When we talk of science in ancient times, most people conjure up images of superstition and black magic. But this kind of generalization was never true. Going as far as the ancient civilizations such as Indus Valley Civilization and the Egyptian Civilization, science and technology have always played a part in the lives of people of those eras. Though some superstition was prevalent in those days, science and technology played a greater role. Starting from today we will bring you to feature on medical and scientific thinkers of the ancient times who played a great role in the advancement of the sciences.
CHARAKA
Charaka, known as ‘the father of Indian medicine’, was one of the most important physicians in ancient India. Born around 300 years before Christ, he was one of the principal contributors to the medical system of Ayurveda.
Charaka stressed the fact that the prevention of a disease is better than the cure and devised plans to change a person’s lifestyle and eating habits to make them less susceptible to disease. In those days of superstitions, he stressed that disease is not predetermined but is caused by external factors. He furthermore said that one’s life is not predetermined and can be prolonged through a good lifestyle and better eating.
In his famous treatise ‘Charaka Samhita’ he explored the rational approach to the causes and cure of diseases, along with introducing objective methods of clinical examination. He also was the first physician to present the concept of digestion, metabolism, and immunity. For over 2000 years this treatise was the standard work on medicine and was translated into many languages including Arabic and Latin.
He said that the body functions are controlled by three ‘dosha’s’ or humor, and are produced according to the food one eats.
The amount of doshas produced is different from person to person and the imbalance between them causes diseases. To restore this balance he prescribed herbs or medicinal drugs.
Charaka was one of the first physicians to acknowledge the role of genetics in the appearance of abnormalities in a child. He said that neither father nor mother was to blame for a child’s inborn defects but they were caused due to factors in a person’s ovum or sperm. He also extensively studied human anatomy and wrote many notes on the human body and organs. Although some of his observations have been improved over the years, his basic observations like his claiming that the body holds different channels which hold various functions such as controlling the flow of blood, others for supplying nutrients to various tissues and also providing a passage for disposal of waste products were very accurate. He also claimed that obstruction in these channels leads to disease.
Although others had written about Ayurveda before him Charaka was the one who revised the ancient ayurvedic treatises and made them popular all around.
Due to his massive contributions in the field of medicine, he is rightly called ‘the Father of Indian Medicine’.
