Ancient Indians Practiced Plastic Surgery

[Khan_patriot]

guessing most of them would be knocked out by then or by the pain itself

Yeah, or maybe hitting the person in the head with a log could have been used to knock the person out....

 

[Ajatashatru]

Rome Wasn’t The Sole Inventor Of Republican Government

Rome? Republic. Greece? Democracy. India? Maybe the crazed Thuggee priest from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. To be fair, most of us didn’t receive much of an education about ancient India’s governmental structures. While ancient India certainly had its fair share of despots, it was also home toa number of small republics.

A number of cities and towns in India embraced republican ideals, such as representation and collective decision-making, at about the same time Rome’s famous republic was founded. As far as we know, though, India’s and Rome’s republican principles were developed independently. The first records of republican-style government in India date to between 600 and 480 B.C.

Despite their small size, some Indian republics even survived contact with Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C. and the later conquest attempts of the famed Guptas. Even though they faced two of the greatest conquerors of antiquity, the Indian republics managed to retain their character of moderately enfranchised government until subversion and internal disunion did what Alexander and Chandragupta could not. Rather than force of arms, neighboring kings utilized spies and propaganda to foment disorder among republican rivals. Not a bad plan given the already somewhat fractious nature of the republics. Divided, the governing assemblies fell apart as rival factions asserted power via civil wars and alliances with external powers, who eventually rose to dominance.

 

[DRaisinHerald]

It's interesting how the more we find out about ancient civilizations, the more we find out that they weren't so backwards after all.

 

[Chronos]

Alcohol

reading that was disturbing and awesome.

It's interesting how the more we find out about ancient civilizations, the more we find out that they weren't so backwards after all.

Everyone knows dark skinned Yindoos are backwards. Stop lying.

Yeah, or maybe hitting the person in the head with a log could have been used to knock the person out....

I guess why we know now why there are so many Indian doctors. We are just following our calling.

 

[SarthakGanguly]

Unlike the Greeks and Romans, many ancient Indian warriors didn’t wear protective helmets. Given the nature of ancient warfare, ears, noses, and other parts had a tendency to get lopped off. To address these traumas, Hindu doctors devised procedures which would not be entirely out of place in modern surgery.

With warfare and harsh punishments for petty crimes taking the noses of many Indians, Indian surgeons became adept at performing rhinoplasty procedures. Indian surgeons cut a flap of skin from the patient’s forehead, which was then folded over the nasal openings to create the new nose. Hollow tubes were inserted to form the nostrils while the operation healed. Successful operations had been recorded by 500 B.C.

A more horrifying but life-saving procedure was a form of suture Indian surgeons employed. Mending an intestinal or abdominal wound was tricky, because traditional needle-and-thread stitching might further perforate the wounded organs, preventing healing and inviting infection. The solution?Bengali ants. They bite anything they touch with clamp-like jaws. Surgeons drew flaps of the damaged organ together and carefully applied the ants, which functioned like modern-day surgical staples. The surgeon then cut away the ants’ bodies, leaving the jaws behind. The body’s immune system then slowly broke down the jaws as the wound healed.

credits; Listverse

Sources 1 Ancient Medicine: From Sorcery to Surgery - Michael Woods, Mary Boyle Woods - Google Books

2 The Book of Origins: Discover the Amazing Origins of the Clothes We Wear ... - Trevor Homer - Google Books greeks surgery noses&f=false

Excellent read. Thanks a ton. Though I had heard about the Susruta and Samhita, I never knew the details with the references.

I would have given you a positive rating if I had the chance.

 

[ShahidT]

no doubt south asia was a civilizational powerhouse in ancient times in terms of science, mathematics, medicine and philosophy especially cool when huge swathes of the world were nomadic barbarians that didn't progress beyond lighting a fire .