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Fourteen different medical tools illustrated alongside their names translated from Sanskrit.
Illustrated surgical tools from a translated version of the Sushruta Samhita (1907).

Foundational texts of Ayurvedic medicine compiled from oral tradition.

600s BCE

TFCM
Illustrated surgical tools from a translated version of the Sushruta Samhita (1907).

Two of the oldest surviving Ayurvedic texts–the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita–are both compiled between 600-200 BCE. The Charaka Samhita includes anatomical descriptions, guidance for having a "healthy" diet and lifestyle, methods of diagnosis, pharmacology, and treatments for disease. It emphasizes the cooperative relationship between patient, physician, nurse, and medicines. The Sushruta Samhita describes surgical training, instruments, and procedures–many of which are still considered standard practice today.