A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c24.31

v1.c24.31

The subjects are: the doṣas, elements of the body (dhātu), and waste products (mala) constitute the basic supports of the body (11.1);¹¹⁸ the normal functions of each doṣa (11.2–3),¹¹⁹ the chief function of each element of the body (11.4) ¹²⁰ and of each of the three waste products (11.5);¹²¹ the characteristic features of increase of each of the three doṣas (11.6–8ab),¹²² each of the seven elements (11.8cd–12),¹²³ each of the three main waste products (11.13–14ab),¹²⁴ and the other waste products, consisting of dūṣikā, ¹²⁵ etc. (11.14cd); the characteristic features of decrease of each doṣa (11.15–16),¹²⁶ element (11.17–20) ¹²⁷ and waste product (11.21–23);¹²⁸ general signs enabling a physician to infer that a doṣa, dhātu or mala has increased or decreased (11.24–25ab); decrease of waste products is more troublesome than increase (11.25cd); vāta resides in the bones, pitta in sweat and blood, kapha in the remaining dhātus and malas; treatments leading to increase or decrease of a doṣa also result in increase or decrease of the correspondig dhātu(s) and mala(s), and the other way round, but this does not apply to vāta and osseous tissue (11.26–27c); all types of increase are usually due to tarpaṇa, all types of decrease to the opposite of tarpaṇa; generally, increase leads to increase of kapha, decrease to decrease of vāta (11.27cd–28); disorders arising from increase should be treated by means of reducing measures (laṅghana), 129 those brought about by decrease by means of roborants (bṛṃhaṇa), 130 but increase of vāta requires bṛṃhaṇa, its decrease laṅghana measures (11.29); therapeutic procedures indicated in cases of increase or decrease of a bodily element or waste product (11.30–33); portions of the bodily fire (kāyāgni), which has its own seat, are present in the bodily elements; the increase or decrease of these portions results in increase or decrease of the elements; increase or decrease of a particular element gives rise to the same condition in the succeding one of the series (11.34–35ab); corrupted doṣas cause corruption of the bodily elements; corrupted doṣas and elements together make the waste products corrupted, which in their turn corrupt the channels transporting them (malāyana); two of these channels are present in the lower part (of the trunk), seven in the head, while sweat is transported in its own channels; corruption of these channels leads to diseases (11.35cd–36); ojas is described (11.37–39ab), 131 the causes and symptoms of decrease of ojas, 132 the treatment of this condition (11.39cd–41ab); 133 signs indicating increase of ojas (11. 41cd); general dietary rules relating to increase and decrease of the doṣas (11.42–43); general signs indicating increase or decrease of the doṣas (11.44); 134 the importance of avoiding increase or decrease of the doṣas (11.45).