Medicine & Surgery
Recognition of diabetes ('madhumeha')
1st millennium BCE-CESushruta/Charaka traditionSushruta & Charaka SamhitaPan-Indian / unspecified
1,000 BCE
Described a disease of 'sweet/honey urine' that attracted ants, and linked it to lifestyle.
- Dated
- 1,000 BCE–1000
- As scholars put it
- 1st millennium BCE-CE
- Originator
- Sushruta/Charaka tradition
- Source text
- Sushruta & Charaka Samhita
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Medicine & Surgery
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- High
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Western clinical characterisation of diabetes came much later.
Fair to say
A descriptive observation, not a modern biochemical understanding.
Path to modern innovation
An early clinical description of diabetes mellitus.
Transmission
Knowledge circulated in ancient medical networks.
Primary sources
- 3Charaka Samhita Hindi Volume 1Unreviewed
- 4Charaka Samhita Text With English Tanslation P. V. SharmaUnreviewed
References
- 1Sushruta/Charaka Samhita
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-035 on GitHub.