A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.114

v1.c23.114

Ādibalapravṛtta are the diseases resulting from a defect (doṣa) of semen (śukra) or female procreational fluid (śoṇita), which means that they are transmitted by one of the parents; examples are kuṣṭha and arśas (haemorrhoids). Janmabalapravṛtta diseases result from transgressions (apacāra) of the mother (during pregnancy); they are either caused by the rasa (derived from an improper diet) or neglect of the pregnant woman’s cravings (dauhṛda); examples are paṅgu (lameness), jātyandha (congenital blindness), badhira (deafness), mūka (dumbness), minmina (a nasal voice), and vāmana (dwarfism). Doṣabalapravṛtta are the diseases arising from (an already present) illness (ātaṅka), 254 as well as those caused by a faulty diet (āhāra) and conduct (ācāra); they are of two kinds again: originating from the āmāśaya or the pakvāśaya; they are of two kinds too when distinguished into bodily and mental ones. 255 These three groups together constitute the diseases called ādhyātmika.