Acharya Sushrut – Father of Plastic Surgery

        A genius who has been glowingly recognized in the annals of medical science. Born to Sage Vishwamitra, Acharya Sushrut details the first ever surgical procedures in the ‘Sushrut Samhita’, a unique encyclopedia of surgery. He is venerated as the father of plastic surgery and anesthesia. When surgery was in its infancy in Europe, Sushrut was performing Rhinoplasty (restoration of a damaged nose) and other challenging operations. In the ‘Sushrut Samhita’, he prescribes treatment for twelve types of fractures and six types of dislocations. His details on human embryology are simply amazing. Sushrut used 125 types of surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, needles, catheters and rectal speculums, mostly designed from the jaws of animals and birds. He has also described a number of methods of surgical suturing by using horse’s hair and fibers of tree bark as threads. In the ‘Sushrut Samhita’ he details 300 different types of surgeries. The Bharatiyas were the pioneers in amputations, Caesarian section and cranial surgeries. Acharya Sushrut was a giant in the arena of surgical science.