According to Indian tradition the Aṣṭāṅgahrdayasaṃhitā is regarded as one of the classical triad of āyurvedic treatises alongside those of Caraka and Suśruta. The name of its author, Vāgbhaṭa, was not uncommon, and concerning him little can be said with certainty. It seems probable, however, that the Vāgbhaṭa who was responsible for the Aṣṭāṅgahrdayasaṃhitā belonged to a North Indian family of physicians and that he flourished at the beginning of the seventh century of the Christian era. The...