Studies in the Medicine of Ancient India, Part I: Osteology, or the Bones of the Human Body c6.s3.t3.22

c6.s3.t3.22

This grand total having ten bones in excess of the required 300, it became necessary for Vāgbhaṭa I to make a corresponding reduction somewhere. He determined to make it in the bones of the breast and palate, reducing their numbers from seventeen and two (= 19) to eight and one (= 9) respectively—an operation which gave him just the required ten (19—9). It may be asked what made him select for reduction just those two items, the breast and palate. The answer to this question can only be conjectured; but what may be said on the subject will be found explained in the Third Section (§§ 57 and 67). Of course the process here suggested by which the Traditional Recension of Suśruta’s statement on the skeleton was constructed is purely speculative: it may or may not have so happened; but to myself it appears to possess much probability.