The book deals with the medical encounter between eastern and western medicine. So far, Philip Curtin, David Arnold, Ira Klein, Michael Worboys, Ian Catanach, Ralph Nicholas, Paul greenough and Roy McLeod, Mark Harrison among others have represented the western view on this historic encounter. There was no reply from the Indian Scholars on the debate. The current work is the first major attempt to represent the views of the Indian medical historians. It deals with epidemics, public health, traditional medicine and the received western medicine, women's health and many other allied questions. The value of this academic engagement cannot be overemphasized. This is destined to become a standard text for History of Medicine for medical students and general readers of the subject.