The Far East

Cards (85)

  • The Vedas (Four Sacred Books)
    • Rig Veda
    • Sama Veda
    • Yajur Veda
    • Atharva Veda
  • Rig Veda
    Knowledge of Hymns of Praise
  • Sama Veda
    Knowledge of the Melodies
  • Yajur Veda
    Knowledge of Sacrificial Formulas
  • Atharva Veda
    Knowledge of Magic Formulas
  • Ayurveda
    Science of life, a gift of nature to humanity, still practiced today (herbal medicine of Indians)
  • Ayurvedic Medicine treatises
    • Charaka (wrote on medicine)
    • Sushruta (wrote on surgery)
  • Doshas
    Three basic principles of the human body: Pitta (bile), Kapha (similar to phlegm), Vayu / Vata / Wind
  • Imbalance of Doshas can cause disease
  • Dhalus of the body
    • Chyle
    • Marrow
    • Blood
    • Semen
    • Muscle
    • Urine
    • Fat
    • Sweat
    • Bone
  • Any increase or decrease from the dhalus will cause diseases
  • Branches of Indian surgery
    • Salya (extraction of foreign objects)
    • Salakya (treatment of diseases of the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and all other bodily parts above the clavicle)
  • Religious and Ritualistic aspect of Surgery
    • heavenly auspices had to be favorable
    • the god of fire was propitiated with offerings of curdled milk, rice, drinks, and jewels
    • the patient was seated facing the east, the surgeon on the west
  • Sushruta Samhita
    Father of Surgery
  • Patient be given a good meal and strong wine before his operation
  • NPO (Non/Nothing Per Orem)

    Patient should be given nothing to eat at least 8 to 12 hours before surgery
  • Extraction of wisdom tooth (odontectomy) does not generally require NPO as the reflexes are active
  • Before operations on the mouth, the patient was advised against eating
  • Sushruta did rhinoplasty, removal of dead fetus, removal of gall bladder stone
  • Surgical instruments
    • Yantra (blunt)
    • Sastra (sharp)
  • Dantasanka
    Special forceps for extracting teeth
  • Dental forcepsand assigned teeth

    • 150# - maxillary incisors
    • 44# - mandibular incisors
    • 151# - mandibular premolars and canines
    • 32# - maxillary premolars and canines
    • 18L# - left maxillary molars
    • 18R# - right maxillary molars
    • 16# - mandibular molars
    • 23# - cowhorn forceps (mandibular molars)
  • Disapproved of extracting firmly rooted teeth unless there is no choice
  • Extraction should be the last resort, otherwise it will cause complications like teeth drifting and bone recession
  • Cryer elevator - for cutting periodontal ligament
    Straight elevator - position elevator between the tooth and the alveolar bone
  • Prescribed excision for "fleshy growths of the palate... red tumors of the palate... and tumors over the wisdom teeth"
  • If a tumor grew on the gums or tongue, it was scarified or cauterized rather than excised
  • Consider the mouth the gateway to the body
  • Indian oral hygiene practices
    • Tongue scrapers
    • Teeth brushing using twig from tree
    • Mouth rinsing using aromatic herbs and spices
    • Brahmins rubbing their teeth for an hour while facing the rising sun, reciting prayers
  • Indian dental medicine practices
    • Bloodletting with leeches
    • Bandaging fractures
    • Reducing mandibular dislocations
    • Potions for toothache
    • Scarification
    • Enemas
    • Use of mouthwashes, ointments, gargles
    • Sneeze-inducing materials
    • Ingestion of foods to drive out bad wind
  • Vagbhata
    Another significant person during the Indian civilization
  • Tooth worm = filling the cavity with wax and then burning it out with a heated probe
  • Vagbhata's extraction forceps were shaped like an animal's head, which is not suitable nowadays
  • Vagbhata believed that diseases of eruption fade away by themselves
  • Sacred Tooth of Buddha
    Enshrined at the Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth, in Kandy, Sri Lanka
  • Arsenic
    Used by Chinese to treat decayed teeth, probably to kill the pulp and relieve toothache pain
  • Chinese discovered silver amalgam for fillings (Silver paste)
  • Amalgam composition
    • 67% and 74% silver
    • 25-28% tin
    • 6% copper
    • 2% zinc
    • 3% mercury
  • Silver Amalgam

    Found in the following Chinese literature: Materia medica of Su Kung, Ta-kuan pen-ts'ao by Tang Shen-wei, Materia medicas by Liu Wen-tai (1505) and Li Shih-chen (1578)
  • Things the Chinese domesticated
    • dog
    • pig
    • goat
    • sheep
    • horse