Healing and dissection : The art of medicine

Ayurvedic practitioners performing surgeries isn't just a modern-day controversy. The story of the first human dissection in India on this day will tell you more.

Surprisingly, being a doctor wasn't always approved of by parents; Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Only a limited number of people know that India is the pioneer of medicine and medicinal surgeries. The 'Sushrut Samhita', written by Acharya Sushrut talks of various medicines, medical practices and also documents the first nose job or nose surgery.

Almost 3000 years later, 10th of January, disputedly, marked the first human dissection in India. The man who carried out this, Madhusudan Gupta, had to face a lot of criticism throughout the journey. This day marks the beginning of a new dawn on the age of medicine and medical practices in India.

Madhusudan Gupta who was Vaidya by birth and a trained Ayurvedic practitioner, went on to establish the practice of western sciences in India. He was nothing less than a prodigy. Constantly being influenced by western education, Gupta was made a professor at the Sanskrit College. While here he had already been attending lectures by English anatomy practitioners.

With the abolishment of Ayurvedic and Unani medicine courses at the Sanskrit College, in regards to the training being unsatisfactory, Gupta was transferred to the newly founded Calcutta Medical College. Here Gupta again became trained in western medical science and frequently assisted professionals.

Certain orthodox notions of society created apprehensions about the study of practical human anatomy. The idea of dissection of a human body was met with severe challenges. However owing to the large presence of the British army, there was a need for a good quantity of western medicine practitioners here in India.

6 months of preparation led to this landmark event in history. The aversion of Hindu communities to touch a dead body and the idea of untouchability was the big obstacle here. Madhusudan along with several of his colleagues had to work relentlessly to produce enough evidence from the Ayurvedic texts to support his stint.

Walking in the lines of Sushruta 3 millennia later, Gupta performed the first human dissection on the corpse of a child behind closed doors, along with fellow practitioners and four students. This event, though faced much resistance during that time, marked the beginning of the emerging western medicine practice in India.