A Concise History of Science in India c8.s6.t2: Equine Āyurveda

c8.s6.t2.1

The *Saṃhitā* of Śālihotra, an ancient and famous treatise dealing exclusively with horses, of which extracts are found in the *Agnipurāṇa*, was, according to some, redacted by Kalhaṇa (twelfth century) under the title *Śālihotrasārasamuccaya*.b A translation in Arabic of either the original work or its redaction was made in the age of the Caliphs of Baghdad, and was known as *Sālator*. Other important editions or redactions of this work are *Aśvavaidyaka* by Jayadattasurī and *Aśvaśāstra* by Nakula. The first work is a large volume of 68 chapters dealing with many topics, including separate chapters on different breed of horses; their characteristics according to age, sex and breed; the features to be desired or preferred in horses for riding, for drawing carriages and for stud purposes; foaling: lactation; diet; various types of internal medicines and external applications for equine diseases like cough, indigestion, diarrhoea, skin diseases, apoplexy madness, etc.; and surgical operations for treatments of malformations, diseased conditions castration, etc. The medical and surgical methods follow the classical precepts of *Āyurveda*. Nakula’s work is remarkable for its coloured illustrations of horses and knowledge of equine anatomy. It is also a valuable compendium of many branches of knowledge relating to horses. An Āyurvedic lexicon, also credited to Nakula, named *Cikitsā Saṃgraha*, contains a glossary of terms and *materia medica* relating to this branch of knowledge. Bhojarāja’s encyclopaedia quotes also passages from *Hayalīlāvatīnāmasaṃgraha* by Jayadeva, *Vājicikitsā Saṃgraha* by Jayadatta, and *Sārasaṃgraha*, an anthology of different works on this subject, by Nakula. These works are of minor importance and are also rare or unavailable.