A second and revised edition of the comprehensive encyclopedia on medicine in Kannada, compiled and edited by medical teacher and physician P.S. Shankar, has been released by the Kannada University in Hampi, Ballari district.

The first edition of the encyclopedia, titled Vaidya Vishwakosha, was first published by the university in 1995 when Jnanpith award winner Chandrasekhars Kambar was Vice-Chancellor. Dr. Kambar, who had taken it up as a challenge initiative to publish the first ever encyclopedia on medicine in Kannada, requested Dr. Shankar, who played a pivotal role in popularising Kannada books on medicine by penning several books for the layman, to take up the responsibility of compiling and editing the book.

Dr. Shankar compiled many aspects of medicine, including known and rare diseases, diagnostic facilities, and treatment methods, over 479 pages.

Dr. Shankar said that although the field of medicine has witnessed many changes and developments, for long no effort was made to update or revise the encyclopedia about new treatment facilities and advanced research activities in medicine.

Despite repeated pleas to the university to revise the encyclopedia with all these details, it was only after exactly two decades that the then Vice-Chancellor, Boralingaiah, decided to approve a second edition. Dr. Shankar was again chosen as the chief editor.

More colourful

I have completed the task of updating all the missing aspects and new developments in the field of medicine, treatment and diagnosis, including emerging new diseases such as the Zika virus, how AIDS has become a manageable disease, the danger of drug-resistant TB, and other diseases. The book, now 635 pages long, is packed with colour pictures and illustrations of various diseases and treatment methods, Dr. Shankar said.

He added that Kannada was the only language in the country which had a comprehensive encyclopedia on medicine. Although there are many books published on various aspects of medicine and treatment in other languages, particularly Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil, comprehensive coverage is rare, he said.

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New edition of medicine encyclopedia launched - The Hindu