The Handbook of Indian Medicine or The Gems of Siddha System

The revival of the Indian System of Medicine at the present day is one of the welcome signs of the times, and is seen in such publications as the present volume by Dr. T.G. Ramamurthi Iyer. The Ayurvedic and Siddha system of Medicine date back to a hoary antiquity, and became in the course of time the parent source of all the other Medical systems of the world. The humoral theory of the Hindus, though misunderstood, dominated the Greek, Roman, and Arabian medicine and in Europe down to the eighteenth century. Many of their medicine, plants and drugs, spices and aromatics have been incorporated in the material medica of almost every nation in the world. In fact, the influence of their medical works, their material medica and therapeutics and plastic surgery, etc. can be detected in the Persian, Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Arabic, Chinese, Tibetan and even in modern Europe-so that Colebrook was right when he said that in medicine the Hindus were teachers and not learners.