A History of Indian Medical Literature v2.c29.364

v2.c29.364

78 Several names of kuṣṭha are based on the comparison of the diseased skin with particular fruits (the fruit of the udumbara tree), parts of animals (ṛṣyajihva), etc. The Hārī- tasamhitā (III.39.8) describes a type of kuṣṭha called gajacarman (elephant skin; see on this disorder: W. Ainslie, 1827). The stories about Apālā (Ṛgveda 8.91) and Akūpārā, known from Vedic literature, refer to skin disorders which make it resemble the skin of various animals (see J. Gonda, 1948; H. Lüders, 1942: 28; J.J. Meyer, 1937: III, 168–172; H.-P. Schmidt, 1987: 8). See on the use of similes in āyurvedic literature in general: P.B. Yājñik (1978).