The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c4.s2.20

c4.s2.20

*The Extant Charaka and Susruta—Succession of Medical Authorities.*—The extant Charaka and Susruta, the sources of our present information regarding the progress of scientific knowledge in the medical schools of ancient India, are both redactions of original authorities. The extant Charaka is a redaction by Dridhabala of the genuine Charaka Samhitá, which was itself a redaction by Charaka of the original work of Agnivesa, the disciple of Átreya Punarvasu as distinguished from Krishnátreya and Bhikshu Átreya, also well-known medical authorities. The extant Susruta is a redaction by Nágárjuna of an original work (Vriddha Susruta) by Susruta, the disciple of Dhanvantari. That Charaka preceded Susruta is almost certain. Nágárjuna was probably earlier than Dridhabala. At any rate, Dridhabala imported into Charaka much of the surgical knowledge which had till then been the traditional heritage of the Susruta school. And in the matter of the surgical treatment of certain diseases, the genuine Dridhabala is often as advanced as Susruta’s redacteur himself. The latter was probably identical with the alchemist Nágárjuna (Siddha Nágárjuna), the metallurgist Nágárjuna (author of a treatise on metallurgy, Lohasástra), and the Buddhist Nágárjuna, author of the Mádhyamikasútravritti. Charaka and Susruta continued to receive additions after Dridhabala and Nágárjuna, and even after Vágbhata, but the whole of the extant Charaka is probably much earlier than the commentator Chakrapáni, and the whole of the extant Susruta earlier than Dalvana, the commentator, and Mádhava, the author of Rugvinischaya. The extracts in Vágbhata make it certain that the passages I have quoted or shall quote from the Sútrasthána and Śárírasthána of Charaka and Susruta cannot be later than the sixth century of the Christian era.