Traditional System Of Indian Medicine Ayurveda The Background

Author(s): V V Gokhle
Publisher: V V Gokhle

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burden on the students of Ayurveda (who see no comparable prospects for them in their professional career). Recently there was a movement among these students to suspend their studies in the Ayurvedic Colleges. This phenomenon of economic considerations playing an obstructive roll in the academic field, is not new to Japan and many other countries of the world. So, there is a proposal to reduce the burden on the students by converting the above-mentioned integrated courses into courses in Pure Ayurveda (śuddha-Ayurveda), i.e. by removing from them all the subjects in modern medical science. This will obviously be a retrograde step, and it is hoped, that the Purists will realise, that knowledge as applicable to human life, whichever may be its form of approach, cannot isolate itself behind the walls of partisanship. Unless all doctors are prepared to understand without prejudice all systems of medicine, that have proved effective and are open to study, there is no chance of the medical profession finding the right way of relieving human suffering. Above all, the best medical talents are faced today with the challenge to acknowledge the merits and demerits of the various medical systems and integrate the good points in each, so as to build up an ideal way of practising, medicine.
It will not be out of place to make a special reference on this occasion to the keen sense of awareness, which is being shown by the medical profession in Japan, both with respect to the shortcomings of modern Western medicine and the necessity of exploring new approaches to their science, that might eliminate some of the hidden dangers to human life on earth. Already one of the fundamental works of the Ancient Indian Medicine, viz., the Suśruta-samhitā has come out in two Japanese translations and it is hoped, that more basic works of this system will be similarly made available to medical scientists of Japan. Only a true and intimate understanding of this and other systems of medicine could lead to a new, comprehensive and progressive outlook.
Finally, I have to thank all those, and more particularly: 1) The Japanese Association for the Study of the History of Medicine 2) The Japanese Association for the Study of Oriental Medicine
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