The Compendium of Suśruta in Time and Space
Mapping a Medical Tradition
MS Kathmandu Kaiser Library 699. Extract of folio 11r, containing the start of sūtrasthāna 12 on cauterization.
This project on the history of medicine is based at the University of Alberta. It builds on the discoveries and publications of the original Suśruta Project (2020-2024).
Funding for this project is generously provided by an Insight Grant from the Canadian SSHRC (no. 435-2025-0604) and runs from 2025-2029.
The project’s goal is to develop a fresh understanding of ancient South Asian medicine based on new evidence from a close study of the evolution of the Compendium of Suśruta between the ninth century and the nineteenth century. We will be especially focussed on highlighting the textual and doctrinal differences between The Compendium as it existed in 878 CE and the later vulgate version and the work of the medieval commentators in reshaping the work over the years. Project outcomes will include critical editions and translations of the main text and its commentaries, studies of the transmission of scientific ideas within South Asia as well as to China and South East Asia, and outreach to contemporary consumers of indigenous medicine.
latest posts
| May 04, 2025 | Promotional video for the project (AI generated) |
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| Feb 25, 2025 | Intertextuality and the Methods of Diagnosis |
| May 14, 2024 | Google Gemini updates: Flash 1.5, Gemma 2 and Project Astra |
