Salihotra

Girindranath Mukherji

Salihotra

Vol. 2 · No. 1March - 1926pp. 47–52English

Summary

This essay profiles Śālihotra, an ancient Indian veterinary authority credited with a comprehensive treatise on horse‑medicine. Mukherji traces the legendary sage’s lineage and situates him among contemporaries like Suśruta and Caraka. He summarises the eight sections (sthānas) of the Śālihotra Saṃhitā covering anatomy, disease diagnosis, pharmacology, surgery and ethical precepts for vaidyas. Mukherji notes that the text emphasises preventive care, including dietary regimes and stable management, and prescribes herbal remedies for maladies ranging from colic to laminitis. The article compares Śālihotra’s prescriptions with those in Ayurvedic treatises and Greek hippiatry and argues for cross‑cultural transmission along trade routes. He discusses the manuscript’s survival in Nepalese and Tibetan translations and calls for critical editing.

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Conclusion

Mukherji concludes that Śālihotra’s work reveals a sophisticated veterinary tradition in ancient India. It emphasises compassion toward animals and underscores the importance of preserving manuscript traditions.

Key passages

Chosen by AI from the article's text. Each one is checked word for word against the text before it is shown.

“Salihotra, the veterinary surgeon, 18 described as the father of the veterinary science in India.”
“Salihotra gives his name to the art, and to this day horse and cattle doctors are known in the North-West Provinces under the usme of Saluter.”
“Salihotra is said to have lived in Salatura, a country near Gandhara the modern Kandahar.”

Works cited in this article

Milindapasika
Susruta Samhita
Harita Samhita
Jayadatta's Asva-vaidyaka
G.0.M.L., xxiii, 13319

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In this issue

Vol. 2 · No. 1

1–15A Short History of CeylonWilhelm Geiger 16–27Stupa and TombB. M. Barua 27–38Rasātala or the Under‑WorldNandu Lal Dey 38–47The Trade of India (from the earliest period up to the 2nd century A.D.)P. T. Srinivas Iyengar 47–52SalihotraGirindranath MukherjiCurrent article 53–67Some old Bengali Books and Periodicals in the British MuseumSushil Kumar De 67–76Patañjali as he reveals himself in the MahābhāṣyaPrabhat Chandra Chakravarti 77–86A Copper‑plate Grant of Viśvarūpa Sena of BengalHariprasad G. Shastri 89–128Inscriptional Excursions in Respect of Asoka EdictsB. M. Barua 129–146Principles of Hindu Taxation – Canons of TaxationJ. N. C. Ganguly 146–157Hindu Politics in Italian – MachiavellismBenoy Kumar Sarkar 157–158Two Seals from CutchD. B. Diskalkar 159–176Indian Literature Abroad (In China) IIPrabhat Kumar Mukherji 177–180The date of Kaniska and Mr. KimuraSten Konow 180–182A Note on Excavation‑work by Medieval BengaleesRamesh Basu 183–186Perumal's ApostacyK. Rama Pisharoti 186–188A Note on the Evidence of Pāṇini on Vāsudeva‑worshipK. G. Subrahmanyam 188–191Progress of Archaeological Research in MysoreC. S. Srinivasachari 192–195The Cerebralization of the Dental Nasal in PāliVidhushekhara Bhattacharya 195–198Calcutta Imperial Library 198–203Ownership of the Soil in Ancient India : The evidence of certain texts discussedU. N. Ghoshal 204–214ReviewsNalinaksha Dutt, U. N. Ghoshal, D. Bhattacharya, Panchanan Mitra, Subimal Chandra Datta 215–219Select Contents of Oriental Journals

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