Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c8.20

c8.20

diseases and a still more comprehensive presentation of their treatment; then there is the elixir and Vajīkaraṇa ( 945-1006 ), then Bṛṃhaṇa, Svedana, Vamana etc., lastly the dietetics and pharmacology, diagnosis and prognosis. In this work the picture appears essentially different from heretofore : In the field of pharmacy ( 1058-1113 ) nothing is said about calcination of metals, very little is spoken of the metals in general, Nāḍīparīkṣā is not mentioned in the medical examination and the opium does not appear. In the chapter on haemorrhoids Vangasena deals exhaustively, like later authors, with the three kinds of iron and six kinds of steel ( among them Romaka ), purification of the steel, the killing of iron by melting, powdering etc. ( 161 ff. ). He also speaks of the properly purified quicksilver (574), of Rasaparpata, the preparation of quicksilver (958) and other mercurial mixtures, but does not enter into the particulars of the methods of working upon mercury. The oldest MS of Vangasena is written in 1276¹ and another in 1320.² One may conclude perhaps from the name of Vangasena, whose father was called Gadādhara and was living originally in Kañjika, that he was a Bengali and was the contemporary of the Sena dynasty ( Era of Lakṣmaṇasena 1119 ff. ). The majority of MSS also shows the north-eastern origin. In citations Vangasena is very poor, but has quietly copied out word for word from Mādhavanidāna in the description of diseases; many times his readings are better. His chapter on Ariṣṭa ( 1104 ff. ) is similar to Suśruta 1.28-33⁴. Many recipes, e. g. six ślokas in the chapter on Atisāra, are identical in the Bower MS⁵. Others can be traced to Vṛnda and Cakradatta.