NEW by Vitus Angermeier
In Ayurveda, the mainstream medical system of pre-modern South Asia, the phenomenon of collective... more In Ayurveda, the mainstream medical system of pre-modern South Asia, the phenomenon of collective suffering requires a special explanation, since it is not in accordance with the general understanding of disease causation. The basic theory holds that people are prone to specific diseases according to their constitution, diet, physical strength, habituation, character and age. An event with many deaths or illness cases that show similar symptoms despite differing constitutions, diets etc., is hard to comprehend without a theory of contagion. The chapter on epidemics in the Carakasaṃhitā, one of the foundational ayurvedic compilations (put together around 150 CE) attempts to solve this enigma. It initially enumerates and exemplifies certain general factors, natural phenomena that affect all people of a region regardless of their personal constitution. If wind, water, place or time are in disarray, the changes affect everyone who is under the influence of these phenomena. Thus such environmental corruptions can cause epidemics or similar events despite the dissimilarity of people. The chapter is presented as a dialogue between a teacher (Punarvasu Ātreya), who starts the conversation with the prediction of an epidemic, and his curious pupil, who is not fully satisfied with the initial, environmental explanation summarized above. After the enumeration of various possible countermeasures, he therefore inquires about the underlying causes of such environmental changes. In his reply Ātreya, provides an alternative or complementary ethical explanation for the occurrence of widespread suffering and death. Here, collective unrighteousness (adharma) is given as the central cause for epidemics and similar events: Unrighteous leaders, by their evil acts, corrupt their subjects, intensify and spread the unrighteousness and thus drive away the gods. As the presence of these gods, especially Indra, the god of rain, is understood to guarantee an undisturbed and beneficial natural environment, their absence inevitably brings disaster. While the contagiousness of diseases (in a modern sense) is clearly not understood in this period, the concept of collective (a)dharma, being at the heart of this causation theory, contains several elements that are also part of the concept of contagion. In the proposed paper I will sketch the different explanatory models for the occurrence of widespread suffering as presented in the Carakasaṃhitā and examine if they conflict with or complement each other. It will become clear that this dual – environmental and ethical – approach is paradigmatic for the situation of pre-modern South Asian medicine, which is often torn between socio-religious convictions and scientific ambitions. Contact, rather than contagion plays an important role in both explanatory layers. Thus, the paper will also show how disease was not understood as transmitted from person to person. Instead, its root cause, adharmic behaviour, was seen as potentially contagious and its spread as eventually corrupting the environment. As a result, all those who are in direct contact with this corrupt environment are collectively afflicted by the same disease. This talk will provide insights to and results from the research project "Epidemics and Crisis Management in Pre-modern South Asia", conducted at the University of Vienna and financed by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
The foremost objective of the Arthaśāstra (AŚ, 50 BCE – 300 CE) is teaching the king or a prince ... more The foremost objective of the Arthaśāstra (AŚ, 50 BCE – 300 CE) is teaching the king or a prince (i.e., a king in the making) how to successfully do his job: Ruling a country and securing its survival and prosperity. As part of this task, it is the ruler’s responsibility to be prepared to deal with all kinds of calamities – in the interest of his own security, of his subjects on the individual level, of certain professions, as well as socially and religiously defined segments of society, and of the whole kingdom. To this end, the work contains a whole book (AŚ 8) on the assessment of various defects (vyasana) of the constituents of a kingdom, including a chapter (AŚ 8.4) on great dangers (mahābhaya), threats like fires, floods, droughts, and epidemics. Additionally, there is one more chapter enumerating practical countermeasures for natural and other disasters (AŚ 4.3), and, scattered all over the work, many suggestions and exemption clauses, that shall facilitate survival of the subjects in times of distress.
This study focuses on the modes of reaction that were available to the king according to the Arthaśastra. What measures could he fall back to in the event of crisis? Which red lines must not be crossed under any circumstances? What fell in the king’s own responsibility and which tasks could he delegate? Which experts were available and could be consulted or mobilised? Were there certain taboos, or people and powers that should not be made use of in solving the crisis? How far does the alleged utilitarianism of the Arthaśāstra go when faced with calamities?
Books by Vitus Angermeier
Puṣpikā – Tracing Ancient India through Texts and Traditions: Contributions to Current Research in Indology, 2023
In the series Puṣpikā – Tracing Ancient India through Texts and Traditions: Contributions to Curr... more In the series Puṣpikā – Tracing Ancient India through Texts and Traditions: Contributions to Current Research in Indology, the proceedings of the International Indology Graduate Research Symposium (IIGRS) are published. Puṣpikā is a peer-reviewed series that provides early-career scholars with a platform to share the results of their research on pre-modern South Asian cultures.
This is the 6th volume in the series, containing thirteen articles based on the talks presented at the 12th IIGRS online and in Vienna, Austria on 22–24 July 2021.
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2020
OA Publication available from: https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at/regenzeiten-feuchtgebiete-koerpersaefte
... more OA Publication available from: https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at/regenzeiten-feuchtgebiete-koerpersaefte
"Regenzeiten, Feuchtgebiete, Körpersäfte" analyses the role of water in early Indian medicine on the basis of its source texts. In three large sections, Angermeier discusses the medical relevance of nature and climate, the role of water in the human body and its dietary and medical use, offering multi-layered insights into the intellectual history of early Ayurveda. Since this healthcare system considers water not only in the strict medical sense, but also deals in detail with climatic and ecological conditions that are essential for a long, healthy life, this book provides relevant aspects for all disciplines that deal with water in South Asia.
Papers by Vitus Angermeier
Studia Orientalia Electronica, Apr 26, 2024
A passage on suffering (duḥkha) in the first section of the Suśruta saṃhitā (SS), one of the foun... more A passage on suffering (duḥkha) in the first section of the Suśruta saṃhitā (SS), one of the foundational compendia of Āyurveda, elaborates on three kinds of suffering. The very same scheme also occurs in the commentarial literature of Sāṅkhya, one of the oldest and most important philosophical systems of South Asia. In the SS, however, this account leads a solitary life, never being referred to in the whole work again, or in other contemporary medical literature. This article determines the actual position of this passage within the work and its relation to the Sāṅkhya parallels, and examines other approaches regarding the causation of suffering and disease in the SS. To this end, not only its representation in the vulgate edition of the SS but also the version appearing in three early Nepalese manuscripts is considered.
Visages du dharma, 2023
This essay shows that physicians of early Āyurveda adopted a pragmatic approach to the challenges... more This essay shows that physicians of early Āyurveda adopted a pragmatic approach to the challenges dharma imposed on them. While the concept and its importance is generally accepted in the medical compendia, various passages stress the fact that good health is an indispensable precondition to pursue dharma and other goals of life. In the interests of health it is even tolerable to deceive patients if their religious convictions would get in the way of treatment.
From the viewpoint of Āyurveda, following dharma not only means complying
with the orthodox Brahminical prescriptions, but also implementing various health-preserving measures. This merger of ethical and medical ideals is shown in various lists of prescriptions for right conduct. Neglect of these rules constitutes a case of adharma and leads to shortened lifespans, suffering and unfavourable rebirths. The concept of dharma is even employed to explain the otherwise incomprehensible phenomenon of epidemics and the gradual decline of the human lifespan throughout the ages. This employment contains a sophisticated proto-ecological theory explaining the impairment of nature through human deeds and its consequences for the affected people.
History of Science in South Asia, 2022
Most passages on the seasons in works of ancient Indian medicine list frost, spring, summer, rain... more Most passages on the seasons in works of ancient Indian medicine list frost, spring, summer, rainy season, autumn and winter as the divisions of the year. However, in some contexts, the hibernal season frost (śiśira) is left out and replaced by a second rainy season, called “beginning of the rain” (prāvṛṣ), that is placed between summer and the actual rainy season. In this paper, I first introduce the concept of the seasons and the division of the year into two halves. Second, I examine the dichotomy of the existence, within one scientific corpus, of two seasonal schemes that vary regarding the included seasons. Concerning this matter, I review the investigations of Francis Zimmermann and compare them with Ḍalhaṇas commentary on the relevant passages in the Suśrutasaṃhitā. This analysis shows that Zimmermann was by and large correct when he argued that the two schemes are utilized in specific contexts but it proposes a new terminology for the schemes, understanding them as preventive and reactive instead of distributive and transitive. Finally, an examination of the relevant passages in the lesson on the seasons in the Suśrutasaṃhitā reveals that, contrary to the correspondent lessons in the other sources, here the two schemes are mixed together in a very confusing way. This, in combination with further textual evidence, clearly points to the posteriority of the Suśrutasaṃhitā’s lesson on the seasons compared to its counterparts in the Caraka- and Bhelasaṃhitā.
Puṣpikā: Proceedings of the 11th International Indology Graduate Research Symposium (Oxford, 2019), 2024
The causes of suffering are a central topic in Buddhism as well as in Ayurveda. The Pāli Canon an... more The causes of suffering are a central topic in Buddhism as well as in Ayurveda. The Pāli Canon and other early Buddhist texts like the Milindapañha mention eight specific causes resulting in disease or suffering at several places. In contrast, early Ayurveda, as presented in the Carakasaṃhitā, knows a threefold causal complex of diseases or suffering in general. In this study, I aim to present and disentangle the confusing information in the Carakasaṃhitā and isolate two consistent models of causes of suffering. Based on this analysis it is possible to better understand the interrelation of these models as well as their position in contrast to the causes enumerated in the early Buddhist texts. * This article is based on a talk presented at the Indology Graduate Research Symposium (iigrs.wordpress.com) 2019 in Oxford. Later adaptions were made within the frame of a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF (Epidemics and Crisis Management in Pre-modern South Asia [10.55776/P35301]; epidemics.univie.ac.at). I also need to thank Dominik A. Haas, Philipp A. Maas and Valters Negribs who read the paper and made various valuable suggestions for improvement. 1 Regarding the various terms denoting disease and suffering in Early Buddhism, cf. Divino 2023, 29-34. Causes of Suffering 2/24 Vitus Angermeier Bile and phlegm and wind, their confluence, and the seasons, 2 adverse [surroundings or activities], 3 injury (opakkamika) 4 with ripening of karma as the eighth. 5
The seminal 1989 study "Mantra in Ayurveda" by Kenneth G. Zysk describes four areas in which mant... more The seminal 1989 study "Mantra in Ayurveda" by Kenneth G. Zysk describes four areas in which mantras were used in early Āyurveda: the treatment of wounds and swellings/tumours, of poisoning, of mental disorders, and the collection and preparation of certain medicines. Although this article is a highly important contribution to the study of the significance of Vedic concepts in āyurvedic medicine, it leaves much room for further investigation into the role of mantras in early South Asian medical history. Mantras appear in many more contexts than those mentioned by Zysk. Vedic and post-Vedic mantras are also mentioned in prescriptions on general preventive measures, preparation of food, intake of medicines, after-care of surgical procedures, pregnancy, childbirth and childcare, initiation of medical students, and other topics. Apart from their mere appearance, their medical use raises several more concrete questions such as: Who is in charge of pronouncing the mantras? Are they taken from the Vedic corpus or other sources, and are there original "āyurvedic" mantras? To what extent and in what way are the prescribed mantras connected to the medical circumstances? In this talk, I would like to update and complement Zysk's list, provide an overview of the importance and prevalence of mantras in the various āyurvedic schools and disciplines, and provide a perspective on what still needs to be done to thoroughly understand the role of mantras in Āyurveda.
Scholarship application for preparing a scientific project.
While the colonial and modern histor... more Scholarship application for preparing a scientific project.
While the colonial and modern history of epidemics in South Asia has been widely discussed in secondary literature, the subject of epidemics in the ancient and medieval periods constitutes a significficant research gap in the history of medicine. ThiThis project aims to filfill at least a part of this lacuna by examining the intellectual history of epidemics in South Asia and its medical, religious, divinatory, social and political aspects through a comprehensive philological investigation of the relevant Sanskrit literature from this period.
Body and Cosmos: Studies in Early Indian Medical and Astral Sciences in Honor of Kenneth G. Zysk, 2020
Agni and Soma, the essential, idolized elements of the vedic ritual, give several dubious appeara... more Agni and Soma, the essential, idolized elements of the vedic ritual, give several dubious appearances in the compendiums of early ayurvedic medicine. As already examined by Dominik Wujastyk in his 2004 study “Agni and Soma: A Universal Classification“, the concept of two polar elements that form a base for several specific substances or even the whole world represents a clear theme in ayurvedic literature.
In this study, I investigate how this basically Vedic concept emerged in the early ayurvedic compendiums. While Wujastyk's essay had a wider scope, discussing this concept's development throughout South-Asian history, including thoughts on ethnographic evidence and parallels from Ancient Greece, in the domain of Ayurveda it is concentrated on certain compound words, containing both terms, occurring in three of the most important compendiums. This study, on the other hand, collects and analyzes references of both terms in whatever form, and – to the three works examined in the preceding study, the Suśrutasaṃhitā, the Aṣṭāṅgasaṃgraha and the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā, adds two more, the Carakasaṃhitā and the Bhelasaṃitā. On this basis one can gather more information on the topic and get a clearer picture of the development of the agni/soma concept within early ayurvedic medicine.
Krankheitsprävention im Ayurveda: Pragmatisches Recycling und historische Brüche.
polylog, 2020
This is the shortened, revised published version of this draft: https://www.academia.edu/43177003... more This is the shortened, revised published version of this draft: https://www.academia.edu/43177003/
This article discusses the changes and continuities that characterize the role of disease prevention in Ayurveda from its origins until today. Over the times, Ayurveda repeatedly came under pressure through various external factors. Among these, the impact of western culture and medicine in the wake of colonialism was of utmost significance.
As the present article shows, prevention played a role in Ayurveda from the beginning, however, its importance and the modes of its application changed over the centuries. Therapies like Rasāyana, that have been out of fashion for some time, were revived and adapted to modern needs in the 20th century. In spite of this ability to change and adjust to new circumstances, representatives of modern Ayurveda often prefer to emphasize and even exaggerate the old age and originality of their science.
eJournal of Indian Medicine, 2017
Landscapes might be a minor topic in the field of classical Āyurveda; however, they actually do p... more Landscapes might be a minor topic in the field of classical Āyurveda; however, they actually do play an important role in several contexts. For example, the constitution of the patients depends on their natural surroundings, the quality of food and medicinal plants is defined by the habitat of plants and animals, and the wholesomeness of drinking water is determined by the clime at its source. Thus, we find references to all kinds of landscapes in the compendia of ancient Indian medicine. However, not only terrestrial space is mapped. Water and sky as well are regarded as living environments of animals which in turn serve as food for humans and have specific characteristics according to their roaming area. This study is based on a search for references to landscapes in all possible contexts of the four eminent source texts of ancient Indian medicine, the Carakasaṃhitā, the Suśrutasaṃhitā, the Aṣṭāṅgasaṃgraha and the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā. Its first part presents the gathered information systematically rearranged and discusses the differences and similarities between plant and animal habitat, as well as the human environment. The second half is dedicated to the specific types of landscapes, describing them based on the findings in the source texts and showing their various impact on water, plants, animals, people and medicinal practice in general.
Draft version. Published version here: https://doi.org/10.18732/hssa89
Most notions of the s... more Draft version. Published version here: https://doi.org/10.18732/hssa89
Most notions of the seasons in works of ancient Indian medicine list frost, spring, summer, rainy season, autumn and winter as the particular times of the year. However , in some contexts, the hibernal season frost (śiśira) is left out and replaced by a second rainy season, called beginning of the rain (prāvṛṣ) and placed between summer and the actual rainy season. In this paper, I firstly introduce the concept of the seasons and the division of the year into two halves. Secondly, I examine the di-chotomy of two seasonal schemes inside one scientific corpus, which varies regarding the included seasons. Concerning this matter, I follow the investigations of Francis Zimmermann 1 in order to prove that the two schemes are utilized both intentionally and systematically in specific contexts. The two seasonal schemes serve diverse cases, being of use for the physician in different aspects of his work.
A revised, shorter version of this article was published as "Krankheitsprävention im Ayurveda: Pr... more A revised, shorter version of this article was published as "Krankheitsprävention im Ayurveda: Pragmatisches Recycling und historische Brüche" in polylog 42: Gesundheit und Heilung (2020): pp. 7–20. (http://www.polylog.net/?id=284)
Cf. https://www.academia.edu/43176982/
This article discusses the changes and continuities that characterize the role of disease prevention in Ayurveda from its origins until today. Over the times, Ayurveda repeatedly came under pressure through various external factors. Among these, the impact of western culture and medicine in the wake of colonialism was of utmost significance.
As the present article shows, prevention played a role in Ayurveda from the beginning, however, its importance and the modes of its application changed over the centuries. Therapies like Rasāyana, that have been out of fashion for some time, were revived and adapted to modern needs in the 20th century. In spite of this ability to change and adjust to new circumstances, representatives of modern Ayurveda often prefer to emphasize and even exaggerate the old age and originality of their science.
Reviews by Vitus Angermeier
History of Science in South Asia, 2023
Book review of: James McHugh, An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian History and Religions(New York, O... more Book review of: James McHugh, An Unholy Brew: Alcohol in Indian History and Religions(New York, Oxford University Press, 2021), pp. xii, 403. £25.99. ISBNs:9780199375943, 9780199375936. DOI:10.1093/oso/9780199375936.001.0001.
Social History of Medicine, 2021
This is the draft version of a book review published here: https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkab026
Talks and Conference Presentations by Vitus Angermeier
As Āyurveda is at its core a highly individualistic science, information on how collective suffer... more As Āyurveda is at its core a highly individualistic science, information on how collective suffering was understood and treated is scarce in its foundational works. While the passages referring to epidemics and similar events have attracted some attention in the last decades, endemic diseases are an almost completely neglected topic. Francis Zimmermann, in his inspiring monograph The Jungle & the Aroma of Meats, noticed that passages on the quality of river water virtually provide maps of health and disease for the South Asian subcontinent, but he did not develop this theme any further. By diligent reading and cautious interpretation of the relevant passages it is indeed possible to connect certain diseases with specific regions of South Asia, revealing differing opinions on this topic visible in the various works of Āyurveda. In this talk, I will introduce, compare, and discuss maps of seemingly shifting endemic diseases as deducible from some of the earliest surviving compilations of Āyurveda (Caraka-, Suśruta-, and Bhelasaṃhitā, all dated roughly around 150 CE). In addition, I will also take into account certain later commentaries and raise the question of the plausibility of the alleged disease distributions.
Usually theories on disease causation and treatment in early Āyurveda focus on the individual pat... more Usually theories on disease causation and treatment in early Āyurveda focus on the individual patient, his diet, and his lifestyle. There are however certain contexts, in which the locality or origin of factors jeopardising health is significant. Some climatic regions are understood to constitute more unhealthy surroundings in relation to others. Also, water flowing from certain mountain ranges is made responsible for the spread of specific ailments. Furthermore, the profession of the physician is inherently positioned on the intersections between civilisation and nature, between the orthodox tradition and the heterodox others. Healers have to find their medicines in the wilderness and draw on the special knowledge of those who live in the forests. Their well-paying patients, however, belong to the civilised world. Because, in the exercise of their profession, physicians come in contact with impure substances they have a low status in society – at least according to the rules of Dharmaśāstra literature. This socio-religious rejection naturally positions them close to heterodox ascetics and other forest dwellers. However, because of their precious knowledge and the ability to save people from illness and death, they can also become highly respected by the elites.
In this talk I want to present some peculiarities of the geography of disease and healing in pre-modern South Asia and theorise on the religious, cultural and social backgrounds of these connections and attributions. What is the greater significance of geographical localisation of disease origins? How was wilderness vis-à-vis civilisation perceived by early āyurvedic physicians? What do these views tell us about their attitude towards people living in places understood to be either wild or civilised? Where have they positioned themselves and where have others positioned them?
Although a plethora of ancient South Asian sources refer to situations that would be considered c... more Although a plethora of ancient South Asian sources refer to situations that would be considered crises by modern standards, the early Sanskrit vocabulary lacks a word that we could understand as a distinct equivalent of the term “crisis” and its Greek and Latin predecessors. Nevertheless, the descriptions and discussions of personal and collective distress in the literary sources allow for a comprehensive examination of how crises were understood and dealt with in ancient India. In this presentation, I will discuss early South Asian concepts related to the Mediterranean/European notion of crisis and demonstrate the importance of theories about socio-religious norms (dharma) and actions determining one’s future fate (karma) to pre-modern understandings of calamities. Furthermore, I will sketch reflections regarding their causation and show suggested countermeasures against them. To this end, I will draw on textual sources from a variety of disciplines, including the Indian epics, medical treatises, as well as political and religious works.
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NEW by Vitus Angermeier
This study focuses on the modes of reaction that were available to the king according to the Arthaśastra. What measures could he fall back to in the event of crisis? Which red lines must not be crossed under any circumstances? What fell in the king’s own responsibility and which tasks could he delegate? Which experts were available and could be consulted or mobilised? Were there certain taboos, or people and powers that should not be made use of in solving the crisis? How far does the alleged utilitarianism of the Arthaśāstra go when faced with calamities?
Books by Vitus Angermeier
This is the 6th volume in the series, containing thirteen articles based on the talks presented at the 12th IIGRS online and in Vienna, Austria on 22–24 July 2021.
"Regenzeiten, Feuchtgebiete, Körpersäfte" analyses the role of water in early Indian medicine on the basis of its source texts. In three large sections, Angermeier discusses the medical relevance of nature and climate, the role of water in the human body and its dietary and medical use, offering multi-layered insights into the intellectual history of early Ayurveda. Since this healthcare system considers water not only in the strict medical sense, but also deals in detail with climatic and ecological conditions that are essential for a long, healthy life, this book provides relevant aspects for all disciplines that deal with water in South Asia.
Papers by Vitus Angermeier
From the viewpoint of Āyurveda, following dharma not only means complying
with the orthodox Brahminical prescriptions, but also implementing various health-preserving measures. This merger of ethical and medical ideals is shown in various lists of prescriptions for right conduct. Neglect of these rules constitutes a case of adharma and leads to shortened lifespans, suffering and unfavourable rebirths. The concept of dharma is even employed to explain the otherwise incomprehensible phenomenon of epidemics and the gradual decline of the human lifespan throughout the ages. This employment contains a sophisticated proto-ecological theory explaining the impairment of nature through human deeds and its consequences for the affected people.
While the colonial and modern history of epidemics in South Asia has been widely discussed in secondary literature, the subject of epidemics in the ancient and medieval periods constitutes a significficant research gap in the history of medicine. ThiThis project aims to filfill at least a part of this lacuna by examining the intellectual history of epidemics in South Asia and its medical, religious, divinatory, social and political aspects through a comprehensive philological investigation of the relevant Sanskrit literature from this period.
In this study, I investigate how this basically Vedic concept emerged in the early ayurvedic compendiums. While Wujastyk's essay had a wider scope, discussing this concept's development throughout South-Asian history, including thoughts on ethnographic evidence and parallels from Ancient Greece, in the domain of Ayurveda it is concentrated on certain compound words, containing both terms, occurring in three of the most important compendiums. This study, on the other hand, collects and analyzes references of both terms in whatever form, and – to the three works examined in the preceding study, the Suśrutasaṃhitā, the Aṣṭāṅgasaṃgraha and the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā, adds two more, the Carakasaṃhitā and the Bhelasaṃitā. On this basis one can gather more information on the topic and get a clearer picture of the development of the agni/soma concept within early ayurvedic medicine.
This article discusses the changes and continuities that characterize the role of disease prevention in Ayurveda from its origins until today. Over the times, Ayurveda repeatedly came under pressure through various external factors. Among these, the impact of western culture and medicine in the wake of colonialism was of utmost significance.
As the present article shows, prevention played a role in Ayurveda from the beginning, however, its importance and the modes of its application changed over the centuries. Therapies like Rasāyana, that have been out of fashion for some time, were revived and adapted to modern needs in the 20th century. In spite of this ability to change and adjust to new circumstances, representatives of modern Ayurveda often prefer to emphasize and even exaggerate the old age and originality of their science.
Most notions of the seasons in works of ancient Indian medicine list frost, spring, summer, rainy season, autumn and winter as the particular times of the year. However , in some contexts, the hibernal season frost (śiśira) is left out and replaced by a second rainy season, called beginning of the rain (prāvṛṣ) and placed between summer and the actual rainy season. In this paper, I firstly introduce the concept of the seasons and the division of the year into two halves. Secondly, I examine the di-chotomy of two seasonal schemes inside one scientific corpus, which varies regarding the included seasons. Concerning this matter, I follow the investigations of Francis Zimmermann 1 in order to prove that the two schemes are utilized both intentionally and systematically in specific contexts. The two seasonal schemes serve diverse cases, being of use for the physician in different aspects of his work.
Cf. https://www.academia.edu/43176982/
This article discusses the changes and continuities that characterize the role of disease prevention in Ayurveda from its origins until today. Over the times, Ayurveda repeatedly came under pressure through various external factors. Among these, the impact of western culture and medicine in the wake of colonialism was of utmost significance.
As the present article shows, prevention played a role in Ayurveda from the beginning, however, its importance and the modes of its application changed over the centuries. Therapies like Rasāyana, that have been out of fashion for some time, were revived and adapted to modern needs in the 20th century. In spite of this ability to change and adjust to new circumstances, representatives of modern Ayurveda often prefer to emphasize and even exaggerate the old age and originality of their science.
Reviews by Vitus Angermeier
Talks and Conference Presentations by Vitus Angermeier
In this talk I want to present some peculiarities of the geography of disease and healing in pre-modern South Asia and theorise on the religious, cultural and social backgrounds of these connections and attributions. What is the greater significance of geographical localisation of disease origins? How was wilderness vis-à-vis civilisation perceived by early āyurvedic physicians? What do these views tell us about their attitude towards people living in places understood to be either wild or civilised? Where have they positioned themselves and where have others positioned them?