Prehistoric Medicine: Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The “art of healing” began thousands of years ago with the innovations of primitive man who sought to provide relief to those close to him, in illness and suffering, motivated by feelings of sympathy and kindness. In the absence of an obvious explanation, his limited intelligence attributed illnesses and other calamities to the wrath of God, the invasion of the body by evil spirits, or the influence of stars and planets. As a logical sequence, the medicine he practiced consisted of appeasing God with prayers, rituals and sacrifices, expelling evil spirits from the human body. There is also evidence that prehistoric man improvised stone and flint tools with which he performed circumcisions, amputations and trepanations of skulls. It is therefore obvious that medicine in the prehistoric era (5000 BC) was mixed with superstition, religion, magic and witchcraft. Elements of prehistoric medicine are still present in many countries. Primitive man may be extinct, but the "supernatural theory of disease" he believed in is not yet extinct in our modern society. Indian Medicine: Hindu medicine is as old as Hindu civilization. Ayurveda by definition implies "The Science of Life". (Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that derives from two roots: Ayur, meaning life, and Veda, knowledge). Its origin is traced back to Vedic times around 5000 BC Ayurveda is a part of Atharva Veda that deals exclusively with medicine. In 1833, Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor of India, appointed a committee to prepare a report on medical education and existing institutions with a view to reviewing and improving Indian medical education. The Committee submitted its report on October 20, 1834. The Committee recommended the immediate abolition of the Native Medical School and suggested the formation of a Medical College for the Indians. English was chosen as the language of instruction primarily because of the immense wealth of printed works and illustrations in Western medical literature. Upon the recommendation of the committee, with a government order no. 28 of 28 January 1835, the Medical College of Bengal was established. This day is still celebrated as the foundation day of Calcutta Medical College. On April 1, 1838, a small hospital with 20 beds was founded. In 1840, a large 100-bed women's hospital was established to provide education in midwifery. Assistant Surgeon M.J.Bramley (see image) was appointed Superintendent with Assistant Surgeon Dr.H.H. Goodeve (see image) as his sole assistant. Pandit Madhusudan Gupta, aBaidya professor of the Native Medical Institute, has been transferred with two assistants from Sanskrit College to New Medical College. The study period lasted four years and the examination was conducted under the supervision of the Committee of the Council of Education. The certificate qualified them to practice surgery and medicine. A Glimpse of Ayurveda – The Forgotten History and Principles of Traditional Indian Medicine Ayurveda is one of the most renowned systems of traditional medicine that has survived and flourished for centuries to this day. With the enormous knowledge of nature-based medicine, the relationship between the constitution and function of the human body and nature, and the elements of the universe acting in coordination and influencing living beings, this system will continue to flourish in the ages to come . There are many avenues yet to be explored by researchers, practitioners and industry experts who are responsible for keeping traditional systems of medicine (TSM) alive and contributing to their future growth. However,,.