Cosmetic operations form a special corner in medicine – much in demand and yet often much maligned for being unnecessary or frivolous. This assumes a clear-cut division between a narcissistic desire for an improved appearance, the correction of a disfigurement or injury that altars appearance in an alarming way without altering physiologic function, and the real disability and danger caused by a disease. Whatever the clarity of the division, the demand persists and also reaches back into antiquity. The undisputed father of the field of cosmetic surgery is Suśruta, a surgeon, educator and compiler who lived probably around the sixth to eighth century BCE, though his possible dates vary greatly from 1200 AD. to well before 1000 BCE. No original texts of his great work, the Saṃhitā, exist today. It has been edited and revised throughout its history, the most significant contributions made by Nāgārjuna, who lived most probably in the second century BCE.
The Suśrutasaṃhitāis a remarkable...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Ancient Surgery. //www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/a-b/ancientsurgery2.html
Bhishagratna, Kaviraj Kunjalal. Suśrutasaṃhitā (Sanskrit text with English translation). Varnasi: Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, 1907.
Sankaran, P. S. Suśruta's contribution to Surgery. Varanasi: Indological Book House, 1967.
Rana, R. E. and B. S. Arora. History of Plastic Surgery in India. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine 48.1 (2002): 76–78. //www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn = 00223859;year = 2002;volume = 48;issue = 1;spage = 76;epage = 8;aulast = Rana
Prakash, U. B. S. Suśruta of ancient India. Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics 146 (1978): 263–71.
Singhal, G. D. and L. M. Singh, K. P. Singh. Diagnostic Consideration on Ancient Indian Surgery. Allahabad: Sammelan Mudnanata, 1972.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Nelson, R.L. (2008). Cosmetic Surgery in Ancient India. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9726
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9726
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4559-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4425-0
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law