Cosmetic surgery and other surgeries are considered to be an outstanding contribution of modern science but its surprising to know that the technique was invented in 6th century BC in India. Sushruta (also spelt Susruta or Sushrutha) the author of the book “Sushruta Samhita”, was a surgeon who lived in ancient India in 6th century BC. His book describes over 120 surgical instruments, 300 surgical procedures and classifies human surgery in 8 categories. He lived and taught and practiced his art on the banks of the Ganges,present day city of Varanasi in North India. In the Sushruta school, the first person to expound Ayurvedic knowledge was Dhanvantari
Because of his seminal and numerous contributions to the science and art of surgery he is also known by the title
"Father of Surgery". Much of what is known about this inventive surgeon is contained in a series of volumes he authored, which are collectively known as the “Susrutha Samhita”. Susrutha is also
the father of Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery since his technique of forehead flap rhinoplasty (repairing the disfigured nose with a flap of skin from the forehead),that he used to reconstruct noses that were amputated as a punishment for crimes, is practiced almost unchanged in technique to this day.
The "Samhita" has some writings that date as late as the 1st century, and some scholars believe that there were contributions and additions to his teachings from generations of his students and disciples.
The Susrutha Samhita contains the first known description of several operations, including the uniting of bowel, the removal of the prostate gland, the removal of cataract lenses and the draining of abscesses. Susrutha was also the first surgeon to advocate the practice of operations on inanimate objects such as watermelons, clay plots and reeds; thus predating the modern practice of the surgical workshop by hundreds of years.
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