A History of Indian Medical Literature v1.c25.612

Language: English

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The subjects dealt with are: the body, its six major parts, the minor parts (5.2); 136 the body is composed of the mahābhūtas, which in their turn consist of the mahāguṇas, 137 based in their turn on cetanā (5.3); the products of the mahābhūtas are of very numerous kinds (5.4); the relationships between the five mahābhūtas and the three guṇas; 138 the main characteristics of the five mahābhūtas: apratighāta, calatva, auṣṇya, dravatā, kāṭhinya; each mahābhūta has its specific seat in one of the senses (5.5); 139 bodily structures and functions connected with one of the mahābhūtas in particular (5.6); 140 the parts of the body deriving from the mother (5.7) 141 and the father (5.8), 142 from the ātman (5.9), 143 from sātmya (5.10), 144 and from rasa (5.11); 145 characteristics deriving from sattva (5.12), 146 rajas (5.13), 147 and tamas (5.14); 148 a synonym of sattva is manas; rajas and tamas are afflictions (upaplava) of manas (5.15); the constituents of the body; the six layers of the skin arise from blood, in the same way as the coagulated layers on the surface of milk which is boiled; 149 the pure part (prasā- da) of blood arises from the prasāda of the layers of the skin (5.16); 150 the seven layers of the skin, their names, and the diseases located in them (5.17); 151 the description of a kalā in general (5.19); 152 descriptions of each of the seven kalās (5.20–24); 153 the five senses (buddhīndriya), their objects and seats (adhiṣṭhāna) (5.25);

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the five karmendriyas and their functions (5.26); the manas and its functions (5.27); the seven āśayas, and the additional eighth one in women; 154 the viscera (koṣṭhāṅgāni): heart (hṛdaya), liver (yakṛt), spleen (plīhan), phupphusa, uṇḍuka, kidneys (vṛkka), intestines (antra), etc.; 155 liver and spleen derive from the clear (accha) part of blood, 156 when it is acted upon by the samāna and the bodily heat (dehoṣman); 157 the frothy part (phena) of blood gives rise to the phupphusa, 158 its waste matter (kiṭṭa) to the uṇḍuka; 159 the kidneys arise from the pure parts (prasāda) of blood and fatty tissue, 160 the intestines from those of blood and muscular tissue; 161 the length of the intestines is three yāma and a half in men, three yāma in women; 162 the kalīya is produced from a combination of blood and vāta; 163 the heart finds its origin in the pure parts of kapha and blood; 164 it has the form of a padmakośa, with its opening turned downwards and provided with holes (suṣira); 165 the cetanā has its seat there, 166 together with all the bhāvas associated with it; at its left are spleen and phupphusa, at its right liver and kloman 167 (5.28); the sense organs arise from the pure parts of the channels (srotas) transporting kapha and blood and from the pure parts of the mahābhūtas; 168 the śuklamaṇḍala of the eyes, which is of paternal origin, arises from the pure part of kapha, the kṛṣṇamaṇḍala, which is of maternal origin, from (the pure part of) blood;

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169 the dṛṣṭimaṇḍala combines these features of both (maṇḍalas) (5.29); the five maṇḍalas of the eye are the lashes (pakṣman), lids (vartman), śuklamaṇḍala, kṛṣṇamaṇḍala, and dṛṣṭi; 170 they are connected by four junctions (sandhi); two more junctions, at the outer (apāṅga) and inner corner of the eye (kanīna) make their total number into six; 171 the eye has six layers (paṭala); the two outermost layers consist of the eyelids; fire and water are predominant in the (first and) outermost layer (of the eye itself); the predominant elements of the second, third and fourth layers are, in due order, muscular tissue, fatty tissue and bony tissue; 172 the thickness (bahalatā) of the paṭalas amounts to one fifth of that of the dṛṣṭi 173 (5.30); the twines binding bodily structures together (bandhana-guṇa) 174 consist of sirās, kaṇḍarās, fatty tissue and phlegm (kapha); as already mentioned, kapha is the most important substance that binds junctures together; the fire located in the eye can perform its function through its contact with the fire outside of the body, in the same way as a sharp instrument through its contact with a whetstone; damage will occur when the contact is excessive (atiyoga); this fire retains its fiery nature by the intensity of its power (vīryotkarṣa), just like the fire of lightning (vaidyuta) and the vaḍavāmukha 175 do so amidst of the water;

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the tongue arises from the pure parts of muscular tissue, blood and kapha, 176 the testicles (vṛṣaṇa) from those of muscular tissue, blood, kapha and fatty tissue 177 (5.31); the ten prāṇāyatanas; 178 the first seven of the series (head, frenum of the tongue, throat, heart, umbilical region, urinary bladder, ano-rectal region) are the major vulnerable areas (mahāmarman) (5.32); the kaṇḍarās are sixteen in number: two in each arm and leg, four in the neck, and four in the back (5.33); 179 the jālas of muscles, sirās, snāyus and bones are sixteen in number; each wrist and ankle has one jāla of each of the four types (5.34); 180 the six kūrcas are found in the hands, the feet, the neck and the penis (5.35); 181 four māmsarajjus are present along the vertebral column (5.36); 182 the sīvanīs are seven in number: five are present in the head, 183 one belongs to the tongue, 184 one to the penis 185 (5.37); 186 the clusters of bones (asthisamghāta) are fourteen in number: one cluster in each ankle (gulpha), knee (jānu), groin (vaṅkṣaṇa), wrist (maṇibandha), elbow (kūrpara), and armpit (kakṣyā), one in the sacral region (trika), and one in the head (śiras) (5.38); 187 the sīmantas are connected with the clusters of bones, but there are five of them in the head, thus making a total of eighteen (5.39); 188 the number of bones is 360; 189 140 bones are present in the extremities, 190 120 bones in the trunk, and 100 in the part above (the trunk); each leg has five toe nails;

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191 each toe possesses three bones; there are five metatarsal bones (pādaśalākā) 192 and one bone connecting them (śalākāpratibandhana); 193 two bones are present in each kūrca, 194 ankle (gulpha) 195 and lower leg, 196 while heel (pārṣṇi), 197 knee 198 and thigh 199 possess one bone; the same distribution is found in the arms (5.40); the ribs (parśuka) 200 are twenty-four in number; 201 there are as many sthalakas and arbudas; 202 the back possesses thirty, 203 the anterior part of the chest eight bones; 204 the bhaga 205 and trika 206 have one bone each; each nitamba has one bone; 207 there are two akṣakas, amsas and amsaphalakas 208 (5.41); one bone is present in each cheek (gaṇḍa), ear and temple; 209 there is one bone in the jatru 210 and one in the palate (tālu); 211 the neck (grīvā) has thirteen, 212 the trachea (kaṇṭhanāḍī) four bones; 213 there are two bones in the jaw (hanubandhana); 214 the teeth are thirty-two in number; 215 there are as many sockets (ulūkhala) of the teeth; 216 three bones are present in the nose, 217 six in the skull 218 (5.42); the bones belonging to the five groups called kapāla, rucaka, taruṇa, valaya, and nalaka; 219 fleshy parts of the body are attached to the bones by sirās and snāyus 220 (5.43); the joints connecting bones are 210 in number; 221 sixty-eight joints are present in the extremities, fifty-nine in the trunk, eighty-three in the part above (the trunk); each toe has three joints, apart from the first one, which has two;

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each ankle, knee and groin possesses one joint (5.44); three joints are present in the flat pelvic bones (kaṭikapāla), twenty-four in the vertebral column (pṛṣṭhavaṃśa), an equal number in the sides of the chest (pārśva), eight in the anterior part of the chest (uras) (5.45); eight joints are present in the neck (grīvā), three in the kaṇṭhanāḍī, 222 eighteen in the nāḍīs of heart, liver and kloman 223 (these joints are attached to the kaṇṭhanāḍī), 224 thirty-two in the roots of the teeth; one joint is present in kākala, nose and head respectively, two joints are present in the cheeks, ears, temples, eyelids, and jaws, two above the eyebrows, and five in the flat bones of the skull (5.46); 225 the eight kinds of joints and where they are found (5.47); 226 the junctures present in snāyus, muscles (peśī) and sirās are two thousand in number, but are of no practical importance in surgery (5.48); 227 the number of snāyus is nine hundred; 228 six hundred of them are found in the extremities, two hundred and thirty in the trunk, and seventy in the part above (the trunk); each toe possesses six snāyus; each sole, kūrca and ankle has ten snāyus; their number is thirty in the lower leg, ten in the knee, forty in the thigh, and ten in the groin (5.49);

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229 forty snāyus are present in the pelvic region (kaṭī), 230 twenty in the region of penis, testicles, bladder and intestines, 231 eighty in the back, 232 sixty in the lateral parts of the chest (pārśva), 233 eighteen in the anterior part of the chest (uras), 234 four in the region of the clavicles (akṣaka), and eight in the shoulder regions (aṃsa) 235 (5.50); two snāyus are found in each manyā, avaṭu, 236 eye, half of the lips and half of the palate, 237 thirty in the neck, 238 three in the jatru, four in the jaw, five in the tongue, twelve in the upper and twelve in the lower gums, six in the (remaining part of the) head 239 (5.51); the snāyus in the extremities and joints are pratā-navant; big and round ones are called kaṇḍarā; snāyus with holes (suṣira) are found in bladder, āmāśaya, pakvāśaya and intestines; flat snāyus are present in the lateral parts of the chest, back, anterior part of the chest, and head (5.52); 240 a body, well provided with snāyus, is like a properly built boat; these structures should therefore be protected; a physician acquainted with them is able to extract foreign bodies, even when hidden within the tissues (5.53); 241 the muscles (peśī) are five hundred in number; 242 four hundred are found in the extremities, sixty in the trunk, forty in the region above of the trunk;

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243 three muscles are present in each toe, ten in the fore part of the foot (prapada), the sole and the ankle, 244 an equal number in the kūrca, twenty in the lower leg, five in the knee, and twenty in the thigh 245 (5.54); one muscle is present in the penis, one in the raphe (sevanī), two are present in the testicles, ten in the buttocks, three, called valī, in the anal region, two in the bastīśiras, four in the abdominal wall; 246 one muscle is found in the umbilical region, heart and āmāśaya, six muscles are present in liver, spleen and uṇḍuka; five muscles are present in the upper part of the back, 247 ten long ones in the sides of the chest, 248 ten in the anterior part of the chest, and three in the region of shoulder and clavicle 249 (5.55); ten muscles are present in the neck, 250 eight in the cheeks, 251 eight in the region of the jaw; one muscle is found in throat, 252 kā-kala, tongue 253 and head; 254 two muscles are present in the palate, forehead, 255 nose, lips, and ears 256 (5.56); women possess twenty more muscles; 257 ten muscles, which develop during puberty, are found in the breasts, the other ten in the generative organs (yoni); two muscles are found internally (abhyantarāśrita), 258 two round (vṛtta) ones in the (yoni)mukha, 259 three more in the garbhamārga, where the foetus stays; 260 the yoni possesses three whirls (āvarta) in the form of a śaṅkhanābhi; 261 the garbha-śayyā (uterus) 262 is found at the third āvarta, 263 between pittāśaya and pakvāśaya;

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264 it has three muscles, which conduct seed and ārtava 265 (5.57); the muscles, diverse as to form, cover the joints, bones, sirās and snāvas (5.58); 266 the openings of the minutest branches of sirās and dhamanīs are 2,900.956 in number (5.59); 267 the hairs of head, beard and body are equal in number; 268 they are nourished by the openings mentioned, which also convey sweat outwards, while carrying to the interior of the body the active constituents (vīrya) of ointments, plasters, etc., digested within the skin, as well as tactile sensations (5.60); the number of structures called srotas is countless; the distribution, etc., of the sirās, will be discussed in another chapter; the firm and perceptible bodily structures have now been dealt with (5.61); excess fluids in the body are mixed with the faeces; similar processes occur with regard to urine, blood and other dhātus; 269 excess fluid present in the whole body may accumulate in the outer part of the skin; fluid present within the skin may accumulate in wounds and sores as lasīkā; fluid associated with the bodily heat may appear as sweat; all these substances consist of water (5.62); 270 the quantities of water, āhārasāra or rasa, blood, faeces, kapha, pitta, urine, vasā, medas, and bone marrow can be measured in añjalis; the quantity of bone marrow is one añjali; the quantities of the other constituents increase with one añjali in the reverse order;

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seed, brain tissue (mastiṣka) and ojas are present in a quantity of half an añjali;271 the rajas of women measures four, the breastmilk two añjali; the last two derive from the pure part of rasa (5.63); the mentioned quantities are those of a healthy (samadhātu) human being; the quantities present in states of decline or increase should be deduced from the signs present in those states; the same applies to constituents not enumerated, such as muscular tissue, the impurities of the ears, etc., vāyu, buddhi, smṛti, etc. (5.64); the opinion of the Dhanvantarīyas is referred to, who hold that the normal quantities of bodily constituents are not fixed, on account of the differences among individuals and the physiological variations of doṣas, dhātus and malas; determinable are only deviations from a state of health (5.65);272 all parts of the body are composed again of subtle structures; these are innumerable due to the minuteness of the atoms; vāta is the agent causing the conjunction (saṃyoga) and disjunction (vibhāga) of atoms (5.66); the bodily state may lead to bondage (bandha) or to final release (mokṣa) (5.67); knowledge of the parts of the body furthers the avoidance of anything unhealthy (5.68).