The father of Surgery

"Aham hi Dhanvantari Adi devah"- " am indeed Dhanvantari, the original  God" Kashiraja Divodasa Dhanvantari told this to his disple, Acharya Sushrut, who recordedthis statement in the 'Sushruta Samhita'.

Kashiraja Divodasa Dhanvantri is an avatara of Adi- Dhanvantari, the twelth avatara of Vishnu , who emerged from the milky ocean during Samudra Manthana. this avatara of Adi- Dhanvantari  was the king of Kashi and the world,s first surgeon. His teachings where found in 'Sushruta Smhita compiled by his disciple Acharya Sushrut.

 

Divodasa Dhanvantari - The Teacher 

Kashipati insisted that students of surgery should have hands on practice during their training and disciple from his students. 

He advocated that practicing doctors should demonstrate surgerical techniques to their trainees and invented innovative methods of practice for trainee surgeons. he suggested the use of certain natural objects for the trainees to pratice surgerical procedures. he advocated the use of :

• watermelons or  cucumbers to practice the making of cuts
• the bladder of animals or a pitcher full of water for practicing removal of foreignobjects from the human body.
• a piece  of of skin with hair for practicing scraping.
• worm eaten wood to practice stuffing.
• the lotus stem to practice ear lobe suturing.
• dolls to practice bandaging
• jack fruits kernels to practice extraction and
• the mouth or a gourd or a pitcher full of water to have the perfect knowledge of the human body by working on dead bodies.

Divodasa Dhanvantari- the I nventor

Kshiraja Divodasa Dhanvantari had designed his own surgerical instruments. he invented twenty sharp and 101 rounded instruments. Different instruments were used for purva karma. He had devised different kinds of needles and bandages and had invented 15 kinds of bandaging systems, most of which are in use even today.

Certification

  Just as it is done today in the olden days Hindu doctors had the custom of certification. The doctors could enter the field of surgery only after the process of induction. This meant that the fresh graduate s knowledge was tested by specialists in the field. At this time the new doctor would be told about the the legal side of the medical pracice and abut the dos don'ts for a  doctor. Ten only the the new doctor could register with the king. 

Surgerical Texts

Many books were written o surgery on ancient India. But unfortunately most books have been destroyed by Muslim invaders who attacked Hindu kingdoms or have been taken away by the Europeans. What is wore is that these Europeans have been given the credit for the achievements made by Hindu medical geniuses.