A History of Agriculture in India v1.c31.s17: Veterinary Services
A History of Agriculture in India v1.c31.s17
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Veterinary Services
v1.c31.s17.1
Veterinary service was considered essential to the community and veterinary doctors were assigned free endowments of land, in the same way as the village accountants, physicians and horse-trainers. Medicinal herbs were collected from places where they were growing naturally. They were also grown in fields like other crops.
v1.c31.s17.2
Slaughterhouses were regulated by a Superintendent of Slaughterhouses. This arrangement afforded opportunities to the veterinarians to study and make observations on the internal organs of the animals.
v1.c31.s17.3
During the reign of Asoka, veterinary hospitals were State institutions and were functioning all over the Empire. In a rock edict it is stated, “Everywhere in the dominions of His Majesty King Priyadarsi, and likewise in the neighbouring realms...everywhere on behalf of His Majesty have two kinds of hospitals been established, hospitals for men and hospitals for beasts. Healing herbs medicinal for man and medicinal for beasts, wherever they were lacking, have been imported and planted..." Thus it is evident that provision was made for the care and treatment of sick cattle, horses and elephants.
v1.c31.s17.4
*A Concise History of Science in India*, INSA, New Delhi, 1971 Aiyer, A.K.Y.N. *Dairying in Ancient India*, *Symposium*, UNESCO and NIS, New Delhi, Nov. 1950 Gangopadhyay, R. *Some Materials for the Study of Agriculture and Agriculturists in Ancient India*, Calcutta, 1933 Gode, P.K. *Studies in Indian Cultural History*, Vol. I, Hoshiarpur, 1961 Raychaudhari, S.P. and Kaw, R.K.R. *Agriculture in Ancient India*, New Delhi, 1968 Shamasastry, R. *Kautilya's Arthashastra*, Mysore, 1960