Plastic Surgery

This is the picture of the world’s first known modern plastic surgery. It is also the picture of the world’s first known modern nose job. It was performed by a traditional Indian surgeon named Kumar. How many of you have ever heard of him?

The person in this picture was known as Cowasji. He was a Maratha bullock driver. Tipu Sultan had imprisoned him, and his nose was cut off in prison. His nose was later restored by a traditional Surgeon named Kumar using “ancient Indian methods” in 1794 CE.

A Britisher named Lucas observed in action the traditional Indian surgery of Cowasji and documented every detail.

This picture was a British portrait of Cowasji AFTER Rhinoplasty (c. 1795 CE). At that time, the Europeans lacked the scientific knowledge and expertise needed to perform plastic surgery. They were greatly intrigued by this method and found it was commonly performed in India. They also noted how Susruta Samhita describes the procedure of Rhinoplasty in detail.

These details were then accessed by a scientist named Joseph Constantine Carpue. Using these techniques, he performed the world’s first “modern Rhinoplasty” 20 years later.

Joseph Constantine Carpue is widely known as the father of Plastic Surgery. But in his book “An account of two successful operations”, he acknowledges it was performed by “Indians from time immemorial”.He learned it through his friends who “copied from Hindoo practitioners” in his own words.

Nasal reconstructions had been practiced as a relatively routine procedure in India for centuries. The procedures are described in two well-known early Indian medical works like the Suśruta Saṃhitā. By the nineteenth century, the technique had been handed down through families.

Traditional Indian sources recommend that Kumbhakaras(potters) perform the surgery owing to their skill. They performed it till the 18th century

Source: “An account of two successful operations " by Joseph Constantine Carpue, https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ZhvI1gANQ/ and https://blogs.bl.uk/science/2016/10/britains-first-nose-job.html