The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c11.35

c11.35

We are, therefore, very well assured by the data of the Indian texts corroborated by foreign sources, that Indian medicine, during the seven or eight centuries preceding the Christian era, had never ceased to be actively cultivated and directed towards the definitive constitution of its doctrines; this is when the great classical texts have appeared. The loss of earlier works should be attributed to the exclusive authority acquired by these latter and possibly as we have seen, due to the contempt felt by certain Vedic circles concerning the doctors, in spite of the general opinion which had been favourable to them.