Indian Medicine (Medicin), translated by C. G. Kashikar c9.49.2

c9.49.2

They serve to extract foreign matters from the bones, and really the 9 yantras bearing the heads of beasts of prey extract such foreign matters as are prominent and are easily sizable. The best pair of tongs applicable to all parts is that of heron's head. 2. Samdamsa ( pair of tongs ) of two kinds, with or without arms, 16 fingers long, to extract Salya from the skin, flesh, veins or sinews. AS, AHr mention two more Samdamsas : (1) a smaller kind, 6 fingers long, to extract hair in the nose or on the eyelids, irregular flesh on the wounds and the like and (2) mucundi provided with a ring on the grip which serves to extract remnants of cut-off Pterygium or to remove irregular flesh in deep abscesses. 3. Tāla, spoon, 12 fingers long, resembling the mouth of a big fish. There are two kinds : a single spoon and a double spoon. They serve to extract foreign matter from the ears, nose or fistula. 4. Nāḍī-yantra "Reeds", 20 kinds, with an aperture on one end or on both the ends, of different length and strength, according to the organ in which it is inserted, serving to extract foreign matters from the canals, (e. g. from the ear) for diagnosis (e. g. of diseases of throat), for sucking (e. g. poison), for the facilitation of operations (e. g. for washing out wounds ) or for introducing medicinal stuffs.