Ancient Indian Literature on Animal Housing and Health Corroborated by Modern Literature

摘要

Ancient Indian literature on animal housing and health as well as supporting evidences from modern literature were collected to prove the utility of ancient literature in modern times. Ancient literature on housing standards revealed that east facinganimal house shed provides maximum comfort. The east-west orientation was recommended by a modern study. Ethnoveterinary remedies have the potential to address the health problems. Veterinary practices were developed in the West only after 10th century CE but these practices are described in the texts of Palkapya (4000 BCE), Charaka (700 BCE), and Susruta (400 BCE). Limitations of modern drug system are high cost of technology, frequent emergence of drug resistance, and environmental toxicity of drug residues. There is a major gap in the existing veterinary health care infrastructure, which is a crucial constraint in improving the livestock sector. Veterinary care reaches only 20% of livestock owners. Annual expenses on veterinary drugs and biologicalsare less than ? 13 per livestock unit. The study proved that ancient knowledge has the capacity to serve as potential cost-effective treatment of commonly prevailing diseases of an area. Knowledge of old Indian tradition of healing will help to developappropriate and acceptable technologies that are more suited to our farming system and animal health, and may go a long way to achieve sustainable farming and cost-effective veterinary technologies.