List of Surgical Conditions in the Suśruta Saṃhitā

Management of traumatic wounds is one the principal areas of the surgeon‘s expertise which often involved removal of foreign bodies from the flesh.^[1]

1. Recent traumatic wounds are classified into six types.

(i) Chinna or excised wounds involve separation of body parts, such as:^[2]

1. Avulsion of ear lobes;
2. Incised wounds of the neck or cut-throats;
3. Partial or complete dismemberment of the limbs;^[3]

(ii) Bhinna or stab injuries caused by sharp objects like weapons or animal horns resulting in the discharge of fluids or body contents:^[4]

Injuries to the abdominal organs-stomach, intestines and omentum^[5]

(iii) Viddha or punctured wounds in which any part of the body other than the cavities get pierced by a sharp pointed weapon and the weapon could either protrude out or may go through the body, such as:^[6]

1. Head injuries^[7]
2. Injury to the eyeballs^[8]
3. Injury to the testes^[9]

(iv) Kṣata or lacerated wounds that are irregular exhibits features of both excised and incised wounds.^[10]

(v) Piccita or contusion caused by severe blow or pressure^[11]

When there is contusion of the nail bed with subungual haematoma, blood is drained out through a hole made by a drill.^[12]

(vi) Ghṛṣṭa or abrased wound^[13]

2. The other surgical conditions described in the text are:

1. Piles (arśa)^[14]
2. Urinary stone (aśmarī)^[15]
3. Fistula-in-ano (bhagandara)^[16]
4. Skin lesions in kuṣṭha^[17]
5. Boils associated with urinary abnormalities (prameha piḍaka)^[18]
6. Four types of abdominal enlargements (intestinal obstruction- baddhagudodara and intestinal perforation-pariśrāvyuodara),^[19] including splenomegaly and ascites
7. Foetal malpresentations^[20]
8. Post-mortem caesarean section^[21]
9. Abscesses,^[22] abscesses affecting the bone^[23], and breast abscesses^[24]
10. Sinus^[25]
11. Various types of swellings and tumours (granthi),^[26] apacī,^[27] arbuda,^[28]
12. and galagaṇḍa (goitre)^[29]
13. Scrotal swellings (suppurated)^[30]
14. Venereal diseases^[31]
15. Elephantiasis (ślīpada)^[32]
16. Various minor diseases^[33]
17. Śuka doṣa (diseases of the penis)^[34]
18. Lip disease caused by vitiated medas^[35]
19. Gum diseases^[36]
20. Dental extractions in conditions of supernumerary teeth,^[37] impacted tooth (adhimāṃsa),^[38] dental sinus (danta-nāḍi),^[39] and caries (kṛmidantaka)^[40]
21. Removal of dental tartar (śarkarā)^[41]
22. Diseases of the tongue^[42]
23. Diseases of the palate including tonsillitis (galaśuṇḍikā)^[43]
24. Throat diseases like rohiṇī, raktarohiṇī, etc.^[44]
25. Piercing of the ear lobe^[45]
26. Forty types of eye diseases^[46] including glaucoma (adhimantha)^[47] and cataract (liṅganāśa)^[48]
27. Trephining of the bones to obstructed remove vāta^[49]
28. Reconstructive surgery.

Reconstructive surgery is a specialised form of surgical intervention that constitutes a landmark in the development of ancient Indian medical science. The Suśruta Saṃhitā has described surgical procedures for repairing the split ear lobules,^[50] reconstruction of the ear lobule,^[51] the amputated nose^[52] and cleft-lip surgery.^[53] Fifteen types of ear lobe deformities are referred to, and the detailed study and specificities of these conditions bear testimony to the skill and proficiency of ancient Indian surgeons and to the fact that plastic surgery was a well developed field. The importance of this field can be gauged from the significant statement of Dhanvantari that the physician alone who has mastered these procedures, is entitled to be the royal physician.^[54] It may be inferred that proficiency in reconstructive surgery was the preserve of a few. The maturing of skills in this regard would lead one to believe that there was a great necessity and demand for this kind of surgery.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 1.131.

[2]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.10/2-11/1.

[3]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.31-33, 37.

[4]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.11/2-12/1.

[5]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.12/1-19/1.

[6]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.19/2-20/1.

[7]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.69/2-71/1.

[8]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.42-45/1.

[9]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.66/2-69/1.

[10]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.20/1-22/1.

[11]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.21/1-23/1.

[12]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 3.23.

[13]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 2.22/1-23/1.

[14]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 4,7.

[15]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 30-33.

[16]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 8.4.

[17]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 9.10-11.

[18]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 12.4.

[19]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 14.17.

[20]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 15.3-4.

[21]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 15.9.

[22]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 16.34-35.

[23]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 16.39/2-41.

[24]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 17.46-47.

[25]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 17.18-28.

[26]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 18.5-24;

[27]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 18.15-16.

[28]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 18.39.

[29]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 18.53-54.

[30]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 19.8-25.

[31]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 19.38, 50-51.

[32]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 19.52-56.

[33]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 20.3-61.

[34]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 21.4,6,9,10,13.

[35]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.9.

[36]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.11-22.

[37]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.23.

[38]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.24-25.

[39]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.26-29.

[40]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.40.

[41]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.36-37.

[42]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.45-48.

[43]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.49-57.

[44]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 22.59/2-67.

[45]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 16.3.

[46]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Uttaratantra 8.4.

[47]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Uttaratantra 8.9.

[48]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Uttaratantra 17.55-64.

[49]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Cikitsāsthāna 4.9.

[50]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 16.10-13.

[51]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 16.14-15.

[52]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 16.27-31.

[53]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 16.32.

[54]:

Suśruta Saṃhitā Sūtrasthāna 16.32.