The Science and Society Programme, NCBS,
Special lecture
Speaker: Indudharan Menon   Scholar-in-residence, NCBS

The Mechanism of Disease according to Ayurveda
Tuesday, September 11, 2012  4 pm
NCBS auditorium

Abstract:

The search for causes that lead to disease has played an important role in the development of empirical observation as well as the evolution of scientific methods and logical thinking necessary for understanding causality. This talk will discuss the diverse conceptions regarding pathogenesis that are interwoven in the classical texts of Ayurveda. These works open a veritable window for us to study a whole gamut of ancient views about the causes of disease, ranging from the prehistoric shamanic to the classical reflexive and analytical. I will put into perspective the role of the different views and describe the methods of healing corresponding to each of them. Taking one particular disease as an example, we will look at classical Ayurveda’s distinctive modes of reasoning for investigating pathogenesis (samprapti). The second part of the talk will focus on a few of Ayurveda’s fascinating insights into the causes of disease. I will conclude with some observations about how certain old notions about illnesses continue to influence the language we use when talking about health and disease.



About the speaker:

Indudharan Menon is a scholar in residence at NCBS doing research on Indian medical traditions for its Science and Society programme. He has been looking at the origins of the practices, the methodology and the theories of traditional medicine from the point of view of the history of ideas. One of the objectives of his research is to understand the socio-historical contexts, belief systems, philosophical assumptions and worldviews that have contributed to the emergence of Ayurveda as a formal medical system. He is also studying and conducting fieldwork on the Ashtavaidya physicians and folk and shamanic healers of Kerala.

http://www.ncbs.res.in/HistoryScienceSociety/content/indudharan-menon-biography