A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c13.146

v1.c13.146

The chapter proceeds with: the danger of poisoning to which a king is exposed;576 the characteristics of a poisoner;577 tests to detect poison in food578; the symptoms of poisons administered in various ways (23.105–122);579 the three kinds of venomous snakes:580 darvīkara, maṇḍalin and rājīmant, who cause excitement of vāta, pitta and kapha respectively; the darvīkara is hooded (phaṇin), the maṇḍalin has a coiled hood (maṇḍalāphaṇa), the rājīmant has a spotted and streaked skin;581 their venom excites the mentioned doṣa by being dry and pungent, acid and hot, sweet and cold respectively; the characteristics of their bites are described (23.124–129);582 the characteristics of snakes who are male, female583 and neither male nor female are enumerated, followed by the characteristics of persons who are bitten by these three kinds,584 by a pregnant (garbhiṇī) snake,585 and by one who has given birth (sūtā);586 a four-footed snake, born from a godhā, is called a gaudheyaka and resembles a black snake (kṛṣṇasarpa);587 several other crossbreeds (miśrajāti) are known;588 the characteristics of serious (bhṛśābādha) and less serious bites (23.130–135); the black snake when young, the gonasa589 of advanced age, and the adult rājimant are like āśīviṣa (23.136);590 the four fangs of venomous snakes, their colours, the quantity of poison they contain (23.137–139); the two kinds of poisonous kīṭas,591 arising from the faeces and urine of snakes: those containing dūṣīviṣa (slowly acting poison) and those containing prāṇahara (deadly) poison; the characteristics of the bites of these kīṭas and the symptoms produced (23.140–143); the signs and symptoms of a bite by a dūṣīviṣa spider (lūtā) and of spiders in general (23.144–146);592 the signs and symptoms of bites and stings by a rat (ākhu, mūṣika),593 lizard (kṛkalāsaka),594 scorpion (vṛścika),595 kaṇabha,596 ucciṭinga,597 frog or toad (maṇḍūka),598 fish (matsya), leech (jalaukas),599 gecko (gṛhagodhikā),600 centipede (śatapadī),601 gnat (maśaka),602 fly or bee (makṣikā),603 and sthagikā604 (23.147–158); bites leading to death (23.159–161ab);605 factors aggravating the effect of poison (23.162); snakes whose venom has a mild effect (23.163);606 anger is the releasing factor of venom in snakes (23.164);607 vāta predominates in the poison of ucciṭinga and scorpion, vāta and pitta in that of kīṭas, kapha in that of the kaṇabha; treatment should consist of the prescription of substances counteracting these doṣas (23.165–166); the symptoms produced by a poison in which respectively vāta, pitta or kapha predominates (23.167–169); treatment of the bites and stings mentioned (23.170–174);608 the bite of a dog excites the three doṣas and corrupts the bodily elements; the symptoms of a dogbite;609 the bites of other fierce animals (vyāla); poisonous and non-poisonous bites (23.175–178); treatment of diverse kinds of poisoning610 (23.179–249);611 the section on treatment mentions a poisonous animal called viśvambhara (23.214);612 the condition called śaṅkāviṣa, i.e., the anxiety of someone who thinks to have been bitten (by a snake), is described, as well as its treatment (23.221–223);613 things wholesome and unwholesome to victims of poisoning (23.224–228);614 the symptoms of poisoning by quadrupeds and its treatment (23.229–232); gara, prepared and administered mixed with food by women afraid to lose the favour of their husband or lover, is also dealt with, followed by the treatment of the victim (23.233–240).615