home
Secrets of the world
Medical ethics. Ayurveda: the ancient Indian art of healing the body and soul

Medical ethics. Ayurveda: the ancient Indian art of healing the body and soul

19.04.2019

India is one of the oldest centers of civilization that emerged at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. in the valley of the Indus River. Its original culture is not inferior to the culture of Ancient Egypt and the states of Mesopotamia.

Ancient India is often called the country of sages, and this is a great merit of healers, whose fame has spread far beyond the borders of the country. Buddhist traditions have preserved the glory of the three most famous healers of antiquity - Jivak, Charak and Sushruta.

The art of healing called “Ayurveda” (which means “the doctrine of long life”) reached its greatest perfection at that period of history, when the center of ancient Indian civilization moved from the Indus River valley to the Ganges River valley. At the end of this period, outstanding monuments of Ayurvedic literature were written - "Charvaka-samhita" and "Sushruta-samhita". The earlier first book is devoted to the treatment of internal diseases and contains information on more than
600 Indian medicines. The second is a treatise on surgery, which describes more than 300 operations, more than 120 medical instruments and more than 650 medicines.

The art of surgical treatment in India was the highest in the history of the ancient world - not a single people of antiquity achieved such perfection in this area. Information about the structure of the human body in India was the most complete in the ancient world, because it was the only country where there were no religious prohibitions on the autopsy of the dead. Therefore, the knowledge of doctors in the field of anatomy was very significant and played a big role in the formation and development of ancient Indian surgery.

Indian surgeons, having no idea about asepsis and antiseptics, managed to achieve meticulous cleanliness during operations. They were distinguished by courage, dexterity and excellent command of tools. Surgical instruments were made by experienced blacksmiths from steel, which they learned to produce in India in ancient times. The tools were kept in special wooden boxes and sharpened so sharply that they could cut hair.

According to the medical texts that have come down to us, the doctors of ancient India performed amputations, stone cuts, herniotomies, and plastic surgeries on the face. They were able to restore ears, noses, lips, lost or crippled in battle or by court order. In this area, Indian surgery was ahead of European surgery until the 18th century, and European surgeons even learned from Indians the art of rhinoplasty (i.e., the restoration of a lost nose). This method, described in detail in the treatise of Sushruta, went down in history under the name of the “Indian method”.

The operation to remove a cataract, i.e., a clouded lens of the eye, was just as jewelry. I must say that the lens in ancient India was considered one of the most important parts of the body, so this operation was given special importance. In addition to cataracts, 75 more eye diseases and methods of their treatment were described in Sushruta's treatise.

The ancient Indians considered man in close connection with the surrounding world, which, in their opinion, consisted of the "five elements" - earth, air, fire, water, ether. The vital activity of the organism was considered through the interaction of "three substances" - air, fire, water, the carriers of which in the body were considered "three fluids" (mucus, bile and air). In accordance with this, health was understood as the result of a uniform mixing of fluids and a balanced ratio of three substances, the correct fulfillment of the vital functions of the body, the normal state of the senses and clarity of mind, and illness - as a violation of these correct ratios; accordingly, the tactics of treatment were aimed primarily at restoring the disturbed balance. For this purpose, diet, evacuating agents (emetics, laxatives, diaphoretics) and surgical methods of treatment were widely used.

Diagnosis of ancient Indian doctors was based on a survey of the patient, the study of body temperature, skin color and tongue, the nature of the discharge, the timbre of the voice, and noises in the lungs. Sushruta describes sugar diabetes, which he determined by the taste of urine and which was not known even to the ancient Greeks.

Obstetrics was considered a special area of healing among the Indians. Sushruta's treatise details advice to pregnant women on maintaining cleanliness and a proper lifestyle, describes deviations from the normal course of childbirth, fetal deformity, methods for extracting the fetus in its wrong position, a caesarean section (which was used only after the death of a woman in labor to save the baby).

Great importance in ancient India was given to hygiene, both public (beautification of dwellings and populated areas, the creation of water supply, sewerage and other sanitary facilities), and personal (beauty and neatness of the body, cleanliness of the home). Hygienic habits were enshrined in the "Regulations of Manu":

“... You should never eat the food of the sick, neither one on which hair or insects turned out, nor deliberately touched by the foot ... nor pecked by a bird, nor touched by a dog.

It is necessary to remove urine, water used for washing the feet, leftover food and water used in cleansing ceremonies far from the dwelling.

In the morning you need to get dressed, bathe, brush your teeth, wipe your eyes and honor the gods.

The traditions of ancient Indian medicine are enshrined in the rules of medical ethics. The Raja gave the right to practice medicine in India. He closely followed the activities of doctors and the observance of medical ethics, which required that the healer, “who wants to be successful in practice, be healthy, neat, modest, patient, wear a short-cropped beard, carefully cleaned, trimmed nails, white, perfumed with incense. clothes, left the house only with a stick or an umbrella, in particular, he avoided chatter ... ".

Incorrect treatment was especially severely pursued. According to the “Regulations of Manu” that existed at that time, a doctor paid a low fine for improper treatment of animals, an average fine for improper treatment of middle-class people, and a high fine for royal officials. It was forbidden to demand a reward for treatment from the disadvantaged, friends of the healer and brahmins (clergymen); and vice versa, if wealthy people refused to pay for treatment, the doctor was awarded all their property.

So, what is new in the medicine of the slave-owning society in comparison with the medicine of the primitive communal system?

* On the basis of traditional medicine, temple medicine arises

* Traditional medicine develops into a professional one, professional doctors occupy a prominent place in society and receive recognition from the state

* The first family medical schools appear, in which the head of the family, who has medical experience, passes it on to his children. Each school has its own secret medicines and medical practices. The material accumulates, it becomes more and more difficult to keep it in the head, and therefore it is written on papyri and clay tablets, which can be considered the first medical literature in the history of mankind.

* There is an accumulation of data on the structure of the human body

* Completely new ideas about the causes of diseases appear

* The theoretical foundations of medicine are born

* Ideas about human nature are changing

* Improving the treatment of internal diseases

* Develops hygiene activities

Thus, the peoples inhabiting the territory of the Ancient East possessed considerable knowledge and practical skills in the field of therapy, surgery, obstetrics, hygiene, and the medicinal use of medicinal plants. Ancient physicians received new information about the structure of the human body, changed their ideas about human nature, developed unique forms of medical care, and thus had a great influence on the further development of medicine.

The art of healing called "Ayurveda" (which means "the doctrine of long life") reached its greatest perfection in that period of history, when the center of ancient Indian civilization moved from the Indus River valley to the Gangang River valley. At the end of this period, outstanding monuments of Ayurvedic literature were written - "Charvaka-samhita" and "Sushruta-samhita". An earlier first book is devoted to the treatment of internal diseases and contains information on more than 600 Indian medicines. The second is a treatise on surgery, which describes more than 300 operations, more than 120 medical instruments and more than 650 medicines.

The ancient Indians considered man in close connection with the surrounding world, which, in their opinion, consisted of "five elements" - earth, air, fire, water, esrir. The vital activity of the organism was considered through the interaction of "three substances" - air, fire, water, the carriers of which in the body were considered "three fluids" (mucus, bile and air). In accordance with this, health was understood as the result of a uniform mixing of fluids and a balanced ratio of three substances, the correct fulfillment of the vital functions of the body, the normal state of the senses and clarity of mind, and illness - as a violation of these correct ratios; accordingly, the tactics of treatment were aimed primarily at restoring the disturbed balance. For this purpose, diet, evacuating agents (emetics, laxatives, diaphoretics) and surgical methods of treatment were widely used.

Sushruta describes sugar diabetes, which he determined by the taste of urine and which was not known even to the ancient Greeks.

"... You should never eat the food of the sick, neither one on which hair or insects turned out, nor deliberately touched by the foot ... nor pecked by a bird, nor touched by a dog.

It is necessary to remove urine, water used for washing the feet, leftover food and water used in cleansing ceremonies far from the dwelling.

In the morning you need to get dressed, bathe, brush your teeth, wipe your eyes and honor the gods.

In practice, he was healthy, neat, modest, patient, wore a short-cropped beard, diligently cleaned, trimmed nails, white clothes scented with incense, left the house only with a stick or an umbrella, and especially avoided chatter ... "

So, what is new in the medicine of the slave-owning society in comparison with the medicine of the primitive communal system?

* On the basis of traditional medicine, temple medicine arises

* Traditional medicine develops into professional,

professional doctors occupy a prominent place in society and receive recognition from the state

* There is an accumulation of data on the structure of the human body

* Completely new ideas about the causes of diseases appear

* The theoretical foundations of medicine are born

* Ideas about human nature are changing

* Improving the treatment of internal diseases

* Develops hygiene activities

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Introduction

Medical ethics in ancient India. Pretty interesting topic.

Thus, the high social and material status of a doctor was combined with great responsibility for his work. Certain professional requirements, rules of conduct were established.

It is clear that medical ethics plays an important role in establishing the relationship, mutual trust between the doctor and the patient in the treatment process. Ancient physicians knew this.

We must now consider the etiquette of ancient Indian physicians.

For a better understanding, we will first get acquainted with the medical traditions of those times, the patterns of development of certain branches of medicine. At the same time, thanks to the sources, we will find out what etiquette standards were established for the then doctors.

In general, medicine was given great importance in ancient India. The basic moral principles of a doctor are contained in the treatise Ayurveda (Science of Life), in the teachings of ancient Indian doctors, primarily Sushruta.

According to the teachings of Sushruta, the doctor must master all the subtleties of the healing art: he must be a good practitioner and know theoretical medicine.

These and other subtleties of medical etiquette in ancient India will be discussed below.

1. The development of medicine in ancient India

Ancient India did not fully answer in terms of territory and composition of the population of modern India, therefore, it is more correct, referring to antiquities from the 3rd millennium AD. i.e., talk about Hindustan, or the South Asian subcontinent. This subcontinent occupied the territory of four modern states: India proper, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. The slaveholding system in ancient India developed towards the end of the 4th-beginning of the 3rd millennium AD. e. The history of ancient India can be divided into several periods, each of which has its own specifics. Accordingly, the state of medicine in each of these periods had its own characteristics.

The most ancient was the period of the so-called Harappan culture - from the name of the city of Harappa in the territory of modern Pakistan. This highly developed urban culture was formed in the Indus Valley in the III millennium AD. e., continued its development in the II millennium, significantly exceeding the level of culture of the cities of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The excavations of the city of Mohenjo-Daro testify to the planned development: all the streets are precisely oriented to the four cardinal points - north - south and east - west. This is the first example of such city planning in history. The level of improvement that was quite high at that time, in particular, artificial irrigation, wells, baths, and a sewerage system, is striking - these sanitary facilities are the oldest known today. The unique large pool in the city center had a depth of 3 m, size 12X7 m. The water in it did not stagnate, it was fluid. Wells in the city were lined with burnt bricks. Each stone house had a washing room with a brick floor and a slope towards one of the corners. As the English scientist A. Besham notes in a book entitled “The Miracle That Was India” (Russian translation. - M., 1977), “... drain pipes and a sewer system are one of the most impressive achievements of the Indian civilization. No other ancient civilization, even the Roman one, had such a perfect plumbing system.”

Each street and alley in Mohenjo-Daro had a separate brick-lined channel about 60 cm deep and about 50 cm wide. Before entering the canals, sewage and sewage passed through cesspools and settling tanks covered with tightly ground covers. The system of construction of residential buildings - two - or three-story - was also well thought out. The high culture of the cities of the Indus Valley managed, 2 thousand years before Ancient Rome, to create the most perfect example of sanitary and hygienic construction in antiquity. According to archaeologists, about 100 thousand people could live in Mohenjo-Daro. The writing of the Harappan culture has not yet been fully deciphered, which makes it difficult to determine the reasons for its decline at the turn of the 2nd and 1st millennium BC. e.

The next after the Harappan was the Vedic period in the history of Ancient India, from the end of the 2nd to the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. At this time, several slave-owning states were formed in the Ganges valley, little connected or, more precisely, not at all connected with the state formations of the Harappan period in the Indus basin. Initially, as an oral tradition, later, with written fixation in the Ganges basin, the priests began compiling texts of the Vedas - revelations or sacred teachings, as well as samhitas - collections of hymns and prayers. There were also samhitas of medical content. Thus, collections of medical advice compiled by prominent doctors - Charaka (I-II century AD) and Sushruta (IV century AD) - were also called samhita: Charaka-samhita, Sushruta-samhita.

Among the Vedas, the following are known: Rig Veda - the Veda of hymns and mythological plots; Samaveda - Veda of songs; Yajurveda - Veda of sacrificial spells; Atharvaveda - the Veda of conspiracies and spells, in particular, against diseases. Later, by the beginning of our era, Ayurveda was compiled - the Art of Healing, the doctrine of a long healthy life. As the researchers note, in particular the well-known Indologist A. Bosch, already mentioned in his book “The Miracle That Was India”, “the Indian system of medical knowledge is similar in some respects to the system of Hippocrates and Galen, and in some respects it has gone far ahead.”

In the Rig Veda we also find texts about healing rites. During the Vedic period of Indian history, treatment and medical ideas were closely intertwined with religious rites and ideas. In the Rigveda, we also meet such critical remarks of doctors: “Our desires are different: the driver desires firewood, the doctor desires diseases, and the priest desires sacrificial libations.”

In the Vedic period in India, the Ashvan twins, doctors and Rudra, the owner of medicinal plants, were revered as medical deities. At the same time, evil demons were also recognized, bringing diseases to people, depriving them of their offspring.

At the end of the Vedic period, the population of Ancient India was finally divided into the main social classes - varnas, which was already planned: brahmins - "knowing the sacred doctrine", that is, priests, kshatriyas - "endowed with power", i.e. military nobility and members of royal families , vaishyas - “free community members” (farmers, cattle breeders, merchants); sudra, or dasa, are the disenfranchised poor. Each varna also consisted of castes and podcasts - related groups of people, of the same origin. And there were still - outside the castes, as if outside the law - the lowest, most rightsless people - pariahs, who were used in the dirtiest jobs, the very communication with which was considered humiliating. Only the three highest varnas had the right to study the Vedas and engage in treatment: brahmins, kshatriyas and vaishyas.

The next, highest, period in the history of Ancient India was the classical period, divided into two half-periods: the second half and the millennium AD. e. and I-VI centuries. n. e. In the classical period in India, knowledge was significantly developed in many areas: in mathematics (in particular, the creation of a decimal number system, now accepted throughout the world); in astronomy; in philosophy - here the yoga system occupied a special place, combining physical exercises (hatha yoga) with ethics and an appropriate way of life (raja yoga). Significant successes in the field of medicine were also natural on this grateful soil of multilateral cultural development. First of all, they found their expression in the writings of Charaka and Sushruta.

Ancient Indian philosophy is a complex mixture of different views, in which both materialistic and idealistic tendencies are seen. Predominantly, these views are based on the idea of the world soul, which, in the process of self-development, induces the basis of everything that exists - the primordial matter - to the creation of the material world, including man. The soul of a person is immortal, the body is only the outer shell of the soul, which is a particle of the world spirit, but very attached to earthly existence, therefore a person is imperfect by nature.

Since ancient times, Indian doctors have studied the macerated corpses of people and with their knowledge of anatomy surpassed the knowledge of doctors of all other countries. They were the first to consider knowledge of anatomy as an obligatory step for everyone who devoted himself to the medical profession. It is possible that the ancient Indian scientists, who knew obstetrics well, most of all studied the anatomy of the human fetus and therefore believed that the center of life is the navel, from which all vessels and nerves begin. The immortal soul that is in it, according to their ideas, gives life to the body. In the descriptions of the body, places were distinguished, the damage of which is dangerous or safe for life.

The first treatise on normal human anatomy, based on autopsy data from human corpses, was written only at the end of the 10th century AD. e. Bhaskare Bhate.

Ancient Indian scientists considered the main substances in the human body to be bile (the carrier of vital heat), mucus and air (prana). Health depends on their correct interchange. Most diseases (80) are caused by disturbances in relation to air, less (40) - bile and even less (20) - mucus. Such manifestations of the state of mind as sadness, anger and fear are very conducive to the onset of the disease. In Ayurveda there are clear descriptions of malaria, anthrax, elephantiasis and bloody diarrhea, as well as plague and cholera epidemics that destroyed entire cities and regions. Consumption was considered the same dangerous disease for others as leprosy. Brahmins were forbidden to marry a girl whose family included tuberculosis, epilepsy, leprosy and stomach patients. At temples and monasteries there were schools of doctors, which were led by priests.

According to Sushruta, "the student must perceive science from the teacher not only with the ear, but also with the mind, so as not to be like a donkey that carries sandalwood on its back, knows its weight, but does not know its value." The central medical schools were in the cities of Benares and Taxila. Physicians were educated to be aware of their high purpose. The doctor should be disinterested, treat all patients equally, regardless of their position in society and material wealth, be the most trusted person for the patient. “You can be afraid of your father, mother, friends, teacher, but you should not be afraid of the doctor: for the patient, he is a father, mother, friend and mentor.” In schools, much attention was paid to the recognition of diseases - diagnosis. It was advised to take into account the age of the patient, to know his profession, to get acquainted with his habits, and during the examination to pay attention to the structure of the body, the nature of breathing, pulse, to feel the stomach, to determine the size of the liver and spleen.

Lifetime therapeutic trepanation. (From excavations of ancient Peruvian burials).

At medical schools there were large hospitals, libraries. There were also hospitals in large port cities, on trade routes.

Since disorders in the juices of the body were considered the cause of diseases, laxatives and emetics, bloodletting were of primary importance in the treatment. At the same time, it was advised to pay special attention to the cleanliness of the body, linen, to the selection of dishes that the patient likes, to creating a pleasant environment for him, for which they used music, singing and poetry reading, since a good mood and surrounding beauty in a broad sense contribute to recovery.

Of the medical sciences, surgery was most revered in ancient India - "a precious gift from heaven and an inexhaustible source of glory." The doctor must know surgery, the surgeon must be well acquainted with medical science. For Sushruta, “a doctor who does not understand operations, at the bedside of a patient, is lost, like a warrior who first got into battle. A doctor who only knows how to operate, but does not have theoretical knowledge, does not deserve respect. Each of them owns only half of his science and is like a bird with one wing.

Ancient Indian surgeons noted crepitus in case of fractures, knew how to stop bleeding with ligatures, performed amputations, vitini stones, trepanations, cataract removal, laparotomy to save the fetus in the event of the death of the mother, and made a turn on the head and leg in the case of a transverse position of the fetus. Cutting off the nose, which was widely practiced at that time as an execution and to denote a slave state, forced Indian doctors to develop methods of plastic surgery, some of which have survived in surgical use to this day. Instrumentation of ancient Indian surgery has about 200 samples. Having no idea about antiseptics and asepsis, Indian doctors demanded that cleanliness be carefully observed during operations.

Here is a description of the nose plastic surgery from Ayurvedic Sushruta. “First of all, the surgeon must draw on the sheet the size of the part of the nose that it is missing. He should cut out this drawing and attach it to the cheek next to the nose. Then you need to cut out a piece of cheek skin in accordance with the attached sketch, but do not cut the joints with the skin of the cheek. This scrap is now to be turned over and sewn to the remains of the nose, in accordance with the shape of the part that is missing; this grill needs to be refreshed first. Two branches of a castor tree or lotus or hollow grass should also be inserted into the nostrils. With their help, the surgeon can lift the attached skin as high as needed. The attached piece should be sewn to the remains of the nose and then sprinkled with wound powder. A strip of cotton is superimposed on top, which should be sprayed more often with cold sesame oil ... When it turns out that the transferred skin has taken root well, it is necessary to cut its connection with the cheek.

Ayurvedic medicine for health promotion recommends doing gymnastics, getting up before sunrise, widely using water procedures, dancing, games that maintain a good mood, make a person strong and dexterous.

During excavations in northwestern India of the large ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, it was found that already 3 thousand years BC. e. there was a city sewer with pipes about 2 m in diameter, pools near the houses.

Ancient Indian medicine, compared with the medicine of other countries, knew more medicines. Only medicinal plants were known about a thousand names; organic and chemical substances, especially mercury, were widely used; made an elixir with gold to continue life. Scientists in India, in particular doctors, maintained relations and shared their experience with doctors in China and Iran. Camphor, antlers, musk and other medicinal substances and spices were brought to Kievan Rus from India.

In Ayurveda, the image of an exemplary doctor is depicted in this way: “A doctor who wants to be successful in practice must be healthy, neat, modest, patient, have a short beard, diligently cleaned and trimmed nails, wear white perfumed clothes, leave the house only with stick or umbrella. Especially he should avoid chatting and joking with women and not sit next to them on the same bed. His speech should be quiet, pleasant and invigorating. He should have an open, sympathetic heart, a strictly truthful character, a calm temperament, be moderate, respectable, and always try to do good. A good doctor must visit and examine the patients frequently, and must not be timid and indecisive. If a doctor thoughtlessly undertakes to cure patients with incurable diseases, he risks losing his reputation, friends and big profits.

It is known that the experience of ancient Indian medicine was borrowed by the doctors of Tibet, as evidenced by the treatise of Tibetan medicine "Chzhud-Shi" (VIII-IX centuries AD).

Sources for the study of Indian medicine are written monuments - Ayurveda (science of life) and the laws of Manu.

In India, dissection of corpses has become widespread.

The theoretical ideas of Indian physicians were as follows: the human body consists of bile, mucus and air, as well as five cosmic elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether. Seven organic products are formed from these elementary particles, namely: chyle, blood, meat, fatty tissue, bones, brain, family. Each next product is formed from the previous one. This is how a physiological cycle develops, which lasts a month and creates a vital force that can be excited by food and medicinal products.

Medical care was provided by priestly doctors and doctors who studied in secular medical schools. The schools had hospitals and libraries.

From Ayurveda we learn about the requirements that applied to the doctor, and the attitude of the environment towards him. “The doctor whose practice is to be successful must be healthy, neat, modest, patient, wear a short-cropped beard, diligently brushed and trimmed nails, white, perfumed clothes. His speech should be quiet, pleasant and invigorating. He must have an open, sympathetic heart, a strictly truthful character, a calm temperament, and be moderate. Always try to do good. A good physician must frequently visit and closely examine the sick. Don't be timid and indecisive. If a doctor thoughtlessly undertakes to cure a patient with an incurable disease, he risks losing his reputation, friends and big profits.

It is no coincidence that Ayurveda states that “one can be afraid of a father, mother, friends, teacher, but one should not feel fear of a doctor: he is also a father, mother, friend and mentor for the patient.”

Among the therapeutic agents, Indian doctors preferred laxatives and emetics, bloodletting. Medicines were prescribed in the so-called. critical days (when the interaction of juices was disturbed): emetic - once every two weeks, laxatives - once a month, and bloodletting - twice a year.

Their pharmaceutical arsenal included more than 700 names of herbal medicines (the lotus flower was sacred), as well as many minerals and metals (mercury, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin, zinc, arsen).

Metals were broken into thin ribbons, baked, and then quenched in oil, milk or other liquids. Used as a tonic. There were also stimulants and cooling agents.

One of the authors of Ayurveda, the doctor Sushruta, wrote: "In the hands of the ignorant, medicine is poison; in the hands of the knowledgeable, they are equivalent to a drink of immortality." The ancient Indians suffered from snake bites, so they learned to prepare antidotes from asafoetida, citrus fruits mixed with salts, peppers and the like.

The ancient Indians were distinguished by the scope of surgical work. Of the surgical methods of treatment, cesarean section, turning the fetus on a leg in the lumbar position, stones from the bladder, cataract removal, craniotomy, amputation of limbs, and stopping bleeding with ligatures were used. sushrut doctor medicine india

In ancient India, slaves were punished by cutting off their ears and nose. This forced Indian doctors to develop plastic surgeries and related surgical instruments (more than 200 samples have come down to us).

Among hygienic measures, preference was given to getting up before sunrise, water procedures, dancing, and games. According to the laws of Manu, only healthy couples were allowed to marry.

2. Organization of health care in ancient India

Medical practice was of great importance in ancient India. The basic moral principles of a doctor are contained in the treatise Ayurveda (Science of Life), in the teachings of ancient Indian doctors, primarily Sushruta. The high position of a doctor in ancient India can be judged by the legends, according to which one of the 14 precious creatures created by the gods by mixing the earth and the sea was a scientist-healer.

The essence of the ancient Indian treatises was that the doctor must have high moral and physical qualities, show sympathy for the patient, be patient and calm, instill confidence in the patient in a favorable outcome of the disease. Namely: he should be healthy, neat, modest, patient, cleaned and trimmed nails, white, scented with incense, clothes, leaving the house with a stick or umbrella, in particular avoid chatter. According to the teachings of Sushruta, the doctor must master all the subtleties of the healing art: he must be a good practitioner and know theoretical medicine. In his treatise, Sushruta wrote: “A doctor who is not strong in operations becomes embarrassed near the patient’s bed, like a cowardly soldier who first got into battle. A doctor who only knows how to operate and neglects theoretical information does not deserve respect and can endanger even the life of kings. Each of them owns only half of his art and is like a bird with one wing."

The behavior of the ancient Indian doctor was regulated depending on what kind of treatment is being carried out, it differed in the pre- and postoperative periods. There were ethical norms for the behavior of a doctor in relation to the one who is dying, and their relatives. The preservation of medical secrecy, which consisted of intimate information about the patient, his family, and the prognosis of his disease, was considered especially important.

At the graduation ceremony, the teacher of the art of healing proclaimed a sermon on the moral duty of the doctor. It is given in the treatise Charaka-samhita: "You should wholeheartedly strive for the recovery of the patient, you should not betray your patients even at the cost of your own life, you should not get drunk, you should not do evil or have evil comrades, you should be reasonable and always strive to improve your knowledge "When you go to a sick person's house, you must direct your words, thoughts, mind and feelings to nothing else but the patient and his treatment. Nothing that happens in the sick person's house needs to be said..." .

The raja gave the right to medical practice. He also monitored the fulfillment of medical duty, the fulfillment of ethical principles when doctors received payment for their work, using a collection of instructions on the rules of Indian behavior in private and public life in accordance with the religious dogmas of Brahmanism (Manu's law). According to these laws, a doctor paid a low fine for improper treatment of animals, an average fine for improper treatment of people of the middle classes, and high royal officials were forbidden to demand remuneration for the treatment of the destitute, friends of the doctor and Brahmins - ministers of worship.

The Code of Ethics of doctors of Ancient India established the following duties for them: “Day and night, no matter how busy you are, you should try with all your heart and soul to alleviate the suffering of your patients. You should not leave or insult your patients, even to save your own life or saving livelihoods.

So, we were convinced that medicine was given great importance in ancient India.

The basic moral principles of a doctor are contained in the treatise Ayurveda (Science of Life), in the teachings of ancient Indian doctors, primarily Sushruta, and also in the laws of Mana.

According to the legends, according to which one of the 14 precious creatures created by the gods by mixing the earth and the sea was a scientist-healer. This testifies to the high position of the doctor in the society of Ancient India.

There were ethical norms for the behavior of a doctor in relation to the one who is dying, and their relatives. The preservation of medical secrecy, which consisted of intimate information about the patient, his family, and the prognosis of his disease, was considered especially important.

To instill a sense of duty, moral principles in ancient India, there were certain traditions in the training of doctors. The training of doctors was carried out by special mentors. At a special ritual for accepting students to a doctor, the mentor said: "Now you leave your passions, anger, selfishness, madness, vanity, pride, envy, rudeness, jokes, falseness, laziness and other vices of behavior ...".

So, we see that in ancient India, etiquette norms not only existed, but rather strict requirements were put forward for doctors.

List of used literature

1. Baeva O.V. Management in the field of health / A.V. Baeva.-K: Center for Educational Literature, 2008 - 640 p.

2. Verkhratsky S. A. History of medicine / Sec. A. Verkhratsky; artistic formal. Verstka-Studio. - K.: Health, 2011. - 351 p.

3. Medicine. Interesting. Access point: http://pidruchniki.ws/

4. Ancient civilizations / S. S. Averintsev, V. P. Alekseev, V. G. Ardzinba and others; Under total ed. G. M. Bongard-Levina.-- M.: Thought, 1989.-479 p.

5. Bychko A.K., Bychko By.I. Bondar N.A. Theory and history of world and domestic culture: a course of lectures / Proc. allowance.- K .: Lybid, 1993.

Hosted on Allbest.ru

...

Similar Documents

Sources on the history and medicine of ancient India. Features of culture and development in the Harappan, Vedic and classical periods. The emergence of the teachings of Ayurveda as a fusion of Aryan and Dravidian cultures. Description of the principles of acupuncture in the treatise of Somaraja.

term paper, added 03/03/2012

History of Chinese medicine. The development of veterinary medicine in India. Veterinarians of Ancient Persia. The development of veterinary medicine in Mesopotamia (the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, XX-XVII centuries BC). Medicine practices in Egypt. The main merit of Hippocrates in the development of medicine.

abstract, added 11/26/2010

Ayurveda as sources for the study of ancient Indian medicine, features and prerequisites for its formation. The history of medicine in ancient China and the stages of its development. Doctors' ideas about health, the use of acupuncture and preventive measures.

presentation, added 12/10/2015

Distinctive features of the development of healing and medical knowledge in different periods of the history of ancient Greece. Hereditary healer Hippocrates. Determination of the patient's condition by appearance. The works of Hippocrates are at the heart of the development of clinical medicine.

presentation, added 04/18/2013

Ethical norms and duties of healers of Ancient Greece. Formation of practical medicine in Kos, Croton, Cnidus, Silician schools. Materialistic views of Hippocrates on the origin of diseases, his methods of treating fractures and sprains.

term paper, added 01/19/2015

Formation of obstetrics and gynecology in Ancient Greece. Hippocrates and his works. Help with bleeding. Anomalies in the position of the fetus. The laws of medical ethics. Transverse, oblique and pelvic presentation. Outstanding Greek doctors, their contribution to the development of medicine.

term paper, added 01/13/2015

Thai massage is a direction of massage that focuses on acupressure and is practiced in Thailand, its formation under the influence of the ancient culture of China and India. The main types of Thai massage, features of its procedure, effect and contraindications.

abstract, added 12/14/2012

The origins of Tibetan medicine. The influence of the medical systems of India, China, Iran on the formation and development of Tibetan medicine. Proper nutrition is the main component of health. Methods for the treatment of diseases. Conditions of the human body according to Tibetan medicine.

abstract, added 06/06/2010

The history of the development of medicine from ancient times to the present day, healing in ancient Greece. The teachings of Hippocrates and its importance in the development of classical medicine, his most famous works. Features and outstanding representatives of Alexandrian medicine.

test, added 07/08/2009

There is no single Indian cuisine as such. The climate and religious prescriptions make great differences in the cuisine of the peoples of India. Many Indians are strict vegetarians. Indian national dishes. Indian spices.

According to ancient legends, one of the 14 precious things created by the gods by mixing the earth and the sea was a scientist-healer. His position in society was very high, but the demands on him were great. He had to equally master all aspects of medical art. “A doctor who is inexperienced in operations becomes confused at the bedside of a patient, like a cowardly soldier who is in battle for the first time,” wrote Sushruta in his treatise, “a doctor who only knows how to operate and neglects theoretical information does not deserve respect and can endanger even the life of kings. Each of them owns only half of his art and is like a bird with only one wing.

It is widely believed that the foundations of medical ethics were laid in Ancient Greece and concentrated in the oath of ancient Greek doctors, later named after Hippocrates (it was first recorded in the 3rd century BC by scientists from the city of Alexandria a hundred years after the death of Hippocrates). However, long before that, in ancient India, there was a sermon that a teacher of the art of healing delivered to his students at a solemn ceremony dedicated to the end of training. It is given in the treatise "Charaka-samhita": "You should strive with all your heart to heal the sick. You must not betray your sick even at the cost of your own life… You must not drink, you must not do evil or have evil comrades… You must be reasonable and always strive to improve your knowledge.

When you go to a sick person's house, you must direct your words, thoughts, mind and feelings to nothing else but your sick person and her treatment ... Nothing that happens in the sick person's house should be told ... to anyone who, using the knowledge gained, could harm the patient ... "

The medical ethics of ancient India strictly demanded that “the doctor who wishes to be successful in practice should be healthy, neat, modest, patient, wear a short-cropped beard, diligently brushed, trimmed nails, white clothes scented with incense, leave the house only with with a stick and an umbrella, in particular he avoided chatter ... "

The Raja gave the right to practice medicine. He closely followed the activities of doctors and compliance with medical ethics. Incorrect treatment was especially severely pursued. According to the Laws of Manu, the healer paid a low fine for improper treatment of animals, an average fine for improper treatment of middle-class people, and a high fine for royal officials. It was forbidden to demand a reward for treatment from the disadvantaged, friends of the healer and brahmins (clergymen); and vice versa, if wealthy people refused to pay for treatment, the healer was awarded all their property.

Nowadays, when more and more attention is paid to the issues of medical ethics, the appeal to the heritage of the ancients, their traditions developed over thousands of years, is very important - the medicine of ancient India throughout history has had and continues to have a great influence on the development of medicine in many regions of the earth. ball.

(III millennium BC - middle of the 1st millennium AD)

Periodization and chronology of the history and healing of ancient India.
Sources medical information.
Period of the Harappan civilization(III - the beginning of the II millennium BC, the valley of the Indus River).

The oldest sanitary facilities (sewage system, wells, pools).

Vedic period(the end of II - the middle of the I millennium BC, the valley of the river Ganges).

Holy books: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda "as a source of information about diseases ( their characteristics).

Philosophical teachings ( Hinduism, Brahmanism, Yoga, Buddhism ) and their influence on ideas about diseases and healing.

classical period(second half of the 1st millennium BC - 4th century AD).

Religious and philosophical systems and ideas about health and disease (the doctrine of three substances and five elements).

- Ayurveda - the doctrine of long life, the art of healing.

Ideas about the structure of the human body (autopsy of the dead). Medicinal medicine. About internal diseases Charaka Samhita ", dates back to the 2nd century AD).

Surgery. The high development of surgical methods of treatment and obstetrics (" Sushruta Samhita ", dates back to the 4th century AD).

Hygienic traditions . "Injunctions of Manu" on the observance of cleanliness. Hospitals (dharmasalas).
Medical ethics ("ES" about the requirements for a healer). Church medical schools.

MEDICINE IN ANCIENT INDIA (3rd millennium BC - 4th century AD)

The ancient and original civilization of India developed in the III millennium BC. e. within the Hindustan subcontinent (Fig. 28) long before the appearance of the Indo-Iranian (Aryan) tribes in the country. Currently, modern states are located on its territory: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal. Periodization of the history of healing In the history of healing in ancient India, three stages are clearly traced, separated both in time and in space:

1) the period of the Harappan civilization (III - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, the valley of the Indus River), when the first slave-owning city-states in the history of ancient India were formed on the territory of modern Pakistan;

2) the Vedic period (the end of the 2nd - the middle of the 1st millennium BC, the valley of the Ganges), when, with the arrival of the Aryans, the center of civilization moved to the eastern part of the subcontinent and the compilation of "sacred texts" (Sanskrit - Veda) began to be transmitted during , a long period in the oral tradition;

3) the classical period (the second half of the 1st millennium BC - the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, the Hindustan subcontinent) - the time of the highest flourishing of the traditional culture of ancient INDIA. It is characterized by the high development of agriculture, crafts and trade, the rise of an original culture, the establishment and spread of Buddhism, the first of the three world religions, successes in various fields of knowledge, literature and art, the wide development of India's trade and cultural ties with the countries of the ancient world, which brought her the glory of the "Land of the Wise Men".

Sources on the history and medicine of ancient India

The main sources are: ancient literary monuments (religious and philosophical writings - the Vedas, I millennium BC; "Regulations of Manu", II century BC; samhi-ty Charaki. ("Caraka-samhita") and Sush-ruta (“Sushruta-samhita”, the first centuries of our era), archeological and ethnographic data, material monuments, folk epic (Table 7). Famous historians, philosophers and travelers of antiquity wrote about ancient India: the Greek historians Herodotus, Strabo and Diodorus, participants in the campaigns of Alexander the Great, the Seleucid ambassador at the court of King Chandragupta Megasthenes, the Chinese historian Sima Qian, the pilgrim Fa Xian and others.

MEDICINE IN THE VEDIC PERIOD

The center of civilization at this stage in the history of ancient India was the river. Ganges in the northeast of the country, where, after the arrival of the Indo-Iranian tribes of the Aryans, several states were formed.

Information about the healing of the Vedic period is very limited. Indications of medical knowledge have been preserved in the Rigveda (Rigveda - the Veda of hymns and mythological plots, the oral tradition of which dates back to the 12th-10th centuries BC) and the Atharvaveda (Atharva-veda - the Veda of spells and conspiracies, VIII-VI centuries BC). Recording of sacred texts began in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. (c. 500 BC, see diagram 4). "

The Rigveda mentions three ailments: leprosy, consumption, bleeding, and once it is said about the healer in the following words: "Our desires are different, the carter craves firewood, the healer craves diseases, and the priest - sacrificial libations." Some sections of the Rigveda contain texts about the rituals of magical healing - in the Vedic period, medical knowledge was closely intertwined with religious beliefs and magical ideas.

The main medical deities of the Vedic period were: the Ashvin twins - gods-healers and guardians, Rudra - the lord of medicinal herbs and the patron of hunters, as well as the highest deities: Ag-ni - the god of fire and resurgent life, Indra - a symbol of heavenly thunder and a rainmaker and Surya - Sun God.

There were also evil demons in the vast ancient Indian mythology. (Asuras and Rakshasas), which (as they believed) brought people misfortunes, illnesses, ruin, deprived of offspring. Thus, in the Atharva Veda, diseases are either associated with evil spirits, or are regarded as a punishment of the gods; the cure of ailments was explained by the action of sacrifices, prayers and spells. At the same time, the Atharvaveda also reflects the practical experience of the people in the use of medicinal plants, the action of which at that time was understood as a healing force that counteracts evil spirits. The ancient healers were called so - bhishaj ("exorcist"). This name was retained by them in later periods of the history of India, when the healer-exorcist turned into a healer-healer. Over time, ideas about the causes of diseases have also changed. So, in the "Yajurveda" ("Yajurveda" - Veda of sacrificial spells, VIII-VII centuries BC), four body juices are already mentioned.

At the end of the Vedic period, ancient Indian society was finally divided into four main classes (varnas): brahmins (brahma-pa - knowing the sacred teachings, that is, a priest), kshatriyas (ksatriya - endowed with power, that is, military nobility and members of royal families ), vaishyas (vaisya - a free community member, i.e., mainly farmers and cattle breeders) and shudras (sud-ga - disenfranchised poor). Each of the varnas consisted of many castes and podcasts (Portuguese casto - pure; in Sanskrit jati - a group of people of the same origin). In addition, outside the varnas and, as it were, outside the law, there was a fifth, lowest class - pariahs (untouchables), used in the most unpleasant and humiliating jobs.

This social structure of ancient India, based mainly on the division of functions, was considered the original, unshakable, established by the divine will of Brahma - the greatest of the ancient gods. Shudras and pariahs had practically no rights. They were not allowed to hear and repeat the Vedas. Only representatives of the three higher varnas had the right to engage in healing and study the Vedas.

MEDICINE OF THE CLASSIC PERIOD (Magadh-Maurian and Kushano-Gupta epochs)

In the VI century. BC e. ancient India entered a period of intense spiritual and intellectual development. It is characterized by major achievements in various fields of knowledge and the creation of outstanding monuments of ancient Indian writing: "Prescriptions of Maku" (II century BC - II century AD), mathematical, astronomical and medical treatises (first centuries of our era) , as well as the emergence and spread of religious and philosophical teachings - Buddhism (from the 6th century BC) - the first world religion.

By the beginning of our era, a highly developed system of medical knowledge had developed in ancient India, “in some respects: similar to the system of Hippocrates and Galen, and in some gone even further ahead,” as A. Basham wrote about it.

The art of healing (Sanskrit Ayurveda - the doctrine of long life) was highly valued in ancient India. Buddhist legends and texts have preserved the glory of the miraculous healers D-zhivak (VI-V centuries BC), Charak and Sushruta (first centuries of our era).

The main directions of traditional ancient Indian medicine of the classical period are reflected in two outstanding monuments of ancient Ayurvedic literature: Charaka-samhita (dated from the 1st-2nd centuries AD) and Sushruta-samkhnta (dated from the 4th century AD). ).

The earlier "Charaka Samhita" is devoted to the treatment of internal diseases and contains information on more than 600 medicines of plant, animal and mineral origin. Their use is reported in eight sections: treatment of wounds; treatment of diseases of the head area; treatment of diseases of the whole organism; treatment of mental illness; treatment of childhood diseases; antidotes; elixirs against senile decrepitude; drugs that increase sexual activity.

"Sushruta-samhita" is mainly devoted to surgical treatment; it describes more than 300 operations, over 120 surgical instruments and at least 650 medicines.

The knowledge of Indian healers about the structure of the human body was the most complete in the ancient world. Despite the imperfection of the research method, which was based on the maceration of the body of the deceased in running water, the ancient Indians distinguished: 7 membranes, 500 muscles,

900 ligaments, 90 tendons, 300 bones

(this includes teeth and cartilage), which

subdivided into flat, round

and long, 107 joints, 40 main

vessels and 700 of their branches (for

blood, mucus and air), 24 nerves,

9 sense organs and 3 substances (pra-

on, mucus and bile). Some zones

body (palm, soles, testicles, groin

new areas, etc.) were distinguished as

"especially important" (Sanskrit - marman).

Their damage was considered dangerous

for life. Knowledge of the Indian

whose in the area of the structure of the human body

were an important milestone in the history of

volumes and played a significant role

from the formation of ancient Indian chi

Here it should be noted that the comparison of the achievements of the ancient Indians with the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians and Aztecs is very conditional: Egyptian texts of medical content were recorded in the 2nd millennium BC. e. (i.e., almost two millennia earlier), and the flowering of Aztec medicine falls on the middle of the II millennium BC. e. (i.e. more than a millennium later). In the classical period of the history of ancient India, healers moved away from the supernatural ideas about the causes of diseases that prevailed in the Vedic period. Religious and philosophical systems, on which they were based in search of the foundations of the universe, also revealed elements of natural scientific knowledge. Man was considered in close connection with the surrounding world, which, according to the ancient Indians, consisted of five elements: earth, air, fire, water and ether. The different quality of objects was explained by the different combination of the smallest particles of anu (“atoms”). The vital activity of orgaism was considered through the interaction of three substances: air, fire and water (the carriers of which in the body were considered prana, bile and mucus). Health was understood as the result of a balanced ratio of three substances, the correct fulfillment of the vital functions of the body, the normal state of the sense organs and clarity of mind, and the disease was understood as a violation of these correct ratios and the negative impact on a person of the five elements (the influence of the seasons, climate, indigestible food, unhealthy water and so on.). Sushruta divided all diseases into natural, associated with nature, and supernatural, sent by the gods (for example, leprosy, venereal and other infectious diseases, the causes of which at that time were still impossible to understand).

Diagnosis of diseases was based on a detailed questioning of the patient and the study of body heat, skin and tongue color, secretions, noises in the lungs, voices, etc. It is interesting that neither Sushruta nor Charaka report anything about the study of the pulse. At the same time, Sushruta describes sugar diabetes, unknown even to the ancient Greeks, which he determined by the taste of urine.

Sushruta's treatise describes three stages of inflammation, the signs of which he considered: in the first period - minor pains; in the second - shooting pains, swelling, feeling of pressure, local heat, redness and dysfunction; in the third, the reduction of "swelling and the formation of pus. For the treatment of inflammation, Sushruta suggested local medicines and surgical methods.

The tactics of treatment in ancient India, as well as in other countries of the ancient world, was determined primarily by the curability or incurability of the disease. With a favorable prognosis, the healer took into account the characteristics of the disease, season, age, temperament, strength and mind of the patient. The treatment was aimed at balancing the disturbed ratio of fluids (substances), which was achieved, firstly, by diet, secondly, by drug therapy (emetics, laxatives, diaphoretics, etc.), and thirdly, by surgical methods of treatment, in which the ancient Indians reached a high level of perfection.

About the versatility of skills and. knowledge of the ancient Indian healer" testify to the famous words of Sushruta: "A healer familiar with the healing properties of roots and herbs is a man; familiar with the properties of a knife and fire is a demon; knowing the power of prayers is a prophet; familiar with the properties of mercury is a god!" The best medicinal plants were delivered from the Himalayas.Only healers were engaged in the preparation of medicines, poisons and antidotes (for snake bites): “for those bitten by an Indian snake there was no healing if he did not turn to Indian healers, the Indians themselves cured those who were bitten by a bcl” ["Kndika" XV.II].

The fame of the healing properties of Indian plants spread widely beyond the borders of ancient India; By sea and land trade routes they were brought to Parthia, the countries of the Mediterranean and Central Asia, the basins of the Caspian and Black Seas, South Siberia, and China. The main export items were nard, musk, sandalwood, cinnamon, aloe and other plants and incense. In the Middle Ages, the experience of Indian medicine was borrowed by Tibetan healers, as evidenced by the well-known treatise of Indo-Tibetan medicine "Chjud-shi" (VIII-IX centuries AD, see p. 169).

Obstetrics in ancient India (Fig. 31) was considered an independent field of healing. Sushruta's treatise details advice to pregnant women on maintaining cleanliness and a proper lifestyle, describes deviations from the normal course of childbirth, fetal deformity, embryotomy (which was recommended in cases where it was impossible to turn the fetus on a leg or head), caesarean section (used after the death of a woman in labor to save the baby ) and the turning of the fetus on a leg, also described by the Roman physician Soran in the 2nd century, i.e. two centuries before Sushruta (in the Indian port of Arikalid in the 1st-2nd centuries there was a Roman trading post; therefore, it is possible that Soran may have borrowed this method from earlier Buddhist writings, which often mention successful cures through surgical healing).

The art of surgical treatment (surgery) in ancient India was the highest in the ancient world. Sushruta considered surgery "the first and best of all medical sciences, a precious work of heaven (according to legend, the first surgeons were the healers of the sky - the Ashwin twins) a sure source of glory." Still having no idea about antiseptics and aseptics, Indian healers, following the customs of their country, achieved careful observance of the Chis-Gotha during operations. They are distinguished by courage, dexterity and excellent command of tools.

Surgical instruments were made by experienced blacksmiths from steel, which in India they learned to produce in ancient times, sharpened so that they could easily cut hair, they were stored in. special wooden boxes.

The healers of ancient India carried out amputations of limbs: larotomy, lithotomy, hernia repair, and plastic surgery. They “knew how to restore noses, ears and lips lost or crippled in battle or by court order. In this area, Indian surgery was ahead of European until the 18th century, when the surgeons of the East India Company did not consider it humiliating for themselves to learn the art of rhinoplasty from Indians, ”wrote A. Bzshem.

The method of rhinoplasty, described in detail in the treatise of Sushruta, went down in history under the name of the "Indian method". A skin flap for the formation of the future nose was cut on the vascular pedicle from the skin of the forehead or cheek. Other reconstructive operations on the face were performed in a similar way.

In India, gy-g and n and e s and k and e traditions have long been developed. Great importance was attached to personal hygiene, beauty and neatness of the body, cleanliness of the home, the influence of climate and seasons on people's health. Hygiene-4 empirically developed skills are enshrined in the "Prescriptions of Mlnu":

One should never eat food ... of the sick, neither of which there are hairs or insects, nor deliberately touched by the foot ... nor pecked by a bird, nor touched by a dog.

It is necessary to remove urine, water used for washing the feet, leftover food and water used in cleansing ceremonies far from the dwelling.

In the morning you need to get dressed, swim, brush your teeth, rub your eyes with collyrium; and honor the gods.

Disease prevention was one of the most important areas of Indian medicine. Already in ancient times, attempts were made to prevent the disease of smallpox, which is widespread in India.

So, in the text, which is attributed to the legendary healer of antiquity Dhanvantari (dated to the 5th century AD), it says: “take smallpox matter with a surgical knife either from the udder of a cow or from the hand of an already infected person, make a puncture between the elbow and shoulder on the hand of another person to the blood, and when the pus enters with blood into the body, a fever will be detected. (In Europe, vaccination against smallpox was discovered by the English physician E. Jenner in 1796).

Hygienic traditions contributed to the development of medical science. In the Mauryan Empire (IV-II centuries BC), there were strict rules that prohibited the discharge of sewage into the streets of the city and regulated the place and methods of burning the corpses of the dead; in doubtful cases of human death, an autopsy was ordered; the body of the deceased was examined and covered with special oil in order to prevent decomposition. Severe penalties were also established for mixing poisons in food, medicines and incense.

During the time of Ashoka (268-231 BC), the most prominent ruler of ancient India (see Fig. 28), almshouses and rooms for the sick were built at Buddhist temples - dharma-shala (hospital), which appeared in India several centuries earlier than in Europe. Ashoka also encouraged the cultivation of medicinal plants, the construction of wells, and the landscaping of roads.

Somewhat later, during the period of the Gupta empire (IV-VI centuries AD) - the golden age of Indian history - special houses were built in the country for the crippled, the crippled, widows, orphans and the sick. This era includes the activities of Sushruta and his followers.

The medicine of ancient India was closely connected with religious and philosophical teachings, among which yoga occupies a special place. It combined religious philosophy, moral and ethical teachings and a system of posture exercises (asanas). Much attention in yoga is paid to the purity of the body and a peculiar way of life. The doctrine of yoga consists of two levels: hatha yoga (physical yoga) and raja yoga (mastery of the spirit). In modern India, yoga is practiced by healthy and sick people (in yoga therapy clinics); research institutes continue to study this ancient empirical system.

The position of the doctor in ancient India was not the same at the stages of history. In the Vedic period, practicing medicine was not reprehensible: even Agny and the Ashvin twins were respectfully called miraculous healers. By the end of antiquity, with the development of the caste system and social inequality, some occupations (for example, surgery) began to be considered ritually "unclean". However, in general, the practice of healing caused great respect.

An important role in the development of medicine in ancient India was played by monasteries and monks, among whom there were many knowledgeable healers. All the monks had some knowledge in the field of medicine, since it was considered a high virtue to provide medical assistance to the laity.

Among the centers of medical education, the city of Taxila (ind. Takshashila) occupies a special place. According to Buddhist tradition, Jivaka (VI-V centuries BC), a famous healer at the court of the Magadha king Bimbisara, studied medicine there for seven years (according to legend, Jivaka also treated the Buddha). After the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great, Taxila became a place of settlement for the Greeks, who eventually Indianized and influenced the development of local culture.

A student of medicine had to master all the facets of medical art: “A doctor, inexperienced in operations, becomes confused at the patient’s bed, like a cowardly soldier who first got into battle; a doctor who knows only how to operate and neglects theoretical information does not deserve respect and can endanger even the lives of kings. Each of them owns only half of his art and is like a bird with only one wing, ”is written in the Sushru-ta-samhita.

At the end of the training, the future Physician delivered a sermon that. given in the Charaka Samhita:

If you want to achieve success in your activities, wealth and glory and heaven after death ... You must strive with all your heart to heal the sick. You should not even betray your patients. at the cost of your own life ... You must not drink, do evil or have evil comrades ... Your speech must be pleasant ... You must be reasonable and always strive to improve your knowledge ... About nothing that takes place in the house of a sick person, one should not tell ... to anyone who, using the knowledge gained, could harm the sick person or another.

Recorded in the I-II centuries. n. e., this sermon bears the characteristic features of its time, however, in its main provisions, it is very similar to the Oath of the ancient Greek healers (recorded in the 3rd century BC). This testifies to the uniform principles of medical ethics in the countries of the ancient world.

The medical ethics of ancient India strictly demanded that the healer, “who wishes to be successful in practice, be healthy, neat, modest, patient, wear a short-cropped beard, diligently brushed, trimmed nails, white clothes scented with incense, leave the house only with a stick and an umbrella, in particular he avoided chatter ... ". Remuneration for treatment was forbidden to demand from the disadvantaged, friends of the doctor and brahmins; and vice versa, if wealthy people refused to pay for treatment, the healer was awarded all their property. For improper treatment, the healer paid a fine depending on the social status of the patient.

In the classical period, traditional Indian medicine reached its apogee. In time, ets coincides with the era of Hellenism and the heyday of the Roman Empire in the West, with the states of which ancient India had trade and cultural ties overland (from the 1st millennium BC) and sea (from the 2nd century: BC) ways. Throughout history, Indian medicine has had and continues to have a great influence on the development of medicine in various regions of the globe.

Similar information.