A History of Indian Medical Literature v3.c42.s15.9

v3.c42.s15.9

Chapter two begins with verses on the physician, classification of diseases, etc. (2.1–25). Diseases are divided into three broad categories: karmaja, doṣaja and sahaja (2.23–25). 233 The remaining part of the chapter is devoted to fevers and their treatment. The names of fever and its characteristics in various living beings are enumerated (2.26–35). 234 The exterior of fever (2.36–38) 235 and its mythical origin are described. Thirteen types of sudation are listed (2.142–145). 236 Four varieties of viṣamajvara are distinguished: ekāhika, 237 dvyāhika, 238 tryāhika or tṛtīyaka, and cāturthaka (2.187–194); an irregular (viṣama) fever is a fever that affects one of the elements of the body in particular: velājvara 239 affects the rasa, ekāhika the blood, tṛtīyaka the muscular tissue, cāturthaka the bone tissue, while the fever called jīrṇa affects all the elements (2.195). 240 Patients suffering from fever are advised to pay homage to Hanumant 241 and to recite a mantra addressed to Sugrīva 242 (2.218–219).