Abstract

CONTRIBUTION OF SUSHRUTA IN PEDIATRIC SURGICAL SCIENCES: A CRITICAL REVIEW

Dr. Mamta Upadhyay*, Dr. Astha Sharma, Dr. Noopur Singh, Dr. Vaisakh R., Dr. Bopparathi Swapna

Abstract

Although pediatric surgery is widely recognised as a modern medical milestone of the mid-twentieth century, the fundamental blueprints for treating surgical diseases in children were established thousands of years ago. Detailed conceptual frameworks addressing childhood pathologies and their operative management are deeply embedded within classical Ayurvedic literature. At the forefront of this ancient science is Acharya Sushruta, universally recognised as a pioneer of operative medicine, who codified these groundbreaking techniques in his definitive treatise, the Sushruta Samhita. Within the Ayurvedic tradition, holistic child health is typically the domain of Kaumarbhritya (paediatrics). However, when addressing structural defects and operative interventions, Sushruta’s work bridges the ancient past with contemporary medicine. Many of the surgical doctrines, tissue manoeuvres, and clinical principles he outlined align remarkably well with the core practices of modern pediatric surgery. Objective: This review aims to critically analyse Acharya Sushruta’s contributions to pediatric surgery and evaluate how his ancient insights translate into modern clinical practice. By exploring the conceptual, historical, and practical layers of his work, we seek to understand how these early surgical principles bridge ancient Indian operative medicine and contemporary pediatric care. Methods: A narrative review integrated with an explicit systematic search strategy based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted. Classical Sanskrit source texts—primarily the Sushruta Samhita—were cross-referenced with contemporary, peer-reviewed biomedical literature indexed in PubMed up to 2026. Data extraction concentrated on historical iterations of reconstructive therapeutics, pediatric operative principles, the physiology of wound healing, and ancient methodologies of surgical simulation and pedagogy. Results: The Sushruta Samhita contains early phenotypic and clinical descriptions matching several pediatric surgical diseases, including congenital malformations, structural anorectal anomalies, acute mechanical trauma, musculoskeletal fractures, foreign body impaction, and complex craniofacial defects requiring structural tissue reconstruction. Furthermore, Sushruta’s codified approach to pre-operative optimisation, structural anatomical dissection, meticulous wound bed preparation, and progressive simulation-based training exhibits clear parallels with modern pediatric surgical protocols. Conclusion: The surgical doctrines of Sushruta constitute one of the earliest recorded scientific bases for organised pediatric surgical care. Stripped of historical anachronisms, these ancient frameworks continue to offer valuable insights for contemporary medical history, surgical pedagogy, and translational research in tissue repair.

Keywords: Sushruta, Pediatric Surgery, Shalya Tantra, Kaumarbhritya, Congenital Anomalies, Reconstructive Surgery, Ayurveda.