The National Trust – Sri Lanka PUBLIC LECTURE BY Prof. Leelananda Prematilleke Prof. Arjuna Aluvihare 27/10/20111

2 A Twelfth Century Monastic Hospital at Polonnaruva and Medical and Surgical Equipment found therein Leelananda Prematilleke Arjuna Aluvihare

Prehistoric beginnings of medical practice Use of wild plants with herbal properties 27/10/20113

Use of stone implements for “surgical” needs 27/10/20114

Sumerian culture of the 2 nd millennium B.C. Mummification in Egypt 27/10/20115

Beginnings of medical practice and philosophy The Greek period 27/10/20116

The beginnings of the art of healing in China Chinese text ‘Chi Lu’ A text on methodologies in the treatment of diseases and injuries 27/10/20117

India Vedic period : ‘Rg-veda’ Surgical methods of amputation and extraction 27/10/20118

The last of the 4 vedas With mass of information on medical practice Medical properties of herbal plants 27/10/20119

Period of the Buddha Well organized system of ayurveda 4 basic tenets – Disease – Cause of disease – Cure of disease – Method of curing disease 27/10/201110

Tenets of ayurveda and the 4 Noble Truths – Suffering – Cause of suffering – Cessation of suffering – The way to end suffering [Frauwallner 1953: 184; Gombrich 1988: 58] 27/10/201111

Buddha treating the sick The monastic medical practice 27/10/201112

Asoka period (3 rd century B.C.) Foundation of institutions for the treatment of men and animals in India Girnar rock edicts of Asoka [Bhandarkar 1925: ] 27/10/201113

Spread of Buddhist culture Buddhists get the honour of establishing hospitals for the first time in history [Copleston bishop ] Indian Buddhist culture influencing neighboring countries, including Sri Lanka Absorption of medical practice 27/10/201114

Sri Lanka Commencement of the urban civilization of Anuradhapura in the 4 th century B.C. King Pandukabhaya – Established Sivikasala and Sotthisala [Mahavamsa X: 192] Foundation of medical institutions and convalescent homes King Duttagamini – 18 institutions for medical treatment [Mahavamsa XXXIII: 37-58] 27/10/201115

King Buddhadasa (4 th century A.D.) Skilled physician and surgeon [Mahavamsa XXXVII: 112ff, 145] Authorship of Sararthasangrahaya Establishment of village hospitals Medical seminaries, eg. at Nalanda [Sankalia 1934 : 70] 27/10/201116

Polonnaruva period Parakramabahu I – Reputed medical practitioner and teacher of medical lore – “ He, the all-wise summoned the physicians appointed there (hospital), tested in every way their healing activities and if their medical treatment had been wrongly carried out, he met them with the right method, pointed it out to them, as the best of teachers and showed them the proper use of instruments by skilfully treating several people with his own hand“ [Mahavamsa LXXIII : 34-48] 27/10/201117

Secular medical institutions not found Reason – built with less durable material? 27/10/201118

Monastic hospitals Parallel to medieval Church infirmaries [Canaught 1959: 21] “It is to Gotama and his followers that we owe the hospital idea” [Editorial, British Medical Journal 2:1928] 27/10/201119

Definition of plots in the monastic plans for the hospital (Rogalaya) [Jayasuriya, Prematilleke, Silva: in Manjusri Vasthuvidya Sastra] 27/10/201120

The monastic hospital at Mihintale 27/10/201121

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ALAHANA PARIVENA HOSPITAL AT POLONNARUVA 27/10/201123

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Excavations at Polonnaruva In progress After 27/10/201126

Hospital after conservation 27/10/201127

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Plan of Polonnaruva hospital 27/10/201129

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Attached toilet 27/10/201131

Hospital designed to allow maximum ventilation Uncrowded open space Open verandah connecting the living cells 27/10/201132

Hospital premises cordoned off by a wall Easy access to hospital Hygienic conditions and pleasant outlook 27/10/201133

Medicinal trees such as Margosa (Kohomba) and Cassia Fistula (Ahala) planted in hospital premises Garden environment and relief of ‘hospital- phobia’ 27/10/201134

Excavated artifacts include medical equipment and surgical instruments 27/10/201135

Medicine trough Also found at Anuradhapura, Mihintale, Madirigiriya and Dighavapi Treating the patient immersed in herbal juices or oils 27/10/201136

Medicine trough The Thupavamsa, refers to the immersion of patients up to the level of the nose in medicinal oils Treating snake-bite patients in wooden troughs is continued even today 27/10/201137

Charaka Samhita, the compendium of Indian medicine, refers to the treatment of patients by this method Yogaratnakara also provides measurement details of such troughs 27/10/201138

Grinding stones found at the site 27/10/201139

Storage jars for oils 27/10/201140

Bronze micro-balance 27/10/201141

Spoon 27/10/201142

Bronze Probes 27/10/201143

Surgical instruments 27/10/201144

Prof. Aluvihare’s presentation will follow THANK YOU 27/10/201145