Phototherapy in Ancient India
Stumbled across this remarkable fact recently:
The first report of the use of ‘phototherapy’ in the treatment of skin disorders dates from 1400 BC from India…
A liitle bit of digging led me to the following references:
Historical aspects
The first report of the use of ‘phototherapy’ in the treatment of skin disorders dates from 1400 BC from India when patients with vitiligo were given certain plant extracts (whose active ingredients included psoralens) and then exposed to the sun.[1] Fitzpatrick TB, Pathak MA. Historical aspects of methoxsalen and other furocoumarins. J Invest Dermatol 1959;31:229-31 [ *Source cited below ]
.
Sadly, this knowledge appears to have been lost.
Not only does India have one of the highest incidences of Vitiligo (also called Leucoderma), people with this skin condition** go through enormous mental and emotional agony as this excerpt mentions :
Since ancient times patients with vitiligo suffered the same mental abuses as lepers. In actual fact vitiligo was referred as Sweta Kustha (शà¥à¤µà¥‡à¤¤ कà¥à¤·à¥à¤ ) meaning “White leprosy”.
In India…men, women and children with vitiligo face severe psychological and social problems. It is more acute in the case of young women and children. The first prime minister of India, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru ranked vitiligo as one of three major medical problems of India the other two being leprosy and malaria. In India vitiligo commonly known as leucoderma is unfortunately associated with some religious beliefs. In some Indian religious texts where reincarnation is believed, it is said that a person who did “Guru Droh” in his previous life suffers from vitiligo in this life. Thus people suffering from vitiligo in India have more social problems than in other countries. This is seriously felt among young unmarried women. This is so because of arranged marriages. Thus an young woman with vitiligo has little chance of getting married. A married women developing vitiligo after marriage shall have marital problems perhaps ending in divorce
Vitiligo is thus an important skin disease having major impact on the quality of life of patients suffering from vitiligo. Appearance of skin can condition an individual self-image, and any pathological alteration can have psychological consequences. Many vitiligo patients feel distressed and stigmatized by their condition. They attract undue attention from the general public some times whispered comments, antagonism and ostrisisam. The self image of the vitiligo patients drops considerably and may lead to depression. These patients often develop negative feeling about it, which are reinforced by their experiences over a number of years. Most patients of vitiligo report feelings of embarrassment, which can lead to a low self-esteem and social isolation…Severe depression has been known to lead to suicide attempts…
Will things change?
I hope they do…especially as more people become aware of the true nature of the condition and realise what vitiligo sufferers go through.
Related Post: Black Pepper may hold key to Vitiligo cure
* Source: Research paper titled, “Narrow band UVB phototherapy in dermatology” by Sunil Dogra, Amrinder Jit Kanwar (Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India).
** Note that Vitiligo is neither contagious nor a disease in the true sense. It is more correctly referred to as a disorder.
Bonus: In the course of this research, stumbled on this site which is a nice attempt at information dissemination in rural India
Few days back I read an item about Algebra being the invention of Indians and now this. Slowly and steadily Satyameva Jayate!
Where did you read that? I have been doing some digging on these subjects for some time. Based on some of the work done by Brtish Historians in early 19th century, it is very difficult to not agree with the premise that Arabic contribution to Algebra is largely limited to translations. One of the numerous remarkable quotes I come across reads “Of The Indian Algebra… …….â€we have now received “incontestable proofs†of their (Hindoos not the Arabs-my emphasis) very critical skill in that branch. ………It is well known, ………………………. that the Arabs had much of their mathematical knowledge from the Greeks; it is certain, however, that they had their arithmetic …… most likely their algebra from the same source (i.e. Hindoo);.……..that the Persian translations of the “Beej Gunnit†and “Leelawutteeâ€, contain principles, which are sufficient for the solution of any propositions in the Arabian, or in the Diophantine algebra; that these translations contain propositions, which are not to be solved on any principles that could be supplied by the Arabian or the Diophantine algebra; and that the Hindoos were farther advanced in some branches of this science . ..”. Source: “Historical and descriptive account of British India (By Hugh Murray, James Wilson etc.) http://books.google.co.in/books?id= pdI2AAAAMAAJ&output=text)
Based on those works, I find that the story is similar in case of trigonometry although not to that extent.
SKS: Please read the following links:
Does no one remember Indian Contribution to Mathematics – Part 2
and
Does no one remember the Hindu contribution to Mathematics?
Might be of use to someone…details of an NGO dedicated to this cause:
Shweta Association
Sahawas Hospital
26, Sahawas Society
Karvenagar
Landmark: Behind Ram Hotel
Pune – 411052
Phone: +91 20 25458760
General inquiries email info@myshweta.org.
http://www.myshweta.org/contact
This article is aboustly ture that an unmarried women face big problem to get married and even they not get chance to get married. But what I think that the disease could be cure very easily as like tuberculosis. Right now i am working in research institue and i hope i will do someting for finding out this disease’s diagnosis. what i know about this disease is that it is autoimmune disease and even could be genetically but i think it is not genetic disease and it could be a viral/bacterial disease. As far as concern with virus or bacteria i am very spiratual about this and i think this bacteria and virus comes form other planet to earth and infact many of viruses and bacteria causing many dangerious disease comes form other planet. So if we have to prevent this coming virus and bacteria form other planet then we need to invent some special instument as like radar to find out them.