Medicine in the Ancient and Medieval World Essay

Medicine in the Ancient and Medieval World - Essay Example Long before Western society developed even a rudimentary level of understanding concerning the human body and/or disease, societies within Asia were figuratively light years ahead of what understanding was represented within the Western world. As a function of discussing an understanding this differential to a more full and complete manner, following analysis will be concentric upon representing the case of India and the case of Georgia1; with regard to how these societies and cultures integrated with an understanding, interpretation, and application of relevant understandings of health and/or patient care. It is the hope of this author that the reader will be able to utilize these relevant interpretations as a means of engaging with an understanding contributions and differentials that other cultures have been able to bring to the field of medicine throughout the course of millennia. Dating as far back as 5000 B.C.E., Ayurveda, is a system of traditional medicine that is native to the Indian subcontinent. Although there is a great deal of disagreement among historians and scholars with respect to the actual amount of change that has been exhibited within Ayurveda since it first came to appear within the historical record, it is clear that this particular approach to medicine and understanding the relevant needs and issues that the human body experiences has fundamentally shaped the way in which individuals from this part of the world integrate with an understanding of healthcare. In determining the ultimate background of this particular approach to medicine, it must be stated that from a review of relevant resources and a historical analysis, the reader can and should come to the understanding that Ayurveda initially was put forward in tandem with religious practice and interpretation of the spirit world. This is a fundamentally important aspects of early Indian medicine as it has been retained, passed on, and understood in tandem