{"id":106221,"date":"2022-12-22T16:44:50","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T16:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=106221"},"modified":"2022-12-22T16:48:16","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T16:48:16","slug":"mihintale-ancient-hospital-the-oldest-in-the-world-by-arundathie-abeysinghe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/mihintale-ancient-hospital-the-oldest-in-the-world-by-arundathie-abeysinghe\/","title":{"rendered":"Mihintale ancient Hospital \u2013 the oldest in the world? – By Arundathie Abeysinghe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mihintale ancient Hospital \u2013 the oldest in the world? – <\/strong>By Arundathie Abeysinghe<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Mihintale<\/p>\n

\"ArundathieEstablished by King Sena II (853-887 AC) at *Mihintale around 853 A.D., the ancient hospital in the location is considered as the oldest in the world, although, consulting and healing have taken place in the location centuries before. According to inscriptions, Ayurvedic medicine has been practiced at Mihintale and the hospital has been maintained by Buddhist monks. The layout of the building (of the hospital) and discovery of a medical trough are also evidence that a hospital had existed at the site.<\/span><\/p>\n

The oldest archeological evidence of a hospital in Sri Lanka is within the ruins of Mihintale. The identification was based on a 10th century inscription at the site. According to the plan of the hospital, there had been 31 rooms and these rooms were arranged on a high platform. The consulting room, rooms for hot water baths, inner verandah, court yard, outer court and a room for medicinal bath had been there in the Hospital Complex. In addition, steam therapy utilizing hot water had also been utilized as a form of treatment. Beds for patients had been arranged around the outer courtyard. Cisterns had been utilized to supply water to the hospital. There had also been a dispensary close to the entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to *Mahawamsa, ancient Sinhalese have introduced the concept of hospitals to the world. Scholars are of the view that *King Pandukabhaya (474 BC – 367 BC) had also *lying-in homes and treatment centers known as \u201cSivikasotthi Sala<\/em>\u201d (hospitals) constructed in several parts of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Known as \u201cVejja Sala<\/em>\u201d (meaning Hospital), the hospital dates to the 3rd century AD, approximately 400 years before the earliest hospital in Europe existed. Scholars are of the view that among the remnants of walls and pillars, there are monolithic stone baths hewn from a single rock which have been utilized to treat patients in the hospital. These stone baths have been made with a remarkably gripping sculptural quality and the internal cavity has been shaped to immerse a recumbent body without wasting precious herbal oils. Several stones utilized for grinding medicinal herbs and medicine jars unearthed from the site are preserved in the adjacent museum.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several blue glass jars (believed to be from Persia) as well as surgical instruments have also been unearthed from the site during archaeological excavations. Hence, scholars are of the view that advanced surgical skills had existed during this period, hitherto unknown in many parts of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mihintale<\/p>\n

According to scholars, there is no evidence to indicate that hospitals were known elsewhere before and during the time of King Pandukabhaya. Scholar Heinz E Muller-Dietz (Historia Hospitalium<\/em> 1975) has described Mihintale Hospital as being perhaps the oldest in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although, the hospital had been constructed during the period of King Sena II around 853 A.D., healing has taken place at the location much earlier as several ancient Sri Lankan Kings were well versed in Ayurvedic medicine. Herbs and spices had been used for treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

There had been many pioneering Sri Lankan Kings who has served as doctors in the past. King Buddhadasa (A.D. 340-368), the renowned physician-king was adept in general medicine, surgery, midwifery as well as veterinary medicine. According to chronicles, the King had excelled in surgery and had performed a surgery for a woman (to deliver her child). The King had also carried out a surgical removal of a lump in the belly of a snake. According to Mahawamsa, the King had constantly carried a set of surgical instruments during his journeys. According to *Culawamsa, King Aggabodhi VII (766-772 A.D.) has conducted research pertaining to medicinal substances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Treatments at Mihintale Hospital has followed the principles of Ayurveda and the hospital had been run by Buddhist monks.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a stone sarcophagus near the hospital entrance, considered as a tomb of a small person. The hospital had been well-known for herbal treatments and the stone trough is a bath where patients were immersed in oils and herbs and one of the most common disorders treated in the stone bath had been for snake bite. At present too, ayurvedic medicine is utilized to treat snake bites in Sri Lanka.<\/span><\/p>\n

The inner part of the Complex had been utilized for living. Daily alms had been brought by pious laymen to the hospital to be blessed by Buddhist monks to the inner court. Rice and porridge bowls have been excavated from this location of the hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the entrance to the hospital is the outer courtyard comprising four rooms: consulting room; room for preparation and storage of medicine and a room for hot water baths. Towards the end of the outer courtyard, to the north is the main building, the quadrangular courtyard with a small shrine in the center. The rooms are arranged on a high platform on all four sides of the Central Courtyard. The rooms face the shrine which is in the Courtyard. The size of each room is approximately 100 square feet (approximately 9.2 square meters). Towards southern side of the Complex, there is an outer court comprising the hot water and steam baths, a clinic, the refectory, a medicine stores and a grinding stone that has been utilized to grind medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

At present, there are stone pillars in the hospital ruins.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Mihintale<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n