Studies in the Medicine of Ancient India, Part I: Osteology, or the Bones of the Human Body c6.s3.t2.3

c6.s3.t2.3

2. The list of Suśruta which forms the basis of the list of Vāgbhaṭa is, in every point, identical with the traditional list of Suśruta as it at present exists (§ 27). This is proved by the fact that the list of Vāgbhaṭa shows every one of the inconsistencies which have been exposed in §§ 30-3 as existing in the Traditional Recension of Suśruta’s list. That is to say: (a) both reckon the aggregate of Nos. 3-5 (§ 37, or Nos. 2-4 in § 27) as ten, resulting in the aggregate forty for the four extremities; (b) in order to make up that aggregate ten, both count eight clusters, and four ankle-bones and four wrist-bones; also they count four bases in addition to the four clusters; (c) both count four heels; (d) both omit the two shoulder-blades¹ and the two eyeballs; (e) both count wrongly eight bones and one bone in Nos. 13 and 24 respectively.