A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.421

Language: English

v1.c23.421.1

The subjects dealt with are: a king is always in danger of being poisoned;¹ women, wanting to secure a man’s affection, may try to achieve their aim by the administration of (poisonous) preparations;² the contact with a poison-girl (viṣakanyā)³ may also prove to be instantaneously fatal to a man; the (royal) physician should therefore always do his utmost to protect a king from being poisoned (1.4–7); the qualities the physician should possess who is in charge of the (royal) kitchen (mahānasa) (1.8–11); the royal kitchen, its location, design, utensils, personnel, etc. (1.12–13); the superintendent (adhyakṣa) of the kitchen should possess the same qualities as the (royal) physician (1.14ab);⁴ the qualities required in those working in the kitchen (1.14cd–16ab); the responsibilities of the physician attached to the royal kitchen (1.16cd–17ab); all those with specialized tasks should be under the direct control of the (responsible) physician (1.17cd–18ab); characteristic features of a poisoner; his detection (1.18cd–24);⁵ articles which may be poisoned (1.25–27);

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the detection of poisoned food by throwing it into a fire or giving it to various birds and other animals (1.28–34ab);⁶ poisoning by the inhalation of the vapours (bāṣpa) arising from food, its symptoms and treatment (1.34cd–36);⁷ the symptoms and treatment of poisoning by touching food with the hands (1.37)⁸ and taking it into the mouth (1.38–39);⁹ the symptoms and treatment in case the poison has reached the āmāśaya (1.40–41)¹⁰ or pakvāśaya (1.42–43);¹¹ the characteristics of poisoned liquids (1.44–45), vegetables, fruits, soups, etc. (1.46–47);¹² the characteristic of a poisoned toothbrush (dantakāṣṭha), the symptoms caused by its use, and the treatment of this type of poisoning (1.48–50);¹³ the disorders caused by a poisoned tongue-scraper (jihvānirlekha) or gargle (kavala) should be treated in the same way (1.51ab); the characteristics of poisoned substances used for abhyaṅga (massage oils); the disorders caused by their use and the treatment of these disorders (1.51cd–54);¹⁴ poisoning by substances used for utsādana and pariṣeka, by decoctions (kaṣāya), ointments (anulepana), bedding, garments, and armour (tanutra) shows the same features (1.55);¹⁵ the symptoms caused by a poisoned avalekhana¹⁶ and their treatment (1.56–58);

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poisoning by hair oils (śiro’bhyaṅga), head covers, bathing water, turbans (uṣṇīṣa), and garlands requires the same treatment (1.59);¹⁷ symptoms caused by poisoned facial cosmetics (mukhālepa) and their treatment (1.60–61);¹⁸ the symptoms of poisoning in an elephant and other animals used for riding; the symptoms occurring in those riding these animals; the treatment of animal and rider is the same as that in poisoning by an abhyaṅga (1.62–63ab);¹⁹ the symptoms of poisoning by errhines (nasya) or medicinal smokes and fumigations (dhūma) and their treatment (1.63cd–65ab);20 the characteristics of a poisoned flower garland and the symptoms caused by smelling it; the treatment is similar to that employed in poisoning by vapours and facial cosmetics (1.65cd–66);21 the symptoms caused by poisoned oils for the ears and the treatment of such cases (1.67–68); the symptoms caused by a poisoned collyrium (añjana) and their treatment (1.69–72ab);22 the symptoms caused by poisoned sandals (pādukā), shoes (upānah), and foot-stools (pādapītha); their treatment (1.72cd–73);23 the characteristics of poisoned ornaments and the symptoms caused by their use;24 the treatment of poisoning by footwear or ornaments is like that of poisoning by an abhyaṅga (1.74–75a); general therapeutic measures: the mahāsugandhyagada, strong purgatives and emetics, and phlebotomy (1.75cd–78ab); the plants called mūṣikā and jaruhā, tied round the wrists of a king, make all poisoned foods harmless (1.78cd–79ab);

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a wise (king) should, surrounded by his friends, always protect his heart (hṛdayāvaraṇa),25 drink the ghees called ajeya26 and amṛta,27 and regularly take particular articles of diet (1.79cd–81); meat dishes and other dietary items which counteract poisons (1.82–84); someone who has ingested a poisonous substance should protect his heart and be made to vomit (1.85).