A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c24.224

Language: English

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The subjects dealt with are: the earthly (bhauma) snakes, which are of many kinds; they belong to three main groups, called darvīkara, maṇḍalin and rājīmant (36.1–2ab);¹⁰³⁶ their venom possesses the properties rūkṣa, kaṭuka, amla, uṣṇa, svādu, and śītala; these properties, in the mentioned order, and in pairs of two, lead to excitement of vāta, pitta and kapha (36.2cd–3ab);¹⁰³⁷ the three stages of the life cycle¹⁰³⁸ and the three main seasons in which the venom of the three groups of snakes is present in abundance; the venom of snakes of mixed breed (vyantara) is abundantly present in the transitional periods (sandhi) of these seasons (36.3cd–4ab); the characteristics of darvīkara, maṇḍalin and rājīmant snakes (36.4cd–6);¹⁰³⁹ the gaudhera, which descends from a godhā and is a quadruped, has the same kind of venom as a darvīkara (36.7a–c);¹⁰⁴⁰ the snakes of mixed breed have mixed characteristics; therefore they excite the three doṣas (36.7cd–8ab);¹⁰⁴¹ circumstances inciting snakes to bite; the quantity of venom increases in the order in which these circumstances are mentioned (36.8cd–9);¹⁰⁴² treatment should be carried out in agreement with these teachings (36.10ab); snakes of mixed breed, having a bad nature, reside near roads (36.10cd); the characteristics of a series of types of bite: tuṇḍāhata, vyālīḍha, vyālupta, daṣṭaka, and daṣṭanipīḍita; the first two types do not contain poison;

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the last type is incurable (36.11–14ab);¹⁰⁴³ snake venom does not corrupt the body as long as it has not reached the blood,¹⁰⁴⁴ but, even when a very small quantity has reached it, the poison spreads like a sheet of oil on water (36.14cd–15ab); touching a snake may already excite vāta in someone who is afraid of snakes; this condition is called sarpāṅgābhihata (36.15cd–16ab);¹⁰⁴⁵ the symptoms presented by someone hurt by some animal on rough ground or in the dark and therefore afraid that the animal was a snake; this condition is called śaṅkāviṣa (36.16cd–17);¹⁰⁴⁶ the general characteristics of venomous and non-venomous bites (36.18);¹⁰⁴⁷ the symptoms of the seven stages of poisoning by the bite of a darvīkara (36.19–22),¹⁰⁴⁸ those of the first five stages of that of a maṇḍalin (36.23–24)¹⁰⁴⁹ and a rājila (= rājīmant) (36.25–27a);¹⁰⁵⁰ the symptoms of the sixth and seventh stages are like those of the bite of a darvīkara (36.27b);¹⁰⁵¹ the first five stages only can be treated (36.27cd); circumstances weakening the venom of a snake (36.28–30ab);¹⁰⁵² circumstances making a bite incurable (36.30cd–32ab);¹⁰⁵³ symptoms presented by incurable patients (36.32cd–37ab);¹⁰⁵⁴ when such symptoms are absent, the patient should be treated as soon as possible (36.37cd–38ab);

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measures to be taken immediately by physician and patient, before a hundred mātrā have passed after the bite (36.38cd–41);¹⁰⁵⁵ ligation of a limb with an ariṣṭa, proximal to the bite (36.42–43), followed by excision (36.44);¹⁰⁵⁶ cauterization may be carried out, except in bites by a maṇḍalin, because such a snake is of a pittala nature (36.45);¹⁰⁵⁷ the treatment of a maṇḍalin bite (36.46–48ab);¹⁰⁵⁸ when the poison has already penetrated and spread through the body, bloodletting is the best remedial measure, followed by cooling applications which stop the bleeding (36.48cd–53ab);¹⁰⁵⁹ measures protecting the heart (hṛdayāvaraṇa) (36.53cd–54);¹⁰⁶⁰ emetics should be administered when, in spite of treatment, more serious symptoms appear,¹⁰⁶¹ or, as an alternative, more specific therapy should be initiated (36.55–57ab); drug treatment of a bite by a darvīkara (36.57cd–58ab);¹⁰⁶² a black snake (kṛṣṇasarpa) (36.58cd–59),¹⁰⁶³ a rājīmant (36.60–61ab),¹⁰⁶⁴ and a maṇḍalin (36.61cd–62);¹⁰⁶⁵ the formula of a cooling paste, called himavant, to be applied to a maṇḍalin bite (36.63–64); a medicated drink to be administered to persons bitten by a maṇḍalin (36.65); the formula of the drug called aṣṭāṅga, useful in bites by a gonasa snake¹⁰⁶⁶ (36.66–67ab);

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prescriptions useful in a rājīmant bite (36.67cd–68ab), the bite of a kāṇḍacitrā¹⁰⁶⁷ (36.68cd–70ab), the bites of snakes of mixed breed (36.70cd–71), the bites of any snake, even a bite of Takṣaka (36.72–73);¹⁰⁶⁸ the treatment of each of the seven stages of poisoning due to the bite of a darvīkara (36.74–78);¹⁰⁶⁹ the treatment of the third and sixth stages of poisoning due to the bite of a maṇḍalin (36.79),¹⁰⁷⁰ and that of the first and sixth stages after the bite of a rājīla (36.80–81ab);¹⁰⁷¹ the treatment of the stages left undescribed is like that after a darvīkara bite (36.81cd); a mild form of treatment, excluding bloodletting, is advisable in pregnant women, children, and aged persons (36.82ab);¹⁰⁷² a prescription effective against all poisons (36.82cd–83);¹⁰⁷³ a prescription against various types of poisoning and a series of diseases (3.84–85); a poison should completely be removed from the body in order to prevent a new wave of action or the development of dūṣīviṣa (36.86); the treatment of excited vāta, pitta and kapha after elimination of a poison (36.87–88);¹⁰⁷⁴ the treatment of sarpāṅgābhihata and śaṅkāviṣa (36.89–90ab);¹⁰⁷⁵ protecting measures against snakes and their bites (36.90cd–92);¹⁰⁷⁶ measures frightening snakes away, particularly at night (36.93).¹⁰⁷⁷