THE HiPPocRAInc OATH is universally known in the western medical world. A document comparable in antiquity yet unknown to most modem physicians is the oath of initiation of medical students that is found in the Charaka Samhita. The Charaka Samhita is a highly-esteemed ancient medical text. The approximate dates of composition and the general contents of the Charaka Samhita were briefly discusse...

chosen to claim it for their own, and the meaning of many of its phrases has long been the subject of doubt and discussion. This beautifully produced edition will go far towards informing the German reader of the difficulties of interpreting the Oath, and will alert him to some of the dangers of an eager identification of ancient and modern. He will also gain from some of the commentators' subt...