12
A Short History of Ayurvedic Veterinary Literature
medicine that was preserved by the Arabs during the ' dark ages ', but that of
the Indians as well, and the Materia Medica that returned to Europe at the
time of the Renaissance was consequently enriched by ancient Hindu know-
ledge.
Ibn Abu Usaibiâh, in his ' Fountains of Information ', speaks of the work
of one Shanak on veterinary matters. The manuscript of the Arab transla-
tion of this work is to be found in the Bodlean Library (Pocock 360) called
Wilson suggests the name of this author to be a corruption of Chanakya (Kau¬
talya), who, however, is known to the Indians only as a writer on statecraft.
Extracts from another Arabic translation of a veterinary work by an author
named Jannah, carried out by ' Mannah the Indian ' are also in the Bodlean
(Pocock 129) under the title . . . . . . In this, Jannah is said to have
lived during the reign of the Indian king, Ibn Kamanasthe, but, since there
has never been a king in India bearing this name, Jannah is, unfortunately,
unidentifiable.
Apart from actual veterinary works, other Sanskrit writings are rich in
animal lore. The Brihat Samhita has several chapters on the features of cows,
oxen, dogs, cocks, goats, horses and elephants. The Agni Purana quotes
largely from recognized veterinary authorities. The Parasara Samhita, the
Atri Samhita the Linga Purana, the Kavi Kalpalata, the Grihya Sutras, the
Garura Purana, the Basanatraja, the Panchatantra, the Hitopadesa and the
Buddhist Jatakas make constant references to the characteristics of animals
and frequently of their care and treatment in disease. With such a wealth of
information available on our subject, it is impossible to consider it here in
detail and the best method of approach would seem to be under the three
heads of horse, elephant and cattle medicine, which divisions are those that
were adopted by the Indian veterinarians themselves at this period.
(A) HORSE MEDICINE
(i) S'álihotra
The earliest and most important Hindu authority in this science is
S'álihotra. He, it is, who gave his name to veterinary medicine in India
(saluteri) and to the horse doctor (Saluter). It is in fact this identification of
his name with the art itself that has led to much confusion regarding the
authorship of numerous different writings bearing the title ' S'áloter '.
S'álihotra is generally believed to have been a native of S'álatura , near
ancient Taxila, though some people, on somewhat meagre evidence, have claim-
ed Lahore as his birth place. The famous grammarian Panini also came from
Sálatura, as indicated by the name sometimes given him of S'álaturiya. There
is, however, no justification for the assumption, occasionally made on this
evidence, that these two men were in reality one and the same ; nor for the
claim that S'álihotra may be identified with Dhanavantari. In ancient India,
it was a common practice, and one most confusing for the historian, to flatter
a contemporary sage by calling him by the name of some great ' rishi ' of
the past. Thus we find S'álihotra's admirers calling him ' Dhanavantari ',
while in later ages his own name was constantly bestowed upon his successors
as the reward for veterinary distinction.