A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.107

v1.c23.107

Subjects dealt with are: the eight substrates (vastu) of sores: skin, muscular tissue, sirās, snāyus, osseous tissue, junctures (sandhi), viscera (koṣṭha), and vital spots (marman) (22.3);²³⁷ a sore in the first of these substrates, which makes the skin burst, is easy to treat; sores in the remaining substrates are difficult to manage (22.4);²³⁸ the shapes (ākṛti) of sores: oblong (āyata), rectangular (caturasra), round (vṛtta), triangular (tripuṭaka); sores with other, irregular shapes (vikṛtākṛti) are difficult to treat (22.5);²³⁹ sores heal rapidly when the patient keeps to the rules concerning diet and conduct and when the physician is competent (22.6); the characteristic features of corrupted sores (duṣṭavraṇa): a very narrow opening (atisaṃvṛta), a very wide opening (ativivṛta), excessive induration (atikaṭhina), excessive softness (atimṛdu), excessive elevation (atyutsanna), excessive depression (atyavasanna), excessive coldness (atiśīta), excessive heat (atyuṣṇa), a fierce (bhairava) aspect due to the presence of a black, red, yellow, white, or other colour, being filled with foul-smelling (pūti) pus (pūya),²⁴⁰ muscular tissue, sirās, snāyus, etc., and discharging foul-smelling pus, deviation from the usual track (unmārgin),²⁴¹ a pouchy aspect (utsaṅgin),²⁴² an unpleasant (amanojña) aspect and smell, severe pain (vedanā), association with an excessive burning sensation, suppuration (pāka), redness (rāga), itching, swelling, and boils (piḍakā), a discharge of corrupted blood, and chronicity (dīrghakālānubandhin);²⁴³ these types should be arranged in six groups, dependent on the excess (ucchrāya) of the doṣa(s) involved,²⁴⁴ and treated accordingly (22.7); types of discharge (srāva) according to the substrate of the sore and the doṣa(s) involved (22.8);²⁴⁵ incurable discharges (22.9–10); types of painful sensations (vedanā), caused by vāta, pitta, blood, kapha, and all the doṣas together (22.11);²⁴⁶ the colours of sores, dependent on the doṣa(s) involved (22.12).²⁴⁷