Ancient India saw many advancements in fields like medicine, surgery, and dentistry. Skilled Indian physicians like Sushruta and Charaka performed complex surgical procedures and plastic surgery operations without anesthesia between 800 BC to 300 BC. Indian medical texts like the Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita contained detailed knowledge about anatomy, surgery, hygiene and treatments for diseases and continue to be respected today.

1. By keren shay group.14

2. The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo
sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago
The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the
northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE, was
the first major civilization in India
From the time of the Harappans to the time of the Islamic conquests,
Indian scientists and mathematicians were leaders in many different
fields.
Around 500 BC, thanks to Persian influence, the city of Taxila (in modern
Pakistan) became a great scientific center. Atreya, a great botanist (plant
specialist) and doctor, was working at Taxila about this time. Around the
300's BC, Indian farmers seem to have been using water wheels to lift
water for irrigation - the earliest water wheels in the world.
By 250 or 200 BC, under Mauryan rule, Indian scientists were the first in
the world to be smelting iron with carbon to make stell.

3. Zinc, mining and medicinal use: Zinc was first recognised as a metal in
India. Zinc mines of Zawar, near Udaipur, Rajasthan, were active during 400
BCE
There are references of medicinal uses of zinc in the Charaka Samhita (300
BCE).
(B.C. stands for Before Christ, and it means the number of years before the
time of Jesus Christ)

4. Ancient India saw great advancements in medical science. Some 
of these fields were dental surgery, and plastic surgery. It is
amazing that even in the absence of anesthesia some of the
complex operations are performed. Around 800 B.C the first
instances of surgery were recorded. It was considered as one of
the eight branches of Ayurveda.Shushruta- Samhita is the oldest
treatise dealing with surgery. The main medical practitioners
were Atraya, Charaka and Shusruta. Shushruta studied human
anatomy with an aid of a dead body. He had described in great
detail surgery .He excelled in plastic surgery and ophthalmology
(removing cataracts).The restoration of mutilated nose or
rhinoplasty was one of the greatest contributions of
Shushruta.The success rate was very high attracting people from
all the country and outside. He meticulously carried out the
operation almost similar to the steps followed by modern day
plastic surgeons.

5. Charaka put more emphasis on prevention rather than cure. He 
made these remarks in his famous treatise Charaka Samahita
which are held in great reverence even today. The other notable
fields were physiology, etiology and embryology. He also wrote
extensively on digestion, metabolism and immune system. He
wrote that body functions as it contains three dosha- bile,
phlegm and wind. These are produced when dhatus - blood,
flesh and marrow act on food consumed. The body becomes sick
when there is imbalance between three doshas. He prescribed
drugs to restore this balance. Charaka also wrote about genetics
like the factors responsible for sex of a child. Agnivesa another
famous physician wrote an encyclopedic treatise in the eighth
century B.C.

6. AYUR-VEDA is the oldest existing medical system, having 
its heritage in ancient India. It is recognized by the World
Health Organization and is still widely practiced. Current
interest in disease prevention and health promotion has
led to its investigation by a growing number of Western
physicians who are finding it to add valuable knowledge
that is complementary to modern allopathic medicine.
The word Ayur-Veda comes from two Sanskrit roots: Ayus, 
meaning life or life span, and Veda, meaning knowledge or
science. Ayur-Veda is therefore translated as "the science of
life," which emphasizes its orientation toward prevention.
Hygiene is an Indian cultural value and a central practice of
ayurvedic medicine. Hygienic living involves regular bathing,
cleansing of teeth, skin the body with oil is also precare, and eye
washing. Occasional anointing of scribed.

7. Over the following centuries, ayurvedic practitioners developed
a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures
for the treatment of various ailments
Sesame and sunflower oil are used Hundreds of plant-based
in ayurvedic medicine. Both contain medicines are used in ayurvedic
linoleate in triglyceride form and medicine—including cardamom
may have antineoplastic properties and cinnamon

8. Cataract surgery: Cataract surgery was known to the Indian 
physician Sushruta (6th century BCE).In India, cataract surgery
was performed with a special tool called the Jabamukhi Salaka, a
curved needle used to loosen the lens and push the cataract out
of the field of vision,the eye would later be soaked with warm
butter and then bandaged
Inoculation and Variolation: The earliest record of inoculation 
and variolation for small pox is found in 8th century
India, when Madhav wrote the Nidāna, a 79-chapter book
which lists diseases along with their causes, symptoms, and
complications. He included a special chapter on small pox
(masūrikā) and described the method of inoculation to protect
against small pox.
Leprosy: Kearns & Nash (2008) state that the first mention of 
leprosy is described in the Indian medical treatise Sushruta
Samhita (6th century BCE).However, The Oxford Illustrated
Companion to Medicine holds that the mention of leprosy, as
well as ritualistic cures for it, were described in the Atharva-
veda(1500–1200 BCE), written before the Sushruta Samhita.

9. Plastic surgery: Plastic surgery was being carried
out in India by 2000 BCE.The system of
punishment by deforming a Sushruta and
Charakwere translated into Arabic language during
the Abbasid Caliphate (750 CE). These translated
Arabic works made their way into Europe via
intermidiateries. In Italy the Branca family of Sicily
and GasparTagliacozziofBologna became familiar
with the miscreant's body may have led to an
increase in demand for this practice.The surgeon
Sushruta contributed mainly to the field of Plastic
and Cataract surgery.The medical works of both
techniques of

10. Lithiasis treatment: The earliest operation for treating 
lithiasis, or the formations of stones in the body, is also
given in the Sushruta Samhita 6th century BCE). The
operation involved exposure and going up through the
floor of the bladder.
Visceral leishmaniasis, treatment of: The Indian 
(Bengali) medical practitioner Upendra Nath Brahmachari
(December 19, 1873 - February 6, 1946) was nominated for
the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929 for his
discovery of 'ureastibamine (antimonial compound for
treatment of kala azar) and a new disease, post-kalaazar
dermal leishmanoid.Brahmachari's cure for Visceral
leishmaniasis was the urea salt of para-amino-phenyl
stibnic acid which he called Urea Stibamine.Following the
discovery of Urea Stibamine, Visceral leishmaniasis was
largely eradicated from the world, except for some
underdeveloped regions

11. The Indus Valley Civilization has yielded evidence of dentistry being
practiced as 7000 BCas far back
A Sumerian text from 5000 BC describes a "tooth worm" as the cause of dent
caries Evidence of this belief has also been found in ancient India
7000 BC – The Bow Drill Era
Dentistry got its start in the Indus Valley of India and Pakistan. These
industrious would-be dentists were master beadmakers who used bow
drills to cure tooth problems. This is also the first appearance of
dental assistants, whose duties consisted of restraining the flailing
arms and legs of patients during the undoubtedly excruciating
procedures. Still, this obviously beat a life without teeth

12. 700 BC – The First Bridges
The first society to use dental bridges and appliances were the Etruscans,
starting around 700 BC. The image below shows a similar dental bridge
created by the Egyptians that uses gold wires to hold the teeth together.
This is also the first incarnation of a cosmetic dental practice that would
come to be know as “bling
oral hygiene and its tools (toothbrush, toothpick, use of tooth pastes and
tooth-powder) were used long before our times. Already ancient people
started to remove, file, dye and inlay teeth
the teeth were dyed red or brown (with henna or betel) in India
Dentistry was surely practiced in ancient Egypt, India, China, Greece and
Rome, while odontology and especially suitable dental appliances arose only
by Etruscan.

13. dentists in ancient times often used dental extraction to "cure" a variety of
illnesses
the instruments composed of: Most antique dental instruments were
made of bone or ivory and metal. The tongue scraper, for example, was
made completely of ivory, while other metal instruments featured handles
made from ivory or from bone. Some 19th century dental tools were made
of tortoise shell, like the tongue scraper, for example. In addition, some
mirrors were also sometimes made of tortoise shell.
Had it not been for antique dental instruments and beliefs of ancient
time,we would not have today.
Materials have changed over the years ,some of the instruments of
ancient times are still used today.

15. www.jama.ama-ass.org 
www.ehow.com 
www.dentalassistant.net 
www.wikipedia.com
www.thisismyindia.com