Meanings:
- veterinary – relating to the medical or surgical treatment of animals, especially domestic and farm animals
- surgery – operation
- eagle’s eye – a close watch
- lion’s heart – someone who is very brave is said to have a lion’s heart
- mother’s touch – tender, loving, caring touch
- therapy – treatment to relieve or heal a disorder
- treatise – written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject
- subsequently – following in either time or place
- stimulants – something that promotes activity
- immense – huge, gigantic
- empathize – to feel or understand another person’s feelings and pain
Pointers
1. Answer the following questions :
(a) Who was Sushruta ?
Ans: Sushruta was a bright student of veterinary medicine.
(b) Who was Shalihotra ?
Ans: Shalihotra was Sushruta’s teacher.
(c) What question did Shalihotra ask Sushruta ?
Ans: The question Shalihotra asked to test Sushruta was, ‘What all would be needed to perform a surgery on a wonderful horse?’
(d) How long a period did Shalihotra allow to find the missing things ?
Ans: Shalihotra gave Sushruta a week to find the missing things.
(e) How did Sushruta find the missing things ? Select the appropriate answer.
(1) By reading several books
(2) By consulting his friends
(3) By observing his teacher carefully and thinking about what he did
(4) By meditating
Ans: (3) – By observing his teacher carefully and thinking about what he did.
(f) Who erected the first known veterinary hospitals of the world ?
Ans: The great Emperor Ashoka erected the first known veterinary hospital in the world.
2. What were the three things that Sushruta discovered ?
Ans: The three things that Sushruta discovered was that, a good veterinarian should have;
(i) an eagle’s eye
(ii) a lion’s heart
(iii) a mother’s touch
3. Explain the meaning of the following phrases :
(a) An eagle’s eye
Ans: Meaning – a close watch, observe keenly
Sentence – The tigress watched her cubs with an eagle’s eye to keep them away from danger.
(b) A lion’s heart
Ans: Meaning – someone who is very brave
Sentence – The Indian soldiers fought with a lion’s heart and won.
(c) A mother’s touch.
Ans: Meaning – tender, loving, caring touch
Sentence – I am not scared of my dentist because he has got a mother’s touch in all that he does.
4. Narrate the story of Sushruta in your own words.
Ans: Sushruta was an ancient Indian physician known as the main author of the Sushruta Samhita, a text on medicine and surgery. He is known as the “Founding Father of Surgery.” His teacher, Shalihotra, was the founder of veterinary medicine (around 2350 BCE). A treatise entitled “Asvayurveda Siddhanta” (the complete Ayurvedic system for horses) is attributed to Shalihotra. Nakula, one of the Pandavas, has written “Asva Chikitsita.”
As a great medical practitioner, Sushruta identified by watching his teacher, who was operating on an animal, that a surgeon must have an eagle’s eye for keen observation of the problem, a motherly touch for taking care of the patient, and a lion’s heart to make the patient recover soon. Later, by watching his mentor do the operation, he identified what a surgeon must know to balance science and compassion.
5. Write short notes on the following :
(a) Veterinary Science in Ancient India.
Ans: Veterinary therapy developed very early in India. Based on the Ayurveda, Indian veterinary medicine is known for its specialised literature, which provides information on ancient methods of preventing and treating diseases in animals. Shalihotra, the founder of veterinary medicine, has been attributed the oldest existing veterinary text, a treatise entitled ‘Asvayurveda Siddhanta’.
(b) Care of animals in the regime of Emperor Ashoka.
Ans: The great Emperor Ashoka erected the first known veterinary hospitals in the world. Giving the animals general tonics and stimulants was practised in order to ensure good mental and physical health. The prevention of the occurrence of diseases was also given importance. Cleanliness of animals, maintenance of stalls and stables, quality of food, and the disadvantages of overfeeding were also looked after during the regime of Emperor Ashoka.
(c) Utilization of animal by-products in the ancient world.
Ans: Utilization of animal by-products was also done wisely by our ancestors. The conversion of milk into butter, ghee, curd, khoa, etc. was practised. Chicken for its meat and sheep for its wool were also utilised in the ancient world.
6. Form pairs. Complete the following table through discussions.
| Occupation | Necessary Qualities | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
Student | ||
Teacher | ||
Housewife | ||
Sportsman | ||
Artist | ||
Singer | ||
Author | ||
Umpire | ||
Actor | ||
Scientist |
Ans:
| Occupation | Necessary Qualities | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
Student | Obedience, hardwork | To learn discipline, to do well in life |
Teacher | Understanding, kindness, intelligence | To understand students, to deal and teach them well |
Housewife | Loving, caring, organised, cheerful | Should be proud for the well-being and warmth of the family |
Sportsman | Sporting, team spirit, confident, accept defeat with a smile | Should not be proud, accept defeat in the right spirit |
Artist | Should have an aesthetic mind | Should be able to express his feelings through art |
Singer | Have a good voice modulation | Should be able to enthrall the audience |
Author | Good writer, convey messages through writings | Young and old should be able to learn and love reading |
Umpire | Should be knowledgeable, observant and impartial | Should take the right decision to be fearless |
Actor | Should know the art of acting naturally | Should be a good entertainer |
Scientist | Discover science which is useful to mankind | Should be an asset to the society |
7. Note these pairs of words :
care – carefully
equal – equally
Here we see that the letters ‘-ly’ are added at the end of the word to make another word. A letter or group of letters added at the end of a word to make another word is called a suffix.
(a) Use the suffix ‘-ly’ to make other words from the following :
subsequent
Ans: subsequently
frequent
Ans: frequently
wise
Ans: wisely
immense
Ans: immensely
beautiful
Ans: beautifully
(b) Find two examples each, of the words made by using the following suffixes.
-ness
Ans: awareness, cleanliness
-er
Ans: recover, career
-let
Ans: booklet, armlet
-ful
Ans: wonderful, painful
-tion/sion
Ans: information, cultivation, profession, creation
-y
Ans: quickly, carefully
8. Frame questions beginning with the following words, based on the above passage. (One question each)
Who
Ans: Who are veterinarians?
What
Ans: What did Nakula write?
Where
Ans: Where did Emperor Ashoka arrange for cultivation of herbal medicines for men and animals?
When
Ans: When did veterinary therapy develop in India?
How
Ans: How did Shalihotra treat animals?
Why
Ans: Why did veterinarians start accompanying armies?
9. Visit a library : Find more information/stories about scholars of the ancient world – Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya, Varahamihira, Charaka, Nagarjuna, Jeevaka.
Ans: Students must do this on their own.