The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c8.185

c8.185

Demons and Abortion: Certain names of Vedic diseases can also be the names of demons already referred to by us. Many of their misdeeds do not directly interest us, but the rakṣas already encountered by us and who specialise in provoking abortion seem, according to a hymn of the Ṛgveda, to be considered capable of causing the death of the child during the different stages of confinement. This hymn is interesting to study as it thus seems to attest that the different stages of confinement as also the risks run by the child during this period, had been noted.