A History of Indian Medical Literature v4.c62.288

v4.c62.288

566 A type of weakness due to excessive activity of a male elephant during the state of must. 567 Thinning of the body despite adequate intake of food. 568 Loss of strength. 569 A disease caused by the excessive intake of foods which increase the amount of kapha in the body. 570 A disease of newly captured elephants, caused by the change of food. 571 Wounds of the soles of the feet. 572 Inflammation of the throat. 573 A disease of tongue and throat, caused by thirst. 574 Possession by evil spirits; the names of the grahas mentioned are: Bhāvabāhuka, Mṛga, Arati, Pratāra, Svapiti, Pramardanā, Kāmākhya, Vāṇijjaka, and Vinyastavyathavira. At another place (I.7.50–52ab) the names of the following ten grahas are given: Avabāhuka, Mṛgākṣa, Ratika, Pratāra, Svapiti, Pramardanā, Kāmākṣa, Vāṇija, Sthavira and Unmāna. 575 Tentatively identified as acute rheumatism by G. Mukhopādhyāya (HIM II, 410), but it appears to be more related to the human type of mūtrāghāta also called vāṭakuṇḍalikā (Su. U.58.5–6 = Mādhavanidāna 31.2–3). 576 A disorder caused by too heavy burdens. 577 Wasting of the muscles. 578 A disorder caused by the contact with hairy caterpillars or larvae abundantly found on the leaves of certain trees during the early rains. 579 This disease, also called urahstambha, is localised in the chest (uras) or lungs; a disease of the same name is found in human beings. 580 Probably haematocele, i.e., an extravasation of blood within the scrotum. 581 An inflammation of feet and nails. 582 A vāta disease, localized in the belly; it is said to be the same as aṣṭhilā in human beings; aṣṭhilā is indeed one of the vāta diseases (see Su.Ni.1.90 and Mādhavanidāna 22.70cd–71). 583 A mental disorder which occurs during the night only; it is caused by grahas. 584 A cluster of diseases comprising the groups called mūtraṛcchra, mūtrāghāta and prameha in human beings; some of the types of mūtrasaṅga are: bhinnabasti, gādhamūtratā, parimūtrī, piṣṭameha, śoṇitameha, aśmaśarkara, and taṇḍulodakameha. 585 Diseases occurring during gestation and the puerperium. 586 A mental disorder in which the elephant is fearful. 587 This chapter deals with lupta (compare chapter 37) and śūla; a myth is told about the origin of śūla. 588 A disease in which the elephant has difficulty in drinking water; four types are distinguished: sthūla-, kṛśa-, prākṛta- and lohitaśārada. A disease of the same name occurs in horses. 589 Skin diseases; eleven varieties: visarpikī, maṇḍalī, dadrukī, mahādadrukī, jātasūkā, piṭakā, phullikā, udgaṇḍikā, vicarcikā, tṛṇapuṣpī, and kilāśī. 590 Disorders in tamed elephants caused by the habit of eating various kinds of earth; wild elephants are immune to these disorders. Compare on the habit of elephants eating earth: Hastividyārṇava, pages 220–222. See on this habit: R.C. Morris (1932); this author observed numerous marks of elephant tusks in banks (mostly red clay) and refers to a general idea that elephants eat earth to remove 'bots'; he was informed by the Director of Veterinary Services, Madras, that elephants often suffer from a condition known as 'pica', a depraved appetite probably due to over-acidity, and a desire for an alkaline substance to correct this.