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                Achievements of the Ancients
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                  (Courtesy: Dr.P.V. Vartak, Pune, India)
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Medical Sciences
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Knowledge                          Ancient Reference      Modern
                                                          Reference
---------                          -----------------      --------------
Plastic Surgery (Repair of nose    Sushruta               A German Surgeon
by the skin flap on forehead)      (4000 - 2000 B.C.E)    (1968 A.D.)
 

Artificial Limb                    RigVed (1-116-15)      20th Century
 

Chromosomes                        Cunavidhi(Mahabharat)  1860-1910 A.D.
                                   (5500 BCE)
 

Number of Chromosomes (23)         Mahabharat-5500 BCE    1890 A.D.
 

Combination of Male and Female     Shrimad Bhagwat        20th Century
chromosomes in zygote              (4000 B.C.E)
 

Analysis of Ears                   RigVed                 Labyrinth-McNally
                                   Eitereya Upanishad     1925
                                   (6000 BCE)
 

Beginning of the Foetal Heart      Eitereya Up.           Robinson, 1972
in the second month of pregnancy   Shrimad Bhagwat
 

Parthenogenesis                    Mahabharat             20th Century
 

Test Tube Babies
a) from the ovum only            Mahabharat             Not possible yet
b) from the sperm only           Mahabharat             Not possible yet
c) from both ovum and sperm      Mahabharat             Steptoe, 1979
 

Elongation of Life in              Shrimad Bhagwat        Not yet confirmed
Space Travel
 

Cell Division (in 3 layers)        Shrimad Bhagwat        20th Century
 

Embryology                         Eitereya Upanishad     19th Century
                                   (6000 BCE)
 

Micro-organisms                    Mahabharat             18th Century
 

A material producing a disease     S-Bhagwat (1-5-33)     Haneman, 18th
Cent.
can prevent or cure the disease
in minute quantity
 

Developing Embyro in Vitro.        Mahabharat             20th Century
 

Life in trees and plants           Mahabharat             Bose, 19th cent.
 

16 Functions of the Brain          Eitereya Upanishad     19-20th Cent.
 

Definition of Sleep                Prashna-Upanishad      20th Century
                                   Patanjali Yogsootra