Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c12.67

c12.67

§ 63. Heart-diseases are pretty well summarily treated under the general name *hṛdroga*, *hṛdāmaya*, *hṛdayāmaya* "heart-disease". They arise out of hot, dry, heavy, too plentiful feeding and other defects in diet, also out of overexertion, wounds, suppression of excretions, anxiety, fright etc. and are divided into five kinds, four originating from *doṣas* and one from parasites. General signs are: paleness, faint, fever, cough, difficulty in swallowing, difficult breathing, bad taste, thirst, delirium, vomiting, discharge of phlegm, pain, loss of appetite (Car). In the parasitic variety (cf. § 55) there is nausea, spitting, pricking, needlelike pricking and boring or cutting pain in the chest, salivation, delirium, loss of appetite, dark colour of eyes, consumption as well as signs as in worms caused by the presence of excessive phlegm, i. e. a discharge from the mouth, indigestion and the like. For the first four heart-diseases various decoctions with butter, emetic and purgative, enemata, cold poultice etc. are to be given. For parasites, medicines prepared with the well known worm-remedy *viḍaṅga* should particularly be given, whereby worms present in the heart-area fall down (Car 6.26; 1.17; Su 6.43; AS 4.8; AHr 4.6; MN 209-11; Vr 31; Bhāv 2.3.2 ff; Vang 488 ff.). The expressions *urograha*, *uroghāta*, *vakṣastoda*, *urovibandha* "pain in the chest, oppression of chest" may also be mentioned. By *urograha* (pleurisy-BW) a dangerous disease is to be understood according to Vang 493 ff. The signs are: pain, sensitiveness to pressure, flatulence, swelling of the belly and heart, retention of wind, urine and stool and loss of appetite. The treatment consists of perspiring remedy, heating, blood-letting etc. On Vedic heart-diseases, see Bloomfield, SBE 42 pp. 7, 12, 40, 269, 471.