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The ''Charaka Samhita'' or ''Compendium of Charaka'' (Sanskrit ''Caraka saṃhitā'') is an early text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine).〔Meulenbeld, G. J. ''A History of Indian Medical Literature'' (Groningen, 1999-2002), vol. IA, pp. 7-180.〕 Along with the ''Sushruta Samhita'', it is one of the two foundational texts of this field that have survived from ancient India.〔Valiathan, M. S. (2003) ''The Legacy of Caraka'' Orient Longman ISBN 81-250-2505-7 reviewed in Current Science, Vol.85 No.7 Oct 2003, Indian Academy of Sciences seen at () June 1, 2006〕 Early forms are dated to the period of 900 BCE - 600 BCE, while the later editions of ''Charaka Samhitā'' are dated to later centuries. ==Contents== The extant text has eight ' (sections), totalling 120 chapters. These sections are # ''Sūtra'' (General principles) - 30 chapters deal with healthy living, collection of drugs and their uses, remedies, diet and duties of a physician. # ''Nidāna'' (Pathology) - 8 chapters discuss the pathology of eight chief diseases. # ''Vimāna'' (Specific determination) 8 chapters contain pathology, various tools of diagnostics & medical studies and conduct. # ''Śārīra'' (Anatomy) - 8 chapters describe embryology & anatomy of a human body. # ''Indriya'' (Sensorial prognosis) - 12 chapters elaborate on diagnosis & prognosis of disease on the basis of senses. # ''Cikitsā'' (Therapeutics) - 30 chapters deal with special therapy. # ''Kalpa'' (Pharmaceutics and toxicology) - 12 chapters describe usage and preparation of medicine. # ''Siddhi'' (Success in treatment) - 12 chapters describe general principles of 'Panchkarma'. Seventeen chapters of ''Cikitsā sthāna'' and complete ''Kalpa sthāna'' and ''Siddhi sthāna'' were added later by Dridhabala. The text starts with ''Sūtra sthāna'' which deals with fundamentals and basic principles of Ayurveda practice. Unique scientific contributions credited to the include: * a rational approach to the causation and cure of disease * introduction of objective methods of clinical examination :“Direct observation is the most remarkable feature of Ayurveda (आयुर्वेद), though at times it is mixed up with metaphysics. The emphasizes that of all types of evidence the most dependable ones are those that are directly observed by the eyes. In Ayurveda successful medical treatment crucially depends on four factors: the physician, substances (drugs or diets), nurse and patient. The qualifications of physician are: clear grasp of the theoretical content of the science, a wide range of experience, practical skill and cleanliness; qualities of drugs or substances are: abundance, applicability, multiple use and richness in efficacy; qualifications of the nursing attendant are: knowledge of nursing techniques, practical skill, attachment for the patient and cleanliness; and the essential qualifications of the patients are: good memory, obedience to the instructions of the doctors, courage and ability to describe the symptoms.”〔Chattopadhyāya, D. (1982) ''Case for a critical analysis of the '' in ''Studies in the History of Science in India'' (ed. D. Chattopadhyāya). Vol. 1. New Delhi: Editorial Enterprises. Pp. 209-236. cited in Tiwari, Lalit “A Summary of the Late D. Chattopadhyaya's Critique of ” seen at () June 1, 2006〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Charaka Samhita」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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