The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine (Its Origins and its Greek Parallels) - Trans from the French by Dev Raj Chanana

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This work by Prof. J. Fillizat is a treatise on the development of Indian Medical Tradition. It starts with a discussion about the legends concerning Ayurveda and after dealing with the traditions of the two major texts, those of Caraka and Susruta, sums up the essential doctrines of all the texts available today. This is followed by a discussion on the pre-Aryan and Indo-Aryan data on medicine, juxtaposed with similar data from the Avesta. Further it deals with the Vedic data on Pathology, Anatomy and Physiology leading to a discussion of the relationship between the Veda and Ayurveda. The author also makes a comparative study of the doctrine of wind as adumbrated in India and as found in a Greek text, followed by a critical examination, from the point of view of the medical doctrine of the Timaeus and corresponding data found in Indian medical texts. Finally, he takes up the specific question of contracts between India and Greece, before Alexander, wherein Persia was the intermediary.

Prof. Filliozat's finding on India's contacts with Persia and Greece before Alexander as also with the Accadian civilization are bound to evoke deep interest in our country. We hope that this classic, now available to a large number of our countrymen, will help focus their attention on the essentials of a science, which though quite ancient, is equally modern, as it is still being widely practiced in our country as also in neighbouring countries like Ceylon.

About the Author

Prof Filliozat's work on Indian medicine was published in French and has been a classic in the field. The author had first qualified as medical practitioner and had studied Sanskrit, Tamil as also a number of other oriental languages. He is, therefore, very well qualified to speak on the development of the medical doctrine in India.

At present, Prof. Fillozat is professor at the college de France and is also Director of the French Insitute of Indology at Pondicherry.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE

PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH VERSION

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

CLASSICAL INDIAN MEDICINE: THE AYURVEDA

Legends about the Origins of the Ayurveda - Tradition of the Texts of the Susruta-samhita - Tradition of the Texts of the Caraka-samhita - Essential Doctrines of the Ayurvedic Texts

CHAPTER TWO

PRE-ARYAN AND INDO-ARYAN DATA ON MEDICINE

The first Data - The Indo-Iranian Data - The Waters - The Fire - The Association of the Fire and the Waters - The wind


CHAPTER THREE

THE DATA OF THE VEDIC SAMHITAS ON PATHOLOGY

The Medical Role of the Divinities - Varuna, Sin and Disease - Various Diseases - The Profoundly Morbid Impregnations - Isolated Morbid Phenomena - Demons and Abortion - Therapeutics

CHAPTER FOUR

THE DATA OF VEDIC SAMHITAS CONCERNING ANATOMY

CHAPTER FIVE

THE DATA OF THE VEDIC SAMHITAS ON PHYSIOLOGY

CHAPTER SIX

VEDA AND AYURVEDA


CHAPTER SEVEN

THE AYURVEDIC THEORY OF WIND AND GREEK PNEUMATISM

The Text of Caraka-samhita - The Text of the Bhelasamhita - The Text of the Susruta-samhita - The Hippocratic Manual "On Breaths"

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Timaeus of Plato and Indian Medicine

CHAPTER NINE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN GREECE AND INDI A BEFORE ALEXANDER
APPENDIX

Accadian, Greek and Indian Medical Prognostics

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX