A Short History of Indian Medical Science

The literature of Indian Medicine is so vast and copious that it is impossible to do adequate justice to its history within the compass of a small manual. The science is acknowledged on all hands to be of great antiquity, and contains a mine of information not to be altogether despised by the students of medicine of our day. Should it be approached in a spirit of fairness and inquiry, possibly it might disclose the germs of not a few of the marvellous discoveries in the realm of Medicine of which the present century is justly proud, and afford a diligent scholar ample scope and materials for comparison between the old and the new systems, with a view to supply the deficiencies of the one or the other for the benefit of mankind. An elaborate and complete history of Hindu Medical Science is a great desideratum. If this humble attempt, however imperfect and fragmentary, should induce any of my readers to set himself seriously to the task of compiling from original sources a more readable and comprehensive history, I shall consider my labour to have been well spent.

B. S. J. Gondal, 1895. ​

Editor's Note: This book was originally published under the title A Short History of Aryan Medical Science. It has been changed to A Short History of Indian Medical Science to avoid confusion and reflect the fact that Indian medical science developed in ancient times due to the effort of many people from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds rather than a particular group, race or community. We have also changed the titles of many chapters for clarity. Please read the disclaimer at the end of this page.