Panchendriyartha Vipratipatti Chapter of Sushruta Sutra Sthana -- An Explorative Study.

Maharshi Sushruta has composed a treatise known as Sushruta Samhita around the 6th century BC. Sushruta Samhita lacks Indriya Sthana (a specialized section that deals with prognostic aspects), and prognostic knowledge is documented in the chapters from 28^th to 33^rd of Sutra Sthana (a specialized section that deals with Ayurvedic basic principles). Panchendriyartha Vipratipatti Adhyaya (PVA) is the 30^th chapter of Sushruta Sutra Sthana (SSS) and it consists of 23 verses. Literature is still scarce on Arishtha Lakshanas of SSS and further studies are need of the hour. The aim of the present study is to explore the prognostic potential of the contents of PVA of SSS with the help of contemporary prognostic literature. Pathological conditions of sensory organs and/or sensory pathways with global or specific impairment of sensory functions are described in PVA chapter. Conditions such as auditory and visual hallucinations, auditory and visual perceptual distortions, aphasia, paradoxical heat and cold sensations, somatosensory disorders, disease-specific volatile organic compounds, quantitative and qualitative olfactory and gustatory impairments, Morgellons disease, cortical sensory syndrome, and mirror image agnosia associated with fatal outcome are mentioned in the PVA of SSS. Various new hypotheses generated by the present explorative study may open the doors for further research in to the development of novel Ayurvedic prognostic models or questionnaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]