Medicine, Diseases and Treatment

Medical science also seems to have well developed in those days. 414 Wounds (vranam) were dressed and then healed by 415 applying some oil, ointment (lepanam) or lotion and then 416 bandaging (vranapattika) the wounded part. Diseases The Kathasaritsagara mentions the following diseases. 419 417 418 Boils (visphota), leprosy (panduroga), consumption (yakshma), indigestion (ajirnam), headache (artasiram), 422 420 423 Julcer (nadivrana), abscess (gulma), heart-fail (sphuta- 424 425 427 hridyam), cholera (vichusika), lingering-fever (jirna 426 jvara), violent-fever (maha jvara), flatulence (vayuna 428 429 krandadeha) abscess in the heart (hridayavyadhi), internal 414. Nirnaya Sagar 6.2.159. 415. Ibid. 12.18.21, 6.2.178, 416. Ibid. 12.18.14, 12.34.321, 10.9.13, 12.5.10. 417. Ibid. 12.18.18. 418. Ibid. 10.8.131, 136, 142. 419. Ibid. 12.6.259. 420. Ibid. 9.4.174. 421. Ibid. 10.1.109, 6.7.148. 422. Ibid. 6.2.160. 423. Ibid. 3.1.14. 424. Ibid. 12.19.162. 425. Ibid. 12.3.8. 426. Ibid. 3.3.36. 427. Ibid. 12.4.119. 428. Ibid. 10.8.14. 429. Ibid. 3.3.42.

264 1430 431 tumor (sphota), malaria (mahaspitajvaram), typhoid 432 (dahajvara), 433 The hump-back (kakudam) Brahmin is mentioned. We have also a reference to a mad-man, a merchant's 434 was uncontrolable. who 435 Another mad-man is also mentioned. Their Causes The following are mentioned as the causes of some of the diseases. 436 Violent fever was caused due to sleep-less-ness. It was believed that indigestion was caused by a demon entering the belly. Extra meal was responsible for severe 437 stomachache. Abscess and ulcer were caused due to anxiety 438 and sorrow. A man who was seized by a cold ague was trembling and his hair stood erect on his body. A king was found 440 dead in his bed in the morning due to heart-fail. 441 It was believed that leprosy and consumption were incurable diseases. A man who was suffering from consumption (Yakshma) has been described as thin and pale as the new 442 moon. A leper is said to have requested a maid-servant 443 to tie his feet and hands with cloth.. Want of nutritive Nirnaya Sagar 430. 10.7.184. 431. Ibid. 5.2.89,10,1.5.122. 432. Ibid. 12.9.12. 433. Ibid. 10.6.231. 434. Ibid. 12.6.380. 435. Ibid. 3.4.248. Most of these diseases are mentioned by Jain J.C., Life in ancient India etc.p.180. 436. Ibid. 12.9.119. 437. Ibid. 9.4.183,184. 438. Ibid. 3.1.14. 439. Ibid. 5.2.90, 12.4.202. 440. Ibid. 12.19.162. 441. Ibid. 12.6.259. 442. Ibid. 12.6.272. 443. Ibid. 10.8.142.

265 444 qualities in food caused sickness and fever. People worshipped various gods so that they may protect them from diseases. It was believed that pestilence was caused by the curse of god. Medicinal Herbs People knew many herbs (ausadhi) and plants that had medicinal value. They were found in the Himalayas. 445 A garden of herbs outside Ujjayini is mentioned. Herbs and plants were also collected even from difficult spots 446 in ravines. Gleeming herbs (jvalita aushadhi) were used 447 448 as lamps. Other produced hair on the head of a bald. Certain curious herbs that were found on the Himalaya plateaux dispelled old-age, death and fever by the grace 449 of Siva. Dhatura plant made man unconscious and people di knew medical treatment by which old-age was removed. 450 Nagbala plant was known to the people. Emetic (vamanam) was to be given to a patient. The three kinds of fruits 451 (triphala) have been mentioned. Besides an elixir from the 452 flesh of wild-goat was used to cure certain diseases. 444. Nirnaya Sagar 10.8.131. 445. Ibid. 3.6.142,143. 446. Ibid. 10.2.17,102, 6.2.169. 447. Ibid. 4.2.103. 448. Ibid. 10.5.180, 187. 449. Ibid. 7.1.19. 450. Ibid. 6.7.151. 451. Ibid. 12.3.43. 452. Ibid. 7.5.7,9.

266 Methods to cure the diseases The following methods herbs and prescriptions are suggested for curing the various diseases mentioned above. A person who had a blister or was love-sick was cured by the use of ice (hema), Sandle-wood (chandanam) 453 454 and fanning (maruta). A plant named nagabala was used to cure a person who was out of sorts (asvastha). The stomach of a person who was suffering from indigestion r or gatstic troubles and had severe stomachache was massaged 455 p (mardanam). The three kinds of fruits (trihala) were sosid powdered and then the mixture (elixir) was used against 456 indigestion and stomachache. 457 Butter was applied on the head of a sick person. An elixir prepared out of the flesh of a wild-goat by mixing it with some powder (churnamisritam) was expected to give son to a certain queen. give It is mentioned that a dead Swan was brought to life by a Bhilla by the use of the juice of a certain herb (sanjeevani aushadhi). The art of preserving dead bodies was known. It is said that the dead-bodies of King Chandraprabha and 453. Nirnaya Sagar 12.18.19, 17.4.91. 454. Ibid. 6.7.151. 455. Ibid. 9.4.183, 184. 456. Ibid. 12.3.43. 457. Ibid. 6.3.144,147, 172. 458. Ibid. 7.5.7,9.12. 459. Ibid. 12.2.137, 102.

267 Suryaprabha were first anointed with potent drugs and then preserved by skilfully embalming them with heavenly 460 drugs and ghee. Mid-wives and Hospitals Mid-wives (garbha-grahika or Dhatri) who attended ladies at the time of delivery or sickness or looked after 461 The kings had a nursingchildren have been mentioned. home (garbha-gruha) in his palace and his trail of 462 servants included a grabha-grahika. Children used to 463 shampoo their father. Hospitals are not mentioned. But it appears that in ancient India there were big hospitals that accomodated a great number of patients. The Jain cononical texts 464 mention bags, surgical instruments, hospitals with hundred pillows and doctors and nurses working in it. Knowledge of the different parts of the human body suggests the study of anatomy. The Kathasaritsagara mentions the following terms. 465 467 466 Entrails (antrani), anus (guda), swollen and distended throat (chhungalam), foetus and uterus (garbha 460. Nirnaya Sagar 8.2.50,117. 461. Ibid. 6.8.63, 12.8.94, 13.1.41, 6.2.121, 6.8.98. 462. Ibid. 6.8.63, 9.5.186. 463. Ibid. 10.10.157. 464. Ibid. Jain J.C., Life in ancient India etc.p.178-179. 465. NbS. 6.6.157. 466. Ibid. 467. Ibid. 10.7.185.

1 468 268 shaya and garbha) 468. The physician who had good practice is mentioned by 469 various names such as vaidya, 470 hishaka or bhishgavarya. They took fees from patients. At one place it is mentioned that a physician should speak with his patients in 471. agreeable language. It is mentioned that a certain Brahmin 472 physican cured king Anantswami of a snake-bite. a The royal physician occupied a high place in the place of the king. Mention of such a physician is made in the Kathasaritsagara He has been discussed in detail under the Palace and Personal Staff under Political Conditions.\