A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c23.434

Language: English

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The subjects dealt with are: kīṭas, which arise from the semen, excrements, urine, dead bodies and decomposing eggs of snakes, are constitutionally dominated by vāyu, agni or ambu, 168 and are of various kinds; those which are constitutionally connected with all three doṣas are, due to pariṇāma, 169 very dangerous (sughora), in spite of being only kīṭas; four groups of kīṭas are distinguished (8.3–4); the kīṭas dominated by vāta, which make vāta excited and cause vāta diseases by their bites, are eighteen in number: kumbhīnasa, tuṇḍikerī, śṛṅgī, 170 śatakulīraka, 171 uccīṭiṅga, 172 agnināman, cicciṭiṅga, mayūrikā, āvartaka, urabhra, sārikāmukha, vaidala, śarāvakurda, 173 abhīrāji, parusa, citraśīrṣaka, 174 śatabāhu, and raktarājī 175 (8.5–8ab); the kīṭas, in the same way dominated by agni (= pitta), are twenty-four in number: kauṇḍinyaka, 176 kaṇabhaka, 177 varaṭī, pattravṛścika, vināsikā, brāhmaṇikā, bindula, 178 bhramara, 179 bāhyakī, picciṭa, 180 kumbhī, varacaḥkīṭa, 181 arimedaka, 182 padmakīṭa, dundubhika, makara, śatapādaka, 183 pañcālaka, pākamatsya, 184 kṛṣṇatuṇḍa, gardabhī, klīta, kṛmisarārī, and utkleśaka (8.8cd–12ab); the kīṭas, similarly dominated by soma (= kapha), are thirteen in number: viśvambhara, 185 pañcaśukla, pañcakṛṣṇa, kokila, saireyaka, pracalaka, 186 valabha, 187 kīṭibha, sūcīmukha, kṛṣṇagodhā, kaṣāyavāsika, 188 gardabhaka, and troṭaka 189 (8.12cd–15ab);

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the twelve kīṭas with fatal bites are: tuṅgināsa, vicilaka, tālaka, vāhaka, koṣṭhāgārin, 190 krimikara, maṇḍalapucchaka, tuṇḍanābha, sarṣapika, 191 valguli, śambuka, and agnikīṭa; 192 the characteristics of the stages of poisoning by their bites are similar to those by snake-bites; their bites give rise to severe pains and diseases caused by concerted action of the doṣas; the site of their bite shows the same colours as those produced by a caustic or by cauterization (8.15cd–18); symptoms caused by kīṭas with a sharp (tīkṣṇa) poison (8.19–21); the other symptoms they cause are like those of dūṣīviṣa or poisonous plasters 193 (8.22–23a); symptoms brought about by kīṭas with a slow (manda) poison (8.23b–24ab); the powdered bodies (of these kīṭas), which act like dūṣīviṣa, turn into gara 194 when combined with various drugs or employed in a plaster (anulepana) (8.24cd–25ab); the four kinds of kaṇabha: 195 trikaṇṭa, 196 kariṇī, hastikakṣa, and aparājita; the symptoms their very painful bites give rise to (8.26–27); 197 the five kinds of godheraka: 198 pratisūryaka, piṅgābhāsa, 199 bahuvarṇa, 200 nirūpama, and godheraka; 201 the symptoms produced by their bites (8.28); the six kinds of galagolikā: śvetā, kṛṣṇā, raktarājī, raktamaṇḍalā, sarvaśvetā, and sarṣapikā; the symptoms caused by the bites of the first five; the symptoms caused by the fatal bite of the sarṣapikā (8.29); the eight kinds of śatapadī: paruṣā, kṛṣṇā, citrā, kapilā, pītikā, raktā, śvetā, and agniprabhā;

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the symptoms produced by their bites; 202 the additional symptoms of the bite by a śvetā or an agniprabhā (8.30); the eight kinds of frogs 203 (maṇḍūka): 204 kṛṣṇa, sāra, kuhaka, harita, rakta, yavavarṇābha, bhṛkuṭī, and koṭika; 205 symptoms caused by their bites; 206 additional symptoms by the bite of a bhṛkuṭī or a koṭika (8.31); the characteristics and symptoms caused by the bites of a viśvambhara (8.32), ahiṇḍukā, kaṇḍūmakā, and śukavṛnta (8.33); the six kinds of ants (pipīlikā): sthūlaśīrṣan, saṃrvāhikā, brāhmaṇikā, aṅgulikā, kapilikā, and citravarṇa; the characteristic signs caused by their bite (8.34); the six kinds of makṣikā: 207 kāntārikā, kṛṣṇā, piṅgalā, madhūlikā, kaṣāyī, and sthālikā; the characteristic signs caused by their bite; 208 additional symptoms caused by the fatal bite of a kaṣāyī or a sthālikā 209 (8.35); the five kinds of maśaka: 210 sāmudra, parimaṇḍala, hastimaśaka, kṛṣṇa, and pārvatīya; the characteristic signs of their bite; 211 the bite of a pārvatīya is fatal (8.36); the signs of a scratch by finger nails; the bites of leeches and their treatment have already been described 212 (8.37); (the bites of) the godherikā, sthālikā, śvetā, agniprabhā, bhṛkuṭī, and koṭika are incurable (8.38); 213 the symptoms elicited by contact with the dead body, urine, or excrements of a poisonous animal; the treatment is like that of a wound by a poisoned arrow (digdhaviddha) (8.40); characteristics of kīṭa bites which make treatment very troublesome (8.41);

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the treatment of bites by kīṭas with a powerful (ugra) poison (8.42–44ab); treatment with the utkārikā type of sudation (8.44cd–45); this treatment is contra-indicated in scorpion stings (8.46ab); specific antidotes (agada) against the bites of a trikaṇṭaka, galagolika, śatapad, maṇḍūka, viśvambhara, ahiṇḍukā, kaṇḍūmakā, śukavṛnta, pipīlikā, makṣikā, and maśaka (8.46cd–55); the treatment of scratches by finger nails (8.56ab); the bite by a pratisūryaka should be treated like a snake-bite (8.56cd); three groups of scorpions (vṛścika) 214 are distinguished: those with a mild (manda), moderate (madhya) and strong poison (mahāviṣa); 215 scorpions arising from cow dung and similar materials possess a mild poison, those arising from wood or bricks a moderate, 216 those arising from the decomposing body of a snake or from other poisonous materials a strong (tīkṣṇa) poison (8.56ef–57); those with a mild poison are twelve, those with a moderate poison three, and those with a strong poison fifteen in number, thus making a total of thirty (8.58); the scorpions with a mild poison are kṛṣṇa (black), śyāva, karbura (variegated), pāṇḍu (pale), gomūtrābha (coloured like cow's urine), karkaśa (rough), mecaka (bluish black), pīta (yellow), dhūmra (smoke coloured), romaśa (hairy), śadvalābha (coloured like grass), or rakta (red), and śvetodara (having a white abdomen); these scorpions have more joints in their tails than other types (8.59–60ab);

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the symptoms caused by their stings (8.60cd–61ab); the scorpions with a moderate poison are rakta (red), pīta (yellow) or kapila, with a dhūmra (smoke coloured) belly; all of them have three joints (in their tails); they arise from the urine, excrements and decomposing eggs of the three groups of snakes,²¹⁷ and cause disorders of the same doṣas as these snakes (8.61cd–62); the general symptoms of stings by these scorpions (8.63ab); the scorpions with a strong poison are śveta (white), citra (spotted), śyāmala, lohitābha (coloured like blood), rakta (red) or śveta (white) with a rakta (red) or nīla (dark blue) belly, pītarakta (yellow and red), nīlapīta (dark blue and yellow), raktanīla (red and dark blue), nīlaśukla (dark blue and white), or raktababhru (red and brown), possessing the same number of joints (three) as the previous group, one joint, no joints at all, or two joints; they are of various forms and colours, dreadful, and deadly; they find their origin in the decomposing bodies of snakes and animals killed by poison (8.63cd–65);

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their stings give rise to the same seven stages of poisoning as those caused by a snake-bite, and also to a series of other symptoms, ending in death (8.66);²¹⁸ treatment of stings by scorpions with a moderate or strong poison (8.67–68ab) treatment of stings by scorpions with a mild poison (8.68cd–74);²¹⁹ a physician should accurately determine whether a person has been bitten by a venomous or non-venomous spider (lūtā), because spider poisons are very dangerous; in case of doubt, he should employ drugs which are non-contradictory (avirodhin) under the circumstances; antidotes (agadas) are only useful in cases of poisoning, and, employed otherwise, harmful (8.75–78); the symptoms caused by spider venom develop slowly; shortly after the bite, they are very difficult to ascertain; the symptoms appearing on the first to seventh day; the victim is liable to die on the seventh day, if the poison is sharp (tīkṣṇa), violent (caṇḍa), and strong (ugra); poisons of a moderate potency take some more time; mild poisons kill after a fortnight; the physician should therefore initiate treatment immediately after the bite (8.79–84); spiders emit their poison in seven different ways; it is present in their saliva (lālā), nails (nakha), urine, fangs (daṃṣṭrā), menstrual discharge (rajas), excrements, and semen (indriya); its potency is strong, moderate or mild (8.85);

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the symptoms caused by contact with spider venom from these seven sources (8.86–88ab);²²⁰ the mythic origin of spiders, which arose from the drops of sweat falling from the forehead of Vasiṣṭha, whose wrath was aroused by the behaviour of Viśvāmitra (8.88cd–93);²²¹ there are sixteen kinds of spiders;²²² the bites of eight kinds are curable with difficulty, while the others are incurable (8.94);²²³ the spiders of the first group are: trimaṇḍalā, śvetā, kapilā, pītikā, ālaviṣā, mūtraviṣā, raktā, and kasanā; the symptoms caused by their venom; characteristic features are disorders caused by kapha and vāta (8.95–96); the spiders of the second group are: sauvarṇikā, lājavarṇā, jālinī, eṇīpadī, kṛṣṇā, agnivarṇā, kākāṇḍā, and mālāguṇā; the symptoms caused by their venom; characteristic features are disorders brought about by the three doṣas (8.97–99);²²⁴ the symptoms of the bite by a trimaṇḍalā and their treatment (8.101–102); the same with regard to the bite by a śvetā (8.103–104), kapilā (8.105–106), pītikā (8.107–108), ālaviṣā (8.109–110), mūtraviṣā (8.111–112), raktā (8.113–114), kasanā (8.115), kṛṣṇā (8.116–117), and agnivaktrā²²⁵ (8.118–119ab); general remedies against spider bites (8.119cd–120);²²⁶ the symptoms and treatment of the bites of eight spiders which are curable with difficulty have been described, along with two of the incurable ones; they may, sometimes, with good luck (yadṛcchayā), be treated successfully (8.121ab);

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sauvarṇikā (8.122), lājavarṇā (8.123), jālinī (8.124), eṇīpadī (8.125), kākāṇḍikā (8.126), and mālāguṇā (8.127); these bites should be managed by all the described measures, taking particularly into consideration the derangements of the doṣas, and excluding cauterization and excision (8.128); excision of the area of the bite should at once be carried out in curable cases, provided the lesion is not in the area of a marman, the patient is free from fever, and local swelling is minimal (8.129–130); afterwards, a plaster (lepa) should be applied (8.131); the recipe of the potion to be administered to the patient (8.132); the decoction to be used for washing the lesion (8.133ab); the treatment of complications (8.133cd); any of the following measures should be employed, as required by the case, against spider bites: errhines, collyria, unguents (abhyañjana), potions, fumigation, avapīḍas, gargles, intense purificatory measures of both types (i.e., emetics and purgatives), and bloodletting by means of phlebotomy (8.134); ulcers (vraṇa), incidental to the bites of kīṭas and snakes, should be treated like corrupted sores (duṣṭavraṇa) (8.135); the treatment of an excess of granulation tissue (karṇikā) (8.136–138); thus the classification, the characteristics of the bites and the treatment of these bites, of one hundred and sixty-seven kīṭas have been described (8.139).