Born in the 7th century B C, Sushruta was an ancient Indian surgeon whose magnum opus,
Sushruta Samhita explains over 12 surgical instruments, 300 surgical procedures and classifies human surgery into 8 categories. He is said to be a descendant of Vishwamitra, and learnt Ayurvedic medicine from Divadosa, the personification of Dhanwantari. He explained the influence of various seasons on various plants and human beings and classified the animal kingdom into four. His major contributions were in the field of plastic surgery of nose, operations on the abdomen, on the eyes for cataract, on women during delivery and on the removal of the urinary stones.
