Studies in the Medicine of Ancient India, Part I: Osteology, or the Bones of the Human Body c6.s2.t5.2

c6.s2.t5.2

2. I know of no direct evidence as to the exact number of heels held by Suśruta, such as was available in the case of the two difficulties discussed in §§ 30 and 31. But neither is there any direct evidence for Suśruta’s holding four heels, including two for the hands. It is also worth noting that the list of Charaka includes only two heels; and there is no reason for imputing to Suśruta a more incongruous view than Charaka held. On the whole, therefore, it is only reasonable to believe that the statement of Suśruta, in its genuine form, cannot have been intended to teach the existence of more than two heels.