A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c11.56

v1.c11.56

The second part is devoted to questions pertaining to embryology. On the important problem as to which part of the embryo arises first, conflicting views have been expressed by sages who composed (medical) treatises (sūtrakṛt). Kumāraśiras Bharadvāja is of the opinion that the head arises first; it is the heart according to Kāṅkāyana, the physician from Bāhlīka, the navel according to Bhadrakāpya, the pakvāśaya and guda (rectum and anus)¹³⁰ according to Bhadraśaunaka, hands and feet according to Baḍiśa, the organs of sense according to Janaka from Videha; the question cannot be answered, because observation is impossible, according to Mārīci Kaśyapa; all the organs appear at the same time, according to Dhanvantari. Atreya agrees with Dhanvantari, but not without drawing attention to the importance of the heart as the root (mūla) of all the parts of the body and the seat (adhiṣṭāna) of some other constituents (bhāva)¹³¹ (6.21).¹³²