Hereditary Physicians of Kerala
Hereditary Physicians of Kerala

Author: Indudharan Menon

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2018-12-18

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 0429663129

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This book examines the history and evolution of Ayurveda and other indigenous medical traditions in juxtaposition with their encounter with colonial modernity. Through the lens of hereditary folk and Ayurvedic practitioners, it focuses on Kerala’s heterogeneous medical traditions and presents them against the backdrop of the geographical, historical, sociocultural, ethnographic and regional contexts in which they developed and transformed. The author explores the world of Kerala’s last traditionally trained hereditary practitioners (folk healers, poison therapists, Sanskrit-speaking Muslim Ayurvedic practitioners and the legendary Brahman Ashtavaidyan physicians). He discusses the views of these physicians regarding the marked difference between their personalised ancestral methods of treatment and the standardised version of Ayurveda compliant with biomedicine that is practised by doctors today. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, this book will be useful to researchers and scholars of medical anthropology, health and social medicine, sociology and social anthropology, the history of science and modern Indian history, as well as to medical practitioners interested in alternative and traditional medicine.

The Practice of Texts
The Practice of Texts

Author: Anthony Cerulli

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2022-03-15

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0520383559

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A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. The Practice of Texts examines the uses of the Sanskrit medical classics in two educational institutions of India’s classical life science, Ayurveda: the college and the gurukula. In this interdisciplinary study, Anthony Cerulli probes late- and postcolonial reforms in ayurvedic education, the development of the ayurvedic college, and the impacts of the college curriculum on ways that ayurvedic physicians understand and use the Sanskrit classics in their professional work today. His fieldwork in south India illuminates the nature of philology and ritual in the ayurvedic gurukula and showcases how knowledge is exchanged among students, teachers, and patients. The result, Cerulli shows, is that the Sanskrit classics are presented and applied differently in the college and gurukula, producing a variety of relationships with these texts among practitioners. By interrogating the politics surrounding the place of the Sanskrit classics in ayurvedic curricula, this book reveals a spectrum of views about the history and tradition of Ayurveda in modern India.

Empire and Leprosy in Colonial Bengal
Empire and Leprosy in Colonial Bengal

Author: Apalak Das

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-03-12

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1003862241

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Leprosy, widely mentioned in different religious texts and ancient scriptures, is the oldest scourge of humankind. Cases of leprosy continue to be found across the world as the most crucial health problem, especially in India and Brazil. There are a few maladies that eventually turn into social disquiets, and leprosy is undoubtedly one of them. This book traces the dynamics of the interface between colonial policy on leprosy and religion, science and society in Bengal from the mid-nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth centuries. It explores how the idea of ‘degeneration’ and the ‘desolates’ shaped the colonial legality of segregating ‘lepers’ in Indian society. The author also delves into the treatments of leprosy that were often transfigured from ‘original’ English texts, written by American or British medical professionals, into Bengali. Rich in archival resources, this book is an essential read for scholars and researchers of history, Indian history, public health, social history, medical humanities, medical history and colonial history.

Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya
Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya

Author: G.R. Arun Raj

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2023-05-05

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 1000825507

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Worldwide interest in Ayurveda is on the rise, ever since the World Health Organization adopted the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978. Ayurveda is increasingly being adopted and many phytotherapy schools in Europe and the Americas teach Ayurveda as a wellness system. Considering the prominent position that Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya occupies in Ayurveda, a scientific synopsis of this masterpiece is now presented before the world of Ayurveda. In eight comprehensive chapters, Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya: A Scientific Synopsis of the Classic Ayurveda Text presents a lucid summary of the teachings of Vāgbhaṭa. Ayurvedic view of the human body, basic principles of Ayurveda, surgical armamentarium, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, herbs and other medicinal substances used in the preparation of various dosage forms, ayurvedic pharmaceutialcs, ayurvedic approach to food fortification, salient features of Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya and a roadmap for the future are among the topics discussed. Key Features: Presents the ayurvedic view of conception and the human body. Discusses aspects of ayurvedic pharmaceuticals. Examines diagnosis of diseases, lines of treatment, prognosis of diseases, signs of imminent death, management of mishaps and treatment of new diseases. The voluminous information pertaining to the subjects of the various chapters is presented in the form of many tables for ready reference and quick survey. This book provides a helping hand to those interested in rediscovering the teachings of Vāgbhaṭa and is a great resource for researchers of medicine, traditional and alternative medicine, pharmacology and drug discovery.

Tales Once Told
Tales Once Told

Author: Abraham Eraly

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 9780143099680

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A Selection Of Stories Adapted From The Ithihyamala, A Marvellous Treasury Of Legends Of Kerala These Vibrant Fables Evoke A Long-Lost, Never-Never Land: An Enchanted World Of Sorcerers, Exorcists And Yakshis; Eccentric Rajas And Haughty Poets; Martial-Arts Prodigies And Peerless Physicians; Wily Wits And Devious Gadflies; Clever Elephants, Sly Crooks, Gallant Brigands And A Motley Bunch Of Uncommon Common People. Retold By Best-Selling Author Abraham Eraly And Superbly Illustrated By Jayachandran, Tales Once Told Is An Engaging Blend Of Earthy Wisdom And Sparkling Humour.

Mapping the History of Ayurveda
Mapping the History of Ayurveda

Author: K P Girija

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2021-11-25

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1000481425

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This book looks at the institutionalisation and refashioning of Ayurveda as a robust, literate classical tradition, separated from the assorted, vernacular traditions of healing practices. It focuses on the dominant perspectives and theories of indigenous medicine and various compulsions which led to the codification and standardisation of Ayurveda in modern India. Critically engaging with authoritative scholarship, the book extrapolates from some of these theories, raising significant questions on the study of alternative knowledge practices. By using case studies of the southern Indian state of Kerala – which is known globally for its Ayurveda – it provides an in-depth analysis of local practices and histories. Drawing from interviews of practitioners, archival documents, vernacular texts and rare magazines on Ayurveda and indigenous medicine, it presents a nuanced understanding of the relationships between diverse practices. It highlights the interactions as well as the tensions within them, and the methods adopted to preserve the uniqueness of practices even while sharing elements of healing, herbs and medicine. It also discusses how regulations and standards set by the state have estranged assorted healing practices, created uncertainties and led to the formation of categories like Ayurveda and nattuvaidyam (indigenous medicine/ayurvedas). Lucid and topical, the book will be useful for researchers and people interested in social medicine, history of medicine, Ayurveda, cultural studies, history, indigenous studies, and social anthropology.