Concept of a Cell

Concept of a Cell: Caraka has explained that the bodyparts can be divided and re-divided into innumerable individual componentscalled ‘Paramānhus’. These are innumerable because oftheir huge number, highly minute structure and limited perceptive ability ofsense organs (Ca. Śā. 7/17).
This statement indicates that there existed a concept ofminute and numerous individual living units in the body. Today we call suchmicroscopic units by the name ‘Cell’. ‘Anhu Srotas’is another such very similar term, probably indicative of a cell. Some scholarseven held the view that the living body is nothing but the resultant ofaggregation of such innumerable ‘Srotāmhsi’. (Ca.Vi. 5/4).‘Srotāmhsi’ is the plural form of ‘Srotas’. The term ‘Srotas’ means an individual‘Cell’ - ‘An u Srotas’ and also an individual ‘OrganSystem’ - ‘Sthūula Srotas’. A tissue is a group of structurally andfunctionally similar cells. ‘Srotāmhsi’ arestructurally similar to their corresponding tissues. Also, each ‘Srotas’ isfunctionally (Metabolically) related to its corresponding tissue.


Basic Tissues: Plasma and lymph (‘Rasa’), blood cells(‘Rakta’), muscular and general connectivetissues (‘Māmhsa’), body-lipids including adiposetissue (‘Meda’), tissues resisting easy degradation - like bones(‘Asthi’), bone marrow and nervous tissue (‘Majjā’) and tissues responsible forreproductive functions (‘Śukra’) are the basic tissues from which the body is formed.(A.H. Sū.1/13).
Tissues producing breast-milk (Stanya), female reproductivetissues (Ārtava),‘Kanhdharā’ (tendons), Sirā (blood vessels),‘Vasā’ (muscle fat), six layers of skin and ‘Snāyus’(sinews) are the‘Upadhātus’ subsidiary tissues). Tissues producing breast-milk and female reproductivetissues are Upadhātus of ‘Rasa’. ‘Kanhdarā’ and ‘Sirā’are Upadhātus of ‘Rakta’.
‘Vasā’ and skin are Upadhātus of ‘Māmhsa’.‘Snāyu’ is the Upadhātu of ‘Medas’. (Ca. Ci.15/17).
Classification of tissues described in Ayurveda is based onsome rational observations. For example, ‘Rasa Dhātu’ includes both plasma andlymph (Intravascular fluid). ‘Rakta Dhātu’ mainly stands for RBCs. ‘Māmhsa Dhātu’ stands for muscular tissue in general but alsoincludes general connective tissue and parenchymal and stromal tissues of differentviscera. As ‘coating’ or ‘covering’ is the function of ‘Māmhsa Dhātu’, even epithelial tissue is included under the same.‘Medo Dhātu’ includes adipose tissue and circulating lipids of blood because itis of two types: ‘Baddha’ (bound) and ‘Abaddha’ (free). ‘Asthi Dhātu’ includesall those structures of the body, which resist easy degradation. So, teeth andnails also are included under this ‘Dhātu’. ‘Majjā Dhātu’ stands for everythingthat fills bony cavities. So, apart from bone marrow, it also stands for Brainsubstance because this fills up a cavity formed by the union of several cranialbones. ‘Śukra Dhātu’ mainly stands for all hormones ofhypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis.
Supplying the nourishment (Prīn ana),delivery of life-principle (Jīvana), providing covering or coating(Lepa), providing lubrication (Sneha), giving mechanical support (Dhāran a), filling-in the (bony) cavities(Pūran a) and reproduction(Garbhotpāda) - are the most important functions of these seven ‘Dhātus’respectively. (A.H. Sū. 11/4).