Studies in Ancient Hindu Polity (Based on the Arthashastra of Kautilya), Vol. I c10.s1.1

c10.s1.1

It is well known that in ancient India, as far back as the age of Buddha, much progress was made in medicine and surgery, which were fast being applied to the relief of human suffering. “According to the Indian tradition preserved in the Buddhist Jâtakas or Folklore, there existed in India in the age of Buddha two great universities or seats of learning, in which ‘all sciences,’ including medicine, were taught by ‘professors of world-wide renown.’ These two universities were Kâsî or Benares in the east, and the still more famous Taksha-silâ or Taxila (on the Jhelam river) in the west. In the latter university in the time of Buddha or shortly before it, the leading professor of medicine was Âtreya. He, accordingly, should have flourished at some time in the sixth century B.C. As one of the names of Suśruta’s teacher is Kâśirâja, which literally means King of Kâsî, he may not unreasonably have referred to the University of Kâsî or Benares.”¹ Jîvaka, the famous physician who was contemporaneous with Buddha, is stated to have studied medicine in the Taxila university under Âtreya.² The Vinaya Piṭakas also give us some information on this point.³ “Rules for preparing various kinds of medicaments, as well as medical and surgical operations,” says Prof. Kern, “are prescribed in the Vinaya, so that we get some notion of the condition of medical science in the period when that part of the canon was composed.”¹ From these evidences, which are sufficient for the present purpose, we get an idea of the state of Indian medical science as far back as the time of Buddha, or even before it, and the advancement it attained in medicine and surgery. The degree of progress achieved in Chandra Gupta’s time will be evident from the measures adopted by his Government to secure the health of his people. We learn from Megasthenes² that of the six bodies that were in charge of the city, one had “to attend to the entertainment of foreigners. . . . They took care of them when they were sick, and if they died buried them.” Thus the care and treatment of the sick foreigners formed one of the duties of Government. This shows that physicians, with medicines and appliances, had to be kept in readiness to meet the emergencies. Arrian, moreover, refers to an interesting incident which reflects no small credit on the Indian physicians of the day. Alexander had in his train several proficient Greek physicians, but they confessed their inability to deal with the cases of snake-bite very common in the Punjab. Alexander was obliged to consult the Indian Vaidyas, who successfully treated these cases. The Macedonian king was so struck with their skill that, according to Nearchos, he employed some good Vaidyas, and ordered his followers to consult them in cases of snake-bite and other dangerous ailments.