Sushruta : The Father of Medicine

Abstract

Ask any person in the world who the father of medicine is and mostly everyone will snap back with the name of Hippocrates, the renowned ancient Greek physician. He contributed a tremendous amount in the areas of clinical observation, and the use of prognosis, and categorized various diseases for the first time in recorded history. Much like the history of the world, which tends to be Eurocentric, it is possible that there may have been someone else that may have contributed as much or more than Hippocrates, but if they were not from the west, it is not uncommon for the modern world to have missed their great achievements. 

Very little discussion ever centers on Sushruta, a physician from Ancient India, even remotely being a contender for the title of ‘father of medicine’. This paper will delve into Sushruta’s achievements and contributions and evaluate if they were enough for him to be known as the father of medicine or at least make it a close contest. To be able to evaluate the value of his contribution, one would also have to understand the age and time of his contribution, which this paper will also attempt to do.