. Shalihotra's principal work was a large treatise on the care and management of
horses, the
Shalihotra Samhita (encyclopedia of the physician Shalihotra) having some 12,000
shlokas in
Sanskrit. It has been translated into Iranian, Arabic, Tibetan and English and all languages. This work described
horse and
elephant anatomy,
physiology,
surgery and
diseases with their curative and
preventive measures. It elaborated on the body structures of different races of horses, and identified the structural details by which one can determine the age of a horse. Two other works, namely
Asva-prashnsa and
Asva-lakshana sastram are also attributed to Shalihotra. Some of the later authors have named their veterinary works after Shalihotra and others have based their work on his Samhita. Subsequent generations copied, revised and added to Shalihotra's text. one of these later texts is shown in the illustration above. Hence, the term "Shalihotra" refers to similar texts in a tradition. Muni Palkapya wrote
Hasti Ayurveda, covering all aspects of elephant medicine. This book has four sections and 152 chapters, including the anatomy of elephants. During
Mahabharata period,
Nakula, author of the
Ashva-chikitsa, was considered an equine expert, while
Sahadeva was a specialist in cattle management. Horses and elephants were vital assets in the never-ending warfare of the ancient world. Physicians treating human beings were also trained in the care of animals. Ancient Indian medical treatises such as those of Charaka, Sushruta and Harita contain chapters or references about the care of diseased, as well as healthy animals. ==Author==