700 BC. The image below shows a similar dental bridge created by the Egyptians that uses gold wires to hold the teeth together. This is also the first incarnation of a cosmetic dental practice that would come to be know as “bling

oral hygiene and its tools (toothbrush, toothpick, use of tooth pastes and tooth-powder) were used long before our times. Already ancient people started to remove, file, dye and inlay teeth

the teeth were dyed red or brown (with henna or betel) in IndiaDentistry was surely practiced in ancient Egypt, India, China,

Greece and Rome, while odontology and especially suitable dental appliances arose only by Etruscan.

dentists in ancient times often used dental extraction to "cure" a variety of illnesses

the instruments composed of: Most antique dental instruments were made of bone or ivory and metal. The tongue scraper, for example, was made completely of ivory, while other metal instruments featured handles made from ivory or from bone. Some 19th century dental tools were made of tortoise shell, like the tongue scraper, for example. In addition, some mirrors were also sometimes made of tortoise shell.Had it not been for antique dental instruments and beliefs of ancient time,we would not have today.Materials have changed over the years ,some of the instruments of ancient times are still used today.

www.jama.ama-ass.orgwww.ehow.com

www.dentalassistant.netwww.wikipedia.comwww.thisismyindia.com

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