Sushruta Samhita History And History

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Medicine, the backbone of life, is what keeps our species increasing and thriving. Without medicine, we would experience drastic changes in our population today. The origins of historiography pharmaceuticals date back to the early 1800s (Kremers). Paleo pharmacological studies revealed the use of medicinal plants in the prehistoric eras, the times before written history (Kremers). India was one of the areas at the forefront of medicine and patient care (Kremers). The earliest known collection of medicinal substances is known as the "Sushruta Samhita", an Indian Ayurvedic treatise (Kremers). The Sushruta Samhita was written in the 6th century BC (Kremers). It is book of medicine and cures (Kremers). The Samhita contains 184 chapters with descriptions of 1120 illnesses, seven-hundred medicinal plants, sixty-four preparations from mineral sources, and fifty-seven preparations from animal sources (Kremers). It even includes surgical techniques on hernias, hemorrhoids, and the removal of a prostate (Kremers). India was not the only vanguard of medicines; Egyptian writings similar to those of India, have also been discovered. The oldest Egyptian medicinal document, Ebers Papyrus, dates back to 1550 BC (Kremers). The name "Papyrus" comes from the plant in which it was written on (Godesky). The Ebers Papyrus is 110-page long document with a length of twenty meters (Godesky). It is written in Hieratic, which is an Egyptian cursive writing system used by the pharaohs of Egypt (Godesky). Ebers Papyrus contains over seven-hundred remedies for illnesses and formulas for medicine (Godesky). Another area of early medicinal use is in China and Ancient Greece. In China, they had the Shennong Bencao Jing, which appeared in three vo...

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According to James Owen, BS Pharm, PharmD, director of professional practice for the American Pharmacist Association (APhA), the typical tasks performed pharmacist may change in the future. As our times are becoming more technological and efficient, so will our medicine system. Owen believes "pharmacist will have more time to fulfill more of a clinical role." In the future, dispensing kiosks will be able to process prescription refills during off-hours. Since pharmacist will not be required to do so, they will have more time to assist in the clinical side of pharmacy; that is advising doctors to prescribe certain medications, offering advice to patients in need, and presenting knowledge of a healthy lifestyle to patients. Pharmacist of the future will have to increase profit margins by reducing the cost of prescribing medications with the use of machine.

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