A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.146.3

v1.c23.146.3

the first group consists of infants up to the end of the first year of life, the second group of those in their second year, the third of those who are older; adulthood is divided into four stages: growth (vṛddhi), up to twenty years, young adulthood (yauvana), up to thirty years, maturity (sampūrṇatā), up to forty years, and gradual deterioration (parihāni), up to seventy years; the signs of old age are described (35.29);³⁵³ the dosages of medicines should be increased progressively with the advance of age, but when deterioration is present, the dosages to be prescribed are the same as those in the first stage of life (35.30); kapha increases in the young, pitta in the adult, vāta in the elderly; this should be taken into consideration before beginning treatment; cauterization, treatment with caustics and purgatives should be general be avoided in the young and the elderly, but, when necessary, applied in a mild form (35.31–32); the general physique is obese (sthūla), lean (kṛśa), or average (madhya); this general physical type and a patient’s bodily strength (bala) or weakness are factors influencing treatment (35.33–36); characteristics of sāttvika, rājasa and tāmasa individuals in relation to treatment (35.37–38); sātmya is defined; several types are mentioned: deśa-, kāla-, jāti-, ṛtu-, roga-, vyāyāma-, udaka-, divāsvapna-(day-sleep), rasasātmya, etc. (35.39–40);³⁵⁴ constitutions and drugs are topics to be discussed later on (35.41);