Sushruta: The Founding Father of Surgery and His Enduring Legacy in Medicine

Sushruta: The Founding Father of Surgery and His Enduring Legacy in Medicine

Write a short note on Sushruta.

Answer. Sushruta, one of the earliest surgeons in recorded history (600 BC) is believed to be the first individual to describe plastic surgery.

• Sushruta who lived nearly 150 years before Hippocrates vividly described the basic principles of plastic surgery in his famous ancient treatise Sushruta Samhita.
• He is dubbed as the “Founding Father of Surgery” and the Sushruta Samhita is identified as one of the most outstanding commentaries on the Medical Sciences of Surgery.
• He is said to have been a physician originally of South India is active in Varanasi.

“Comprehensive Overview Of The Sushruta Samhita“

“Understanding Sushruta’S Role In Ancient Surgery”

Read And Learn More: General Surgery Questions and Answers

• His period is usually placed between the period of 1200-600 BC.
• One of the earliest known mentions of the name is from the Bower Manuscript (4th or 5th century), where Sushruta is listed as one of the ten sages residing in the Himalayas.
• Sushruta has described surgery under eight heads
  Chedya (excision), Lekhya (scarification), Vedhya(puncturing), Esya (exploration), Ahrya (extraction), Vsraya (evacuation) and Sivya (Suturing).
• The Sushruta Samhita, in its extent form, in 184 chapters contains descriptions of 1,120 illnesses,700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources, and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

“Effective Ways To Honor Sushruta’S Contributions”

• The text discusses surgical techniques of making incisions, probing, extraction of foreign bodies, alkali and thermal cauterization, tooth extraction, and excisions. etc.
• Sushruta’s Contribution to the field of Plastic
  Surgery can be enumerated as follows:
  • Rhinoplasty (cheek)
  • Classification of mutilated earlobe defects and techniques for the repair of torn earlobes (15 different types of otoplasties)
  • Cheek flap for reconstruction of the absent ear lobe.
  • Repair of accidental lip injuries and congenital cleft lip.
  • Piercing children’s ear lobes with a needle or awl.
  • Use of suture materials of bark, tendon, hair, and silk.
  • Needles of bronze or bone (circular, two fingerbreadths wide and straight, triangular bodied, three finger – breadths wide)
  • Classification of burns into four degrees and explaining the effect of heat stroke, frostbite, and lightning injuries.
  • Fourteen types of bandaging capable of covering almost all the regions of the body and different methods of dressings with various medicaments.

“Step-By-Step Guide To Sushruta’S Surgical Methods“

• • Use of wine to dull the pain of surgical incisions.
  • Describe 20 varieties of sharp instruments (sastra) and 101 types of blunt instruments (yantra) and their handling techniques.
  • Systematic dissection of cadavers.
  • Advocated the practice of mock operations on inanimate objects such as watermelons, clay plots, and reeds.
  • Use of leeches to keep wounds free of blood clots.
  • A code of ethics for teachers as well as students.