Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c12.39

c12.39

§ 55. Worm-Diseases :— The worms which play a prominent role as provoking disease in the European folk-medicine¹, especially in children's diseases, appear already in the Vedic medicine in different forms, not only as worms in the intestines, but also in the head, eyes, teeth and the nose². The later medicine also knows worms in the eyes, teeth, ears, head, heart and those of other kinds. According to MN 97 f. (= Vang 200 f.; Bhāv 2.2.37 ) there are 20 kinds of external and internal worms. The former originate from the faeces or sweat on the skin (comm. ). They resemble the sesame ( tila ) in size, form and colour, reside in the hair and the clothes, are either many-footed and are called lice ( yūkā ) or quite small, with the name likhyā and cause either a red eruption or itching boils. According to Car 3.7.10 ( cf. 1.19.3 : viṃśatiḥ krimijātayaḥ ) there are two kinds of external kṛmis, namely yūkā and pipīlikās. They stay in hair, beard, eye-lashes and on clothes.