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A Concise History of Science in India c8.s8.t2: Āyurvedic Works in the Middle Age

A Concise History of Science in India c8.s8.t2

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Āyurvedic Works in the Middle Age

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Many scholarly works on *Āyurveda* proper were written during these six centuries. One of the earliest was the *Saṃhitā* of *Śāriṅgadhara* (thirteenth century), which, for the first time in the history of Āyurvedic works, includes opium in the *materia medica*, possibly following Chinese or Arabic practice; mercurial and other metallic compounds are also freely used in the text. A voluminous and possibly later treatise is by Vaṅgasena, with the title *Cikitsāsaṃgraha*. This work, which is not to be confused with an earlier work of the same name by Cakrapāṇidatta, has always been known as *Vaṅgasena*, possibly to avoid this confusion. It has been a popular handbook in Bengal for many centuries and is available in all respectable collections. The author claims in a concluding colophon that his work is a redaction of an earlier *saṃhitā* by the sage Agastya of South India fame and the legendary originator of the Sittar school of pseudo medicine. But, though it contains many prescriptions from this school, its language and presentation prove its later date of composition.a The *Yogaratnākara*, another comprehensive and monumental treatise on *Āyurveda* by an unknown author, has been popular in South India for many centuries; its chemical methods for preparing drugs are extremely valuable. Possibly the most renowned work during this period is that of Bhāvamiśra (fifteenth-sixteenth century). This work, *Bhāvaprakāśa*, contains an exhaustive list of diseases and their symptoms and a complete list of drugs current in his time. This encyclopaedia includes the aetiology and treatment of syphilis, a disease introduced into India by Portuguese seamen in the fifteenth century. Its list of drugs includes many that were not previously included in Indian medicinal usage, including metallic preparations and imported drugs.

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a Sen, Gananath (2), p. 59.

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Another class of medical works, which had existed from earlier times but which became increasingly important as handbooks in medical practice during this period, were the *nighaṇṭus* (ready guides or lexicons), which contained long or short monographs on different medicinal substances and terms. The works of this period were by Madanapāla, Narahari, Bhīmapāla and Rājavallabha, which supplemented or supplanted earlier works by Dhanvantari, Halāyudha, Viśvadeva, Amara, Śeṣarāja, Soḍhala, Mādhava and Cakrapāṇidatta. None of these works claim any originality in matter or presentation of theoretical knowledge. Among specialized treatises of this period may be named *Arkaprakāśa* by Rāvaṇa, of unknown age (possibly of a date not later than the twelfth century as indicated by the style of writing), dealing with aqueous and tinctorial extracts; *Cikitsākalikā* by Triṣaṭa (fourteenth century), a manual on diagnosis; *Cintāmaṇi* by Ballabhendra (fifteenth-sixteenth century), another comprehensive work on aetiology and diagnosis of diseases and clinical examination of the bodily eliminations; *Vaidyāmṛta* by Moreśvara (early sixteenth century), dealing with treatment of diseases only; and *Vaidya-Jīvana* by Lolimbarāja (seventeenth century), dealing with the clinical and therapeutical aspects of marital relations. Most of the works mentioned above are available only in manuscript form. An assessment of these works has been given by Gananath Sen (2) and Keith (3).

Cites (16)