Attributes of a Good Physician

According to Ayurveda

Physicians who are born in noble families, who are well read, who have practical experience, who are skillful, pure, whose medicinal prescriptions and surgical operations are infallible who are self-controlled, who have all equipments and are endowed with healthy sense organs, who are acquainted with natural manifestations and those who have presence of mind are the saviours of life and destroyers of diseases. Such physicians are well acquainted with the anatomy and physiology of the entire body, creation and growth of the body and origin and evolution of the universe. They are free from doubts regarding the etiology, premonitory signs and symptoms, actual signs. and symptoms as well as managements of diseases which are easily curable, curable with difficulty, palliable and incurable.

They are well versed with the following:

1. three principles of the science of life (viz. etiology, symptomatology and management of good and bad health);

2. fundamental principles and their elaboration;

3. three sources of drugs;

4. thirty five roots and fruits, four types of fat, five types of salt, eight types of wine, eight types of milk and six plants whose latex and bark are useful;

5. various types of drugs used in five elimination therapies;

6. twenty eight types of gruel;

7. thirty two types of powders and ointments;

8. six hundred types of purgatives;

9. five hundred types of, decoctions;

10. factors responsible for the maintenance of positive health including diet, drug, regimen, residence, movement, sleep, rest, quantity, collyrium, smoking, inhalation, unction, washing, non-suppression of manifested urges, suppression of psychic urges, physical exercise and wholesomeness for examining the sense organs;

11. knowledge of the four aspects of therapeutics having sixteen factors;

12. determination of the nature of diseases;

13. three pursuits of life;

14. various actions of vdyu;

15. four types of unctuous substances prepared according to twenty four methods with drugs of various tastes, permutation and combination of which are of sixty four types;

16. various methods of preparation of drugs and therapies for oleation, fomentation, emesis and Purgation;

17. diseases of head etc.

18. summary of diseases caused by permutation and combination of various doshas;

19. ailments like carbuncle and abscess;

20. three types of oedema and other diseases having swelling inone or the other part of the body;

21. forty eight types of diseases;

22. one hundred forty types of diseases of nintitmaja variety (diseases caused specifically by one dosha):

23. etiology, signs, symptoms and management of despicable individuals who are either very corpulent or emaciated;

24. useful and harmful nature of steep, sleeplessness and excessive sleep along with their etiology and management;

25. six therapeutic measures like lightening therapy etc.

26. signs, symptoms and treatment of diseases due to overnourishment; and undernourishment;

27. diseases caused by the vitiation of blood, viz. intoxication, fainting and syncope along with their etiology, signs and symptoms and treatment by medicines and regimen; 28. rules of dietetics, food preparations which are wholesome and unwholesome by nature;

29. the diet and regimen which are foremost in nature amongst their group;

30. forty types of alcoholic preparations;

31. determination of dravya, (matter), guw. (quality), karman (action), primary and secondary tastes;

32. various types of incompatible food ingredients;

33. ingredients of food and drinks classified into twelve groups ,along with their properties;

34. properties of _post-prandial drinks:

35. nine aeors required to be examined for determining the properties of food;

36. digestive and metabolic processes;

37. good and ill effects of wholesome and unwholesome food:

38. diseases caused by the vitiation of various tissue elements along with their treatment in brief; and

39. ten resorts of life.

They understand the eight sections of ayurveda (science of life) in their entirely along with the scope of the science. They have the power of grasping, retention and understanding of the text. They apply their knowledge so acquired for the treatment of diseases with a view to bringing the dhatus to their, normal state after determining the stage of the disease, their own ability and the properties of the drugs employed., They are imbued with memory, intelligence, theoretical and practical knowledge. They nurture cordial feelings exactly like the mother, father, brother and kin towards all creatures. Physicians having such qualities give life to patients and cure their diseases.