The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c6.140

c6.140

We should, therefore, look for the birth of a scientific Ayurveda in the texts which have preceded it. The mythical character of the stories, of its origin and its transmission, which it itself contains, should not be allowed to convince us that its doctrines are sullied with myths. We have seen that the tradition concerning the masters of the Ayurveda was full of Vedic reminiscences as the supposed Vedic authors have Vedic names. We will also see that the antecedents of the classical doctrines of the Ayurveda are equally Vedic. There is, however, a contrast between the value of the expositions concerning the history of the Ayurveda which is nil and that of the meritorious efforts made to explain rationally health and disease. But the legend of the origin and the transmission of the Ayurveda is only pseudo-historical with a veneer of the scientific doctrine. This doctrine is derived from Brahmanic speculations, if not valid by themselves, at least by the tendency of the spirit that animated them; moreover, it is partly based on the observation of normal and pathological facts, thus giving it a connection with reality. The legends of the origins, on the contrary, although they utilise the data from the Veda and refer to the names of authors of yore, do not seem to be based on a tradition with a historical basis, ancient and solid. In studying the relations of the Veda and the Ayurveda, we will, however, examine the extent to which it may be described as accurate.