ABINGTON, Pa. — Columbia University Press recently released "Buddhism and Medicine: An Anthology of Premodern Sources" edited by C. Pierce Salguero, associate professor of Asian history and religious studies at Penn State Abington.
"Buddhism and Medicine" showcases the relationship and mutual influence between these fields across premodern Asia. The anthology combines dozens of English-language translations of premodern Buddhist texts with introductions by leading international scholars.
The book, which Salguero dedicated four years to finishing, is the first of three in the series.
“There are few scholarly books on the market that even touch on the topic of Buddhism and medicine in the premodern period, and none of those are anthologies of sources," he said.
This work explores in detail medical topics ranging from the development of fetal anatomy to nursing, hospice, diet, magical powers and visualization. Premodern Buddhist pieces that have been translated include meditation guides, popular narratives, spells texts, monastic disciplinary codes, recipes and works by physicians.