The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c8.73

c8.73

The classical medical literature well knows the word to which it often gives a consonantal stem: yakṣman. In it the word rājayakṣma denoted the cachexy resulting from various consumptive diseases, among which we may recognise pulmonary tuberculosis. It is called śoṣa, “drying up” and kṣaya, “diminution”. The Uttaratantra of the Suśruta-saṃhitā describes it as follows: “Followed by many disorders, coming in the wake of many disorders, difficult to know, difficult to push back, the ‘drying up’ is a disease of great strength. Because of the drying up of the organic juices... (which it provokes) it is called “drying up” and because it provokes the diminution of activity it is known as “diminution”. Because it was, as is known, the disease of the Moon-king, certain persons still call it the “royal disease”.² One should, therefore, understand by yakṣman, a state of decay, cachexy if it is a generalised disease and undoubtedly, an atrophy, a paralysis or even necroses, as we will see, if it is localised in an organ.