The growth of Kannada’s medical vocabulary

Dr P S Shankar.

Vaidya Vishvakosha back cover.

Vaidya Vishvakosha.

Dr D S Shivappa's book, in which he traced the etymology of medical words.

Padakosha by Dr D S Shivappa.

In an era of information explosion across all domains, accessing information in English has become significantly easier. The global medical information industry, valued at billions of dollars, is supported by prominent pharmaceutical companies, reputable journals and numerous globally recognised portals. These entities consistently update and disseminate medical information to both the medical community and the public.

However, regional languages like Kannada do not enjoy the same advantage. The availability of proficient medical content writers and publishing houses dedicated to medical literature in Kannada is still limited.

Despite these challenges, doctors from Karnataka have achieved something extraordinary — Vaidya Vishvakosha, an encyclopaedia of medical literature, stands as a testament to this remarkable feat.

While the medieval period saw numerous works related to Ayurveda, the earliest recognised Kannada encyclopaedia dates back to the 14th century. Mangaraja I, a court physician to Harihara I, authored Khagendra Manidarpana, an ancient book on Ayurveda. This comprehensive work included 16 chapters covering remedies for diseases affecting the body, mind and intellect.

Creating an encyclopaedia in Kannada posed the challenge of finding suitable equivalent words wherever possible. The first notable attempt in this regard was made by the late Dr D S Shivappa in 1959. At that time, no dictionaries were available that provided Kannada translations of English medical terms. He studied the original medical terminologies and tried creating Kannada equivalent words.

Dr C R Chandrashekhar, a prolific medical writer in Kannada, recalls how Dr Shivappa carried boxes filled with postcard-sized notes having Kannada equivalents for English medical terminologies. In 1973, the first edition of the English-Kannada Vaidya Padakosha was published. This dictionary has nearly 36,000 words and their Kannada translations.

Although the publication of the Vaidya Padakosha was a pioneering and remarkable achievement, it has seen limited usage due to the complex language used.

Succinct language

Over the past five decades, Dr P S Shankar has written and worked extensively on an English-Kannada dictionary. Drawing on his vast teaching experiences and patient interactions, he has strived to find suitable Kannada words that the public can easily understand. The rules for constructing Kannada words are based on whether there is a need to replace existing English words. Dr Shankar has observed that even villagers often find it comfortable to use some English words.

In 1994, Chandrashekhar Kambar, then vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi, supported the idea of publishing an encyclopaedia in Kannada. The decision was made to include topics ranging from birth to death. While Dr P S Shankar made significant contributions across all topics as an editor-in-chief, ten other editors oversaw specific domains. This included Dr C M Gurumurthy, Dr H D Chandrappa Gowda, Dr S J Nagalotimath, Dr D S Shivappa, Dr Leelavati Devadoss, Dr C R Chandrashekhar, Dr S P Yoganna, Dr H S Mohan, Dr Vasanth Kulkarni and Dr Karaveera Prabhu Kyalakonda.

Altogether, 48 authors contributed write-ups to the encyclopaedia, which consists of 25 chapters. The topics cover every aspect of medical science, including birth, body anatomy and functions, medical instruments, delivery, women's health issues, genetic diseases and nutritional issues. It also covers infectious diseases, mental health and nervous system disorders, diseases related to the glandular tissues, blood, heart, lungs and kidneys, as well as diseases of the skin, eyes, ears, nose and throat, each dealt with separately.

The information is presented in succinct language, without excessive technical jargon, and supplemented with colourful photographs. The book also includes a separate section on first aid and a note about Nobel Prize winners in medicine.

Dr Karaveera Prabhu Kyalakonda views this work as a crucial step towards fulfilling the National Education Policy and imparting medical education in Kannada in the future.

Since the second revised edition was published in 2017, Dr D V Paramashivamurthy, the vice-chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, supports the idea of periodically revising the encyclopaedic work to include new diseases and treatments.

Echoing the same, Dr Na Someshwara, a reputed medical writer, believes this work is an honest attempt that needs to be expanded to cater to all strata of society, from students and homemakers to experts in the field. He suggests incorporating the history of medicine, elaborate details of human anatomy, ethics and surgeries. He also calls for a stronger emphasis on topics like children's health and drugs, along with coverage of newer inventions to ensure its relevance in contemporary times.