The first memories of the state, located in the valley of the fertile Indus River, date back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. The sacred river gave the name to the huge country of India, which is not inferior in size to its cultural heritage to such centers of civilization as Ancient Egypt and the states of Mesopotamia.
In the Indus Valley, houses were built clearly according to a developed plan. Wells were dug in the most necessary places, which were covered with burnt bricks. Brick was used in the construction of walls of houses. Drainpipes entered the city’s sewage system. Such an ancient civilization equipped with such a functional drainage system is no longer known anywhere.
But such highly developed sanitary facilities are uncharacteristic for the subsequent periods of development of Ancient India, then only a decrease in architectural developments is observed. The doctrine considers that this is connected with cataclysms: droughts and floods, as well as with the depletion of internal resources.
But today it is not about the formation of India as a state, but about the development of medicine in this country. Where is the best developed pharmacy and medicine of the ancient world? India, China - this is where the first medical knowledge originates. Some of them are admirable in the modern world. Many are relevant today.
Next, we describe what medicine was in ancient India, briefly. Read the most important thing about this in our review.
The formation of ancient Indian philosophical knowledge
In 2 thousand BC. e. the first ancient Indian philosophical ideas are being formed. They have survived to the present in the form of literary monuments, which received the general name "Vedas". Here are collected ancient hymns, chants, spells and more. The Vedas are man's first attempt to philosophically interpret the environment. Although here you can find a half-mythical and superstitious interpretation of the human environment, but this work is the first pre-philosophical source.
In ancient Indian philosophy, diverse views were mixed, where idealistic and materialistic tendencies were seen. Basically, it contains the basic idea of a world soul, which is in the process of self-development. It is the world soul that prompts the first material to create the material world, including man. The philosophy and medicine of ancient India were inseparable. It was believed that the human body is the outer shell of the immortal soul, which is part of the world spirit. The lack of spiritual essence is an extreme attachment to the world of materialism, therefore, by nature, man is imperfect. This is the cause of his bodily problems.
Chinese medicine regarding philosophical teachings
Advances in Indian medicine have influenced Chinese medicine. Ancient Chinese philosophy has a developmental path from worship of natural elements to constructive religious and philosophical structures - Confucianism and Taoism, as well as to natural philosophy. The concept of the development of the world by Chinese philosophers laid the foundations of medicine and the concept of the causes of the disease. From very ancient times, ideas about anatomy began to form. But in the 2nd century BC. e. Confucianism was approved, so the dissection of corpses was prohibited. According to Confucius, the human body should remain intact and be returned to parents intact. Therefore, the knowledge of the anatomical features of the body of the ancient Chinese lagged behind the ideas of the ancient Indians.
The concepts of disease and health in ancient China were based on traditional concepts of philosophy. Traditional Chinese medicine has linked human organs to the fundamental principles of yin or yang. Yin was responsible for the health of zang organs — the heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and kidneys. Yang was assigned six fu organs: the stomach, gall and bladder, colon and small intestine, and three heaters. Heaters called a system for supporting internal heat, depending on digestion, respiration and urination. In the human body, yin and yang must be in harmony, and with illness, the balance is disturbed.
The origin of healing in the Vedic era
The characteristics of medicine in ancient India in the Vedic era are little known. There is scant evidence in the Rig Veda about three diseases: consumption, leprosy, and bleeding. In separate sections of the Rigveda, the magical rites of healing are described. The Vedic period is characterized by the interweaving of medical knowledge with magical rites and religious beliefs.
The mythological characters in the Vedic religion are associated with the concepts of health, disease and healing. All representations of ancient Hindus are described in the Atharva Veda. Here, all the folk experience of healing with herbs has been collected, but to cure the disease, you must pray, cast spells and offer sacrifices. Bhisadsh, or “casting out demons,” is the very first designation of an Indian healer. Gradually, the caster turned into a healer, but the name remains the same. Also, the concepts of the causes of diseases have radically changed.
Ayurvedic knowledge
The development of medicine in ancient India began at the beginning of our era. Then came the system of healing Ayurveda, or "the doctrine of a long life." A small group of people - vaidyas - outlined the first experiments in healing and healing. They were children of nature, lived among the mountains and forests. Vaidyas closely connected a person with the Universe, considered him to be a particle of cosmic energy, in their opinion, a person embodies five primary elements, as well as higher forces and elements. They noticed the dependence of people on the lunar cycles, and also believed that each organ in the human body has an analogue among animals or plants.
Ayurveda was very widely recognized and gradually spread to the East. Ayurvedic knowledge gradually changed, but existed everywhere. It is sometimes referred to as Chinese medicine, but this is not true. The Indian philosopher in his work gives practical advice and describes acupuncture, or acupuncture. A very long time ago, during Dhanvantari, in the treatment of diseases, acupuncture and hirudotherapy, that is, the use of leeches, were also used for plastic surgery and organ transplantation. For Ayurvedic methods in treatment, multicomponent herbal preparations were widely used. Each plant occupies a specific niche and is used to achieve the desired result.
The first concepts of the body
The medicine of ancient India in the classical period of the country's history changes the idea of the origin of diseases. A new round in the development of medicine is taking place - the supernatural causes of the emergence of the diseases that prevailed in the Vedic period are thrown back into the past. From now on, man was regarded as a particle of the environment. Now, according to the ideas of the ancient Indians, it consisted of the elements of fire, earth, water, ether and air. The functioning of the body was associated with the interconnection of fire, air and water, which carried three fluids: bile, wind and mucus (bile between the navel and the heart, wind below the navel, mucus above the heart). Three fluids and five elements together formed 6 organic products of the human body: muscles, blood, bones, brain, body fat and male seed.
The wind carries coolness and freshness, sound and air currents. He is responsible for excretion, digestion, blood circulation and metabolism in the body. If the wind slows down, then the circulation of juices and substances is suspended and the normal functioning of the body is disrupted.
The medicine of ancient India is based on the following knowledge:
- Phlegm in man and space was soft substances, it acted like grease, covered all uneven and rough surfaces, and was responsible for movement and interaction.
- Bile is a fiery element responsible for the temperature regime in the body, for the activity of the heart muscle and for the normal activity of the digestive tract.
- With a violation of the interaction and the normal flow of mucus, wind and bile, the disease began. Its severity and seriousness was determined by the degree of imbalance between the three most important primary elements.
The reasons for the rapid development of medicine in ancient India
What are the features of the development of medicine in ancient India? No wonder she got a second name - the country of sages, because she was always famous for healers who became known far beyond the borders of their native land. From Buddhist traditions, through the prism of centuries, information has come about ancient healers: Charak, Jivak and Sushrut.
The monuments of Ayurvedic literature of that time include “Sushruta-samhita” and “Charvaka-samhita”. The first of them is the oldest treatise on surgery, which describes more than 300 operations, tells about 120 medical instruments and 650 medicines.
Ancient Indian healers possessed the most extensive knowledge of the structure of the human body. Religious canons did not prohibit the study of corpses, it was enough to atone for their actions by looking at the sun, touching a sacred cow or using a bathtub to cleanse.
A huge contribution to the development of medicine of the healer of Sashutra
Confucianism and medicine of ancient India during the time of the healer Sashutra already had nothing in common, since surgery began to develop. And Confucius, as we recall, was against the violation of the integrity of the human body. For Sashrut, surgery became the first and most prominent medical science. Under him, the Indians mastered the manufacture of surgical instruments from steel, unlike other peoples who use bronze and copper for the manufacture of instruments. The ancient blacksmiths knew how to make them sharp, comfortable in the hand and able to split hair. The names of the instruments mentioned tigers, bears, lions, deer, wolves and many species of insects. Their teeth, trunks and claws became a model for scalpels, needles and forceps. And before the operation, the surgeon asked for strength from these animals, but did not forget to disinfect the instruments by burning on fire, washing with hot water and the juices of special plants.
The ancient Indian surgeons used fixed bandages, traction and bamboo tires for fractures; sutured the edges of the wounds with hemp and linen threads; bleeding was stopped by cold and ash; ulcers, tumors and burns were treated according to a special technique. Even then, they began to use bleach, wine, hash, opium and Indian hemp for pain relief.
Indian surgeons successfully performed plastic surgery on the face. They were engaged in the restoration of lips, nose and ears (they were lost by the verdict of the court or in a fight).
The Sushrut treatise describes in detail the method of rhinoplasty, which was called the “Indian method” and has been successfully used to this day with some changes. In ancient Indian texts, you can familiarize yourself with the methodology for performing cataract surgery.
Ancient India Medicine: Healing Schools
You can be surprised to learn about the advanced school of Sushrut at that time, which had special laboratories where medicines were made, operating rooms, and also separate rooms for theoretical and practical training. When learning from Sushruta, followers should use devices resembling diseased organs. To familiarize themselves with bloodletting, we used processes of water lilies, on the fruits of Panas we studied the extraction of solids, the art of dressings was trained on mock-ups. When teaching medicine, the student had to study philosophy, pharmacology, botany, chemistry, biology, as well as master medical skills.
Becoming a doctor in ancient India
The attitude to the doctor in ancient India has been mixed throughout history. In the Vedic period, the healer profession was respected and respected. But with the development of the caste system, the situation changed dramatically, with the appearance of inequality, some classes were classified as unclean, and those involved in them were declared untouchables. Healers fell into this category, acrobats, carpenters, and those who care for horses appeared next to them. But still, from ancient texts you can find out that the practice of healing was held in high esteem.
Among the leading healers of ancient India were monks, and the monasteries themselves became centers of healing. It was permissible for monks to provide medical assistance to those in need, this was their purpose and grace.
Yoga is a way to look inside yourself.
The medicine of ancient India was intertwined with religious and philosophical teachings, especially with yoga. She combined moral and ethical teaching, religious philosophy and a complex of training (asanas). To understand the doctrine, it is necessary to undergo two-level training: comprehension of the spirit and physical yoga. For mental and physical health it is necessary to keep the body and thoughts clean, and also able to completely relax. Yoga is still enjoying unprecedented popularity and has many followers.
Ancient Indian Healing Centers
The medicine of Ancient India (a brief history of formation is presented to your attention in the article) at that time provided for peculiar healing centers. The city of Taxila was one of the centers of medical education in ancient India. The student should have thoroughly possessed not only theoretical knowledge, but also boldly use it in practice. After training, the teacher gathered his students together to give a special instruction.
The right to heal must give out a rajah. He was engaged in monitoring the work of doctors, and monitored compliance with medical ethics. The doctor should always be neat and clean, wear scented clothes, cut his beard briefly, always keep his nails in order, leave the house with an umbrella and a stick, and most importantly, not tell anyone about the condition of his patients. There were rules by which the doctor did not charge the poor, brahmanas and friends. And if a well-to-do person refused to pay, he was charged part of the property. For improperly prescribed treatment should pay a fine.
The history of medicine in ancient India tells that for the ancient Indian culture, the main distinguishing feature was the veneration of knowledge. From many countries, young healers came to India to gain experience. Universities opened in the cities, where they paid attention to the study of astronomy, mathematics, astrology, religious and philosophical texts, Sanskrit and medicine.
The history of medicine in ancient India is summarized in this material. We hope that the information was interesting and useful for you.