Acharya Sushruta described 8 types of surgical procedures viz.; Chedana (excision), Bhedana (incision), Lekhana (scrapping), Aharana (extraction), Vedhana (puncturing), Eshana (probing), Sivana (stitching) and Parasurgical procedures (surgery without knife).
The ancient surgical science was known as Shalya Tantra. Shalya means broken arrow or a sharp part of a weapon and Tantra means maneuver. Shalya Tantra embraces all processes, aiming at the removal of factors responsible for producing pain or misery to the body or mind.
Shalyatantra is one of distinct branch of Ayurveda which explains and demonstrates surgical knowledge and procedures that were performed and used since thousands of years ago and are useful even today. The name of the sage-physician, Susruta, is synonymous with surgery. From his treatise Susruta Samhita, we have become aware of the sophisticated methods of surgery that were practiced in India thousands of years ago.
Charaka, the best-known physician of Ayurvedic medicine, also recommended for Shalyatantra for the treatment of certain diseases.
