Sushruta was an Indian doctor and writer. Historians believe he lived in the 500’s B.C., but the earliest known manuscripts of his writings date to around A.D. 400. He is the author of a classic text on Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient system of healing and prolonging life. His writings were translated into Arabic before the end of the 700’s, and later into Latin and German. Sushruta’s work is especially valued for its account of surgical techniques, including the earliest known descriptions of plastic surgery. It also describes more than 100 different surgical instruments.
