Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c13.4

c13.4

The cult of seven small-pox sisters whom the above seven forms of *śītalā* evidently correspond and particularly the *śītalā* is even at present very much spread in North India. *Śītalā* rides on an ass, she resides in the *nimba* tree, that is why the patient is also fanned with *nimba* leaves, *nimba* leaves are hung in the door of the patient's room and are put in a waterpot in the patient's room. *Śītalā* is specially worshipped by women and children, because the above sixth variety of *śītalā* is confined to children. *Camariyā*—the oldest of the small-pox sisters whom a particularly bad form of small-pox with confluent pustules is attributed, corresponds to the eighth *carmajā* or *camaragoṭī*. In south India also the divination of small-pox is a common practice. A goddess *Basurī* prevailing there in the 17th century is perhaps to be identified with *masūrī*.⁴ At present small-pox is evidently the most prevalent children's disease and one of the most dangerous diseases in India⁵. In view of the above information small-pox appears as a difficult, complicated and epidemic disease from *Mādhavanidāna* onwards. In AHr it is considered as dangerous; in Su, AS it is only a light skin-trouble which, according to Wise⁶, is to be considered as a mild form of the later epidemic small-pox, and in the oldest medicine it is completely absent. The often expressed view that small-pox existed in India much earlier than in Arabia and that it reached Arabia from India is thus in no way to be considered as certain; still less acceptable is the view of Chevers⁷ that the priests of *śītalā* were the oldest vaccinators. No trace of any vaccination can be discovered in older medical literature⁸, the worship of *śītalā* as small-pox goddess is foreign to it and no personification of the small-pox appears among the numerous ancient personifications of children's diseases.