History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c38.s1.14

c38.s1.14

The caste system was established *de novo* in a more rigid form. The drift of Manu and of the later Puranas is in the direction of glorifying the priestly class, which set up most arrogant and outrageous pretensions. According to the Susruta, the dissection of dead bodies is a *sine qua non* to the student of surgery, and this high authority lays particular stress on knowledge gained from experiments and observations. But Manu would have none of it. The very touch of a corpse, according to Manu, is enough to bring contamination to the sacred person of a Brahmin. Thus we find that shortly after the time of Vagbhata, the handling of a lancet was discouraged and anatomy and surgery fell into disuse and became to all intents and purposes lost sciences to the Hindus. It was considered equally undignified to sweat away at the forge like a Cyclops. Hence, the cultivation of the *kalas* by the more refined classes of the society, of which we get a vivid picture in the ancient Sanskrit literature, has survived only in traditions since a very long time past.