Kashyapa: The Ancient Paediatrician - Bhanu Shankar Mehta

Paediatrics both in the UK and in India has been a neglected subject until recent times when remarkable developments in the field have taken place. As late as 1947, children’s diseases were an insignificant subject of study in medical colleges in India. Dr. B S Mehta writes about Kashyapa, the ancient Indian sage, who he believes lived before the Buddha (500 BC) and expounded on the subject of child health in Kashyapa Samhita, a collection of dialogs between him and his disciple, Jivaka. This text includes the development of the foetus, care of the pregnant mother and diseases likely to afflict her, evil influences, dentition, child anatomy, diseases of sense organs, and other useful instructions on children’s diseases.

Over a billion strong is what India’s population is today, and if we go by the assumption that the greatest strength and resource of a country is its people, then the magic talisman is ours! However, just six decades ago this was not true. At the time of Independence, almost 500 children out of every 1000 died soon after birth. The birth to death ratio was thus more or less balanced, maternal and infant mortality were shockingly high, and life expectancy pathetically low.

© "Housecalls" (May-June, 2003) published by Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited, 6-3-865, 3rd Floor, My Home Jupally Complex, Ameerpet, Hyderabad 500 016. Reprinted with permission.

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