to the honble sir asutosh mukhopadhyay, kt, saraswati, sastra-vachaspati, moaiq del-401 d.sc
TRANSCRIPT
P R EFA CE .
For researches into the state of medicine among th
Ancient H indus, we have several sources of information i
scru tin ise. The remarks of D r . Payne regarding the sourcesinformation of Anglo-Saxon Medicine may apply here wit
still greater force };0 First is g the evidence of contemporary literature about thcraft of physicians and su rgeons, since weare sure that therhas always been a classof medicine men of one kind or anothe:
Thus we find in the Bgveda, the use of artificial limb as
substitu te for a limb accidentaly lostg . From the Mahabharata
1 P a ne’s En l i sh Medicine in the Anglo
-Saxon Times, P . 7.Y 8
2affi i is afarfi i fz “in
ai r fair ariaw as it
Bgveda—l 5th B k , l st Mandala, 1 16 Sfik t
isms: gfifsa: (3'
s? um W are awfitfi‘r fm sm h, rim
mafia: fii acm wi th ! gri ffi n auéfl qrfi misfi t (F-fi m ani a
mi Gasman aim‘
W’fl i afi, emit w as safa ri s—ése
(ism: afi fium : fiuqai si rm,
‘afia"—w ,
‘ irfia’ qf’
v‘
mz,‘twi ’ was :
as,“si ft fs’— 1 n faunas as,” % vfsaaai g gsi mai n ain
‘t an
?
‘Wfi
‘
clmmi ’— tra’f, 3mm,
‘m :’ ‘
i fi iéh—Ffl: was and
W w ag—aw n, mew—ashamed was, sm urf
Sayana’s commenter;
i i PREFACE.
we learn that when Pariksit, the king of the Kurus, becamecertain of his approaching death by snake- bite, due to a.
curse uttered by a sage, he tried to protect himselfby the constan t attendance of a number of physicians,who were well supplied with antidotes.
1 Again i t is stated
that when the great warrior Dhisma was wounded in war,
the skillful ar iny surgeons came to him with the necessarymedical and su rgical appliances to treat his wounds. 2 From
the Mohavagga, we learn that J i vaka, the personal physicianof Buddha, practised cran ial surgery with su ccess.” In
the Mal avikagnimi tra, we find the use of charms— a Signet .
sisa l flfafii isa a sea m a fia
m‘
w e WW W atti re“« as fire? as fm sfismfir a l
mamma f‘
ssi s again? gamm a;
Adi P arva, Ch. 42.
W W ? 3m: “513m m ”
sa‘
fw ri éai : arr-31 : avg fi rfiaai zi
m 3 51 are-
ease : shins and can
mi ca n faces-at traine rm 1
Q5! 1rd fi zri i’f 35mW fi a ffi fii
fi fifi rim fa W fifi aw l are :
in: W T? W m: m ani a ii i
afifi a mi sts m au’
i sfe: m um
3m film 1m semis :
Mahabharata , Bhi sma Parva, Ch. 1 21 ,
Vs. 5745— 5750. Ed . )
M ohavagga, VIII.
PREFACE. i ii
ring as a healing talisman for the cure of snake-bite ; 1
and also we find there a reference to a class of . physicians.who specialised themselves in Toxicology (Visa-Vaidya),2 and
were held in high esteem for thei r professional skill by the
public.8 From the Bhojaprabandha , the admin istration of somekind of anaesthetic by inhalati on before surgical operationscan be ascertained. S im ilar ly from the books of Law, we
know the relations of the profession to society in general.In the Manusamhita, we have u nm istakable testimony of the
decline of H indu surgery as the au thor prohibits the eating of
cooked r ice from the hands of a su rgeon }
1are fi leas infl am e? W arm est? “divs fafirs
'
Malavikagnimitra, Ch. I.
3m i—fi‘
g aswen gal-“
ssh finite? i em u amateurw as”
o
urfluidisgfin wficl—tzz
'
swearsassets—am use as sail m1 i
Ibid. Ch. IV.
wfi l—i‘
i’i ri m mi en fi fl lfi iflfifl
‘
ql Qmfil armam
m i zm flszn (firfirfifi em fi n )
warn—amt? ! gai‘
ufszf‘
aumsamqu
Ib id, Ch. IV.
fi g i—uw gsu fi fulfi l flfi fl gafi fw sagas . an ?
« sti llercrra‘n
Ib id, 011 . IV.
4 ffi sfi wn rfl fw fimw n
Fermi ? a stash era-
ad: rgésan afi : n
Manusalfihita, Ch. III, 1 52.
s tai r (Elana a mili ta rismIb id’ OhmIV, 212.
xv PREFACE.
Secondly, monuments or inscr iptions scattered about
the country have to be searched, as references found therein to
the science of medicine, are more trustwor thy than documen ts
which may have been more or less tampered with by interpola
tions of subsequen t wr iters. Thus we learn fromthe Edicts of Asoka, that hospitals were established by him
in different parts of his kingdom , not on ly for the treatment
of suffering human ity bu t also for the bru te creation 1
Thirdly, personages and scenes in connection with medical
practi ce, andfigures of herbs may have been represented in worksof art which must be thoroughly exam ined. B u t un fortunatelywe do not possess any su ch work of art and so we can learn
nothing to our purpose from this sou rce. In the interpretationof the subject of the Fr iezes of the Ran i N aur and Ganesha
’
s
Cave, D r . R . L. M itra says,-“The shampooing in the Gan '
esa
Cave may be for a parent, b ut the close seat with the righthand round the neck of the male personage in the other ,wou ld be highly unbecoming in an unmarr ied female. B ut
i f the stooping figure be taken to be that of a wounded man , a
wounded pr iest for instance, the lady may be a maiden nursinghim' without any offen ce to propr iety. It is true that the
appearance of the figure on the mattress does not indicatesuffer ing from a wound, but in the Rani N aur fr ieze, thestoopmg head affords some indication of i t.
” 2
fim ari fi ssns sa ti sfied m u
Manusan‘
ihita, Ch. IV, 220 .
1 Rock Inscriptions, Edict II.
2 The.Antiqu ities of Or issa, Vol . II, p. 1 1 .
PREFACE.
Fourthly, thevar ious kinds of surgical instruments preservedin museums are to be exam ined and the reports of finds of sur
gical appliances in var ious. localities are to be studied. W eknowwhat a flood of light has been thrown on ancient Greeksurgery by the steady progress. of archaeological discoveryand finds of instruments at Pompeii, H erculaneum and elsewhere, and by the study of the specimens “ preserved in the
N aples museum, the Athens museum and other museums of
Europe. B u t as far as I have been able to trace, . our
museums con tain no finds supplying us with any information0
on the subject.
Fifthly, the l iterature of medicine i tself shou ld be
thoroughly inqu ired into and excerpts elucidative of ou r
subject shou ld be compared with one another .
“The
detailed descriptions of the very numerous H indu in str uments
3 not being very m inu te or precise, Professor W ilson says,
we can only conjecture what they may have been , from a
consideration of the pu rport of their names, and the objectsto which they were appl ied, in connection with the imperfectdescr iption given .
” 1 W e are fortunate, however , in possessinga copious medical l iterature of great mer i t from very ear lytimes. W e shall descr ibe the important books in the introdu ctorychapter , with short notices of their au thors.
Sixthly, the comparative study of the science at thesame
per iod in other countries also furn ishes uswith valu ablematerials
as regards the state of medicine in a country . It is well knownthat Sanskr it works are often wr itten in a very terse language
1 R oyle’s An tiqui ty ofH indu Medicine, foot -note, p. 59
“
v
'
vi PREFACE.
and i t m ight be said with greater truth abou t the works ofearly Sanskr it au thors, the comment of a learned critic aboutt he style of Thucydides, the famoushistor ian—“themost obviousand character istic of his pecu liar ities is an endeavour to express
as much matter as possible in as few words as possible, tocombine many thoughts into one, and always to leave the readertosupply something of his own . H en ce his conciseness often“
b ecomes obscure.
” I cou ld not form any idea as to the
shape of some of the su rgical instrumen ts from the descriptions
g iven in the text books, and the commen tators are often silenton those passages. B u t when I read the accountsof sim ilarinstrumen ts in Greek and Roman literatu re, my di fficu l
ties at once cleared up. W e kn ow with what br illian t resu lts
comparative mythology and comparative philology have
been studied of late years, and I am sure that a comparativestudy of medical science by scholars will lead to in teresting discover ies. So I have added description s of
‘
the instru
ments according to the Greeks, Romans and Arabs at the end
of the descr iptions given in Sanskr it books the former servingas commentar ies on the latter .
Seventhly, in t he accounts of histor ians, travel lers and
pligrims from foreign coun tr ies, may be found notices cf
medical science, as they saw i t practised du r ing their sojou rnin a country, and such impressions, i f proper ly collated, may
bear i mpartial testimony to the progress of the science at the
time. Again , we must enqu ire i f the or iginal treatises ofmedicine can be proved to have
' been translated into differentlanguages and whether the remedial agents of a country can
be traced in the Pharmac‘opoeias of different nations. Thus we
PREFACE. vi i
learn from the accoun ts ofO
H ouen Tsang and Fa H ian that
char itable institutions su ch as hospitals, dispensar ies and
Pfinyasalas (H ouses of Char ity) were qu ite common in ancien tIndia.
l Arr iam informs us in his Indi ca that the study of ,
medicine among the Brahmans was in great favour .
2 W e .
know that the standard works on medicine were translated in
Arabic in the 8th Centu ry B . and that var ious mediCinal
herbs of Indian or i gin found their way in to the Greek Mater iaMedica.
4
Eighthly, we must enqu ire whether the medicalpractice of an cient times is still resorted to by the
physicians of the present days. The H indu system of
medicine i s still being practised all over India, more or less
in i ts original form , and so can still be studied at first hand.
B ut for ou r presen t purpose, we der ive little or no help from the
Va i de of the presen t generation . They know practicallynbthing abou t anatomy and surgery which began to declinedu ring the Buddhist era, and finally all vestiges of the sciencebecame lost dur ing the Mahomedan ru le. I have spared no
pains to exhaust these sou rces of in formation so far as surgicalinstrumen ts are concerned. W hether or not I have beenfortunate enough to g ive j ust the necessary details of instru
ments from the best accessible au thor ities withou t at the sametime loading my pages wi th superflous matter , must be left to
the judgment of my readers to determ ine.
1 B eal’s B uddhist R ecords of theW estern W or ld, Vol . I. , P . 165, 198 and
21 4 ; Vol . II. , p. 1 88 and 303.
9 Arr ian’s Indi ca c. 27.
3 A lberun i’s Indi a, Sachau
’s P reface, p. XXX—=XXXI.
4 B oyle’s Antiqu i ty of
1
H indu Medicine, p. 77- 1 13.
PREFACE.
Now i t maybe asked why the Science and Art of Surgery,which was successfu lly practised in An cient India, is so
much neglected by the present generation of Va ide. So let us
consi der the causes that led to the downfall of H indu
1 . The H indus from a very early per iod have g iven up the
di ssection of human bedies— the on ly trustwor thy method ofacqu iring anatomical knowledge— merely because i t may
occasion ceremonial unclean liness. The Ancient H indus were,however , free from such prejudices. Manu lays down that
mere bathing will pur ify a Brahman who has tou ched a corpse,Jl
whilst stroking a cow or looking at the Sun , hav ing onlysprinkled his mou th with water will remove the defilemen t dueto touching a dead bone.
2 B ut even in the Man usamhita, we
can trace the decline '
of H indu surgery, and his law forbiddingany one from eating food from the hands of a doctorevidently refers to a surgeon.
8
2. The interference of the priests in India,as in Europe
played an important part. They began to cure diseases byspells, charms, texts and drugs ; and temples
'
have served
as consulting rooms for the treatment as mu ch of the diseases
finefifiigzssi s tifiidsfirfl min 1
mi mafi a33 sin efia w e in
The Institutes.
of Manu , Ch . V, 85.
2 ant «in fer sésm r fifii fsswfin
mafia i; seemm wrdfi em u
Ib id, Ch. v, 87.
3 Ib id, Ch. III, 1 52 ; Ch. IV,'
vs. 2 12 and 220.
fiREE‘ACE‘. ix
of the body as of the sou l . The example of su ch a templewe still find in Tarakesvar where many sick peoplerepair to have their maladies cured by dreams, hypnoticSuggestions and incubation or temple- sleep. Similar 'practicewas prevalent in Egypt and Greece in olden times. The
modern practice of u sing galvan ic r ings and abdom inal beltsis merely an advanced method of indu lging in superstitiousideas.
3. The patients alwaysdreaded the su rgeon’
skn ife— especin
ally when the u se of a general anaestheti c was unknown . At'
the same time, the comparative success of pou ltices, actualand poten tial cau ter ies, and other external applications haveinfluenced the lay m ind that operations by kn ife are not
al i vays needed.
1 The H indu surgeons themselves believedin sim ilar tenets, for Susruta, the su rgeon , remarks that “
of all
putting instruments and their su bstitu tes, caustics (or vegestable alkalies) are the most important, because by means of
them , deep and superficial incisions and scar ifi'cations may be
made,and derangements of the three humou rs (ai r , bile and
phlegm ) may be rectified” ; and again he says that “with
fi nish? first as sexism shrew
37m ar e? at a si sim m ud? n"
a rm is awaits Wife—cufif si r: Ha: I
fit as names semi sfsafi fi fiim
si gn? amt: as first da fissrfa l
same get afimi sees faefiaii in
as : am as w it carna l
w ast Ha i fa nemesis: fi feeu
Mahani latantra, P atola X, Vs. 72-74.
x PREFACE.
regard to surgical treatment, actual cautery is said to be
superior to caustics, in as much as diseases treated with theactual cautery do not reappear , and because it can curedi seases which are in curable by medicines, instruments andcaustics.
” l Thus we see that the H indus were partial toexternal applications as a cu re of surgical diseases, and
gradually they neg lected the surgical operations— one of
the most importan t means of acqu ir ing knowledge in
Morbid Anatomy and of testing the correctness of diagonosis,
in the absence of the post mortem examinations of the
cadavers. Thus not on ly surgery bu t medicine'also snfi
'
er'
ed
materially.
4. The H indus always cher ish a high regard for the wr itings of their sages, and the ear liest works on medicine becamethe standard works and were held sacred. Any violation of
their Opinions was considered a sacr ilege and all knowledgethus soon became stereotyped. In later times, n one dared to
.
question the validity of the statemen ts con tained therein , and
though abou t three thousand years have elapsed, and thoughthe votaries of the scien ce are still hon oured and wellpaid, thescience instead of improving has markedly deteriorated. In
fact, only two authors— Caraka and Susru ta— are original; thelater authorities— and there is a vast number of them—were
merely their servile copyists who on ly differed from them when
they indu lged in some grave errors. W e have a paral lelin the history of medical science in Europe, W here Galen
1 W m firms foam s-
mm ? fi rmwawfimim ssfir
mam-ri m afi u
Suéruta, Suthrasthanam, ph. XII.
xi i PREFACE.
it is like the mouth of an iguana ! ’ And the B lessed Onethinking, This foolish fellow is making fun of me,
’ keptsilence and turned away. And in that connection, and on
account of that, he called a meeting of theBhikkhu -samgha, and
asked the Bhikkhus : ‘ Is there, 0 Bhikkhus, in that Vihara aBh
i
kkhu who is sick ? ’
There is, Lord
What is the matter , 0 B hikkhus, with that Bhikkhu
That venerable one, Lord, has a fistula, and‘Akasa gotta
the physician , has been lan cing i t.’
3. The Blessed Buddha rebuked (that Bhikkhu), saying,‘ This is improper , O Bhikkhus, for that foolish one, nu
becoming, indecent, unworthy of Samafn as, not allowable and
ought not to be done. How can this foolish fellow, O Bhikkhus,
allow a surgical Operation to be performed in that part of his.
body ? The skin there, 0 Bhikkhus, is tender , the wound isdifficu lt to treat, the kn ife is difficu lt to gu ide. This will not
redound, O Bhikkhus, to the conversion of the un converted.
’
And having rebuked him , the Blessed One, after deliveringa religious discourse, said to the Bhikkhus : Y ou are not, 0
Bhikkhus, to al low a su rg ical operation to be performed uponyou in that part of you r bodies. W hosoever allows that, isgu ilty of thu l l akkaya offence.
”
4. N ow at that time K habbaggiya Bhikkhus, Since a
surgical opperation had been forbidden by the Blessed One,used a clyster .
They told this thing to the Blessed O ne.
PREFACE. xii i
‘ Is i t true, as they say, 0 Bhikkhus, that the Khabbaggiya
Bhikkhus use a clyster
‘ It is true, my Lord.
’
H e rebuked them , and havi ng delivered a religious discourse, said to the B hikkhus : N o surgical opperation is to
b e performed within a di stan ce of two inches round the anus,and a clyster is not to be used. W hoever does so, is gu ilty of athu l lakkaya ofi
'
ence.
’
And thuswe find that J ivak a, the famous surgeon , is said tohave cured a case of fistu la- in - ano by the single applicationof an ointment. 1 The operation fell into such disuse that
when Sankaracharyya suffered from the same disease, no surgicalaid was thought necessary by the physi cians, though i t is saidthat he was treated by renowned doctors of the time.
2
From Megasthenes, we learn that “among the Sarmans
the Hylobioi (living in woods) were held in most, honour , and
next to them the physicians, who are mendicants and alsoascetics, like the class above them and the class below them,
1 “And Givaka K omarabhakka healed the fistu la of the Magadha K ing
Seniya B imb isfira by one anointing.
”
Mohavagga (Sacred B ooks of theEast), VIII. 1 . 1 5.
mamfiufiw m afiaamamm 6133 705: I!
er a 1 1: 11am : trzafi fimfim u
Saskahvejeya, Oh.xvr.
xiv PREFACE.
which consisted of sorcerers and fortune-tellers‘
and
Strabo” mentions that these physicians cured di seases by
diet rather than by medicinal remedies which were chieflyunguents and cataplasms.
” 3
6. No science can flour ish withou t the support of the
government of the day . The H indus became a subject race ;and any departure from the tradi tional store of kn owledgein the shape of improvement in the quality and additions to
i ts quantity was neither tolerated by the people, who are
proverbially conservative, nor countenan ced by th‘
e r oyal coii rt,for the conquerors brought with them and patron ised theirown hakeems and doctors. N either the Mahomedans nor
the English have taken any real interest in the Indian MedicalScience from preconcieved notions that i t contains n othingwor thy of their perusal . TheK avi r aj es again are so conservative in their opin ions that they can not boldly advocateeven the u se of such drugs as are of unquestionable valuein the treatment of -di seases, as for example the use of Qu in inein Malar ia. To this may . be contrasted the behaviour
i
of
B havamisra, who lived abou t three hundred years back and
who adopted many medicaments of foreign or igin . The conse
quence can easily be imagined, and in the language of
can be thus descr ibed : “Physicians follow the
practice of their instructor wi thout inqu iry, and surgery is
so far neglected, that bleeding is left to the barber, bonesetting to the herdsman , and every one
'
is ready toadmin ister
1 The Invasion of Alexander the Great. M ‘Cr indle. Appendices. p. 3589 Geography, XV. i . 58-60.
a The Invasioxf of Alexander theGreat. M ‘Crindle. Appendices. p. 368-69
PREFAcn. xv
a blister , whi ch is done with the ju ice of the euphorbium and
still oftner . with the actual cau tery.
” 1
B u t we need not en large any further. The object of thisessay is not to wr ite ou t an exhaustive dissertation on the
H indu medical scien ce b u t by a few suggestive facts, howeverimperfect and fragmen tary, to stimu late curiosity and divertattention of the diligent scholars to a vast field of research,which seems as yet to have been on ly par tially explored.
It is proper here to acknowledge that I have on all occasi ons freely availed myself of the labours of D rs. W ise, ThakoreSaheb . of Gondal, and the translators of Susru ta Samhitain the B ib lotheca Indica , namely, Du tt and H oern le. It is
a great pity that this translation has not as yet progressedbeyond three fascicu l i. H oern le
’
s recen t con tribu tion ,
“O steology of the H indus,” is a move in the r ight direction and we
hope i t to be followed by simi lar enqu iries in other branchesof the science. B oyle for the first time proved beyond doubtthe h igh antiqu ity of H indu medicine
,and
0
establishedits r ight position in the history of the science. W iseis the pioneer of systematic research in this field of study,
and his sympathetic appreciation of the H indu system of
medicine will always be remembered with gratitude by our
countrymen. Dutt’s Mater ia Medica of the H indus is a workof great mer it ; and I have der ived mater ial a ssistance fromthe excellent treatise, “H istory of Aryan Medical Science, by
the Thakore Saheb of Gondal . D r . Ray’
s H istory of H induChem istry is a valuable con tr ibu tion in the cognate subject of.
chemistry. I have borrowed from these wr iters largely, bu t
0
1 Elphinstone’s H istory of India, 5th Ed. , p. 160.
Xvi fiRfiE‘ACfi.
I flatter myself i t will also be found that I have fur ther
collected from var ious sources a store of valuab le informa
ti0n , for which I am in no way indebted to any of my
predecessors in the same field of research. The descr iptions
of the su rgical instruments of the Greeks, the Romans and
the Ar abs, I have taken from the excellent English transla
tions of Pau lus ZEgineta, the Extant W orks of [Etius and
theGenu ine W orks of H i ppocrates, prepared by the ren owned Adams, for the Sydenham Society. I have also laid therecent monograph, “Surgi cal instruments in Greek and R omantimes,
by D r . M ilne, largely under contr ibution ; I on ly regret
that I had no access to the book a little ear lier , otherwise muchof my labour in search for descr iptions of the instruments of
the Greeks wou ld have been saved. For the last five years,I have been engaged on this investigation and i t was when Ihad near ly finished, that M ilne’s book was mentioned to me bythe H on
’
b leMr . JusticeAsu toshMookerjee, the Vice-Chan cello‘rof the Calcu tta Un iversity and the President of the AsiaticSociety of Bengal.
To complete the subject, I have added plates of near ly all
the var ieties of instruments ; b u t they aremore or lesshypothetical as we do not possess any actual specimens of the instru
ments of the H indus. W r itten descriptions of surgicalinstruments are un in teresting and often fail to convey the trueidea, which cou ld be easily made eviden t by the pen cil. For
purposes of compar ison I have given drawings of instru
men ts of the Greeks, the Romans and the Arabs, when Ithought that theym ight be of value for the proper elu cidation of my subject. _
I am indebted to many au thors
XVII
1 am indebted to'
many authors for some of the engravings
of the instruments. I have been carefu l to g ive the sourcewhence the borrowed ones are taken , as far as I have been ab leto ascertain them . If this has been om itted in any case, it isfrom inadvertence, not from des1gn . M y best thanks are due to
them and I here acknowledge my indebtedness to the au thors forai
vai'ling myself of thei r labourswithout their perm ission . Butmany
new i llustrat1ons wi ll be found, and I have appended my name
to”
those drawn by myself . Thesefigures of the surg ical instru-Q
merits wou ld be fou nd to tally better with the descr iptions of thestruments g i ven in the Sansk rit books than the i llustrations
of the previous au thors. The drawingsof surg ical instrumen tsas given by me would look more li ke the figu res in a moderncatalogue of surg ical instruments; Some of my fr iends couldhardly believe when they saw the plates that these instruments
wereknown to the ancient H indus at such an ear ly age. Thisfeeling of amazement and incredu laty as regards
"the surg ical
in struments used by ‘
th‘
e ancient H indus has its parallel in the
observations of B i llroth l abou t the surgical instruments
found in the excavationsat Pompeu and now prese1 ved in the
museum at,
Naples. H e says : Itmade a pecular impression upon
me, when I saw before me this two thousand years old su rg ical
armamentar ium of a Roman colleag ue, difieringb ut slightly in
the form of the more ordinary instruments from those of . our
time. Ars longs. vi ta brevis.
” M i lne2 also remarks The
works of those (Paré, Scu ltetus and Heister ) are profuselyillustrated with instruments, some of which can plainly be seen
to tally exactly with the. descriptions of the classical autho1 s.
”
1 B i l lrosh’
s Surgere ol I, Introducti on ,P age 7. Syd Soc . Ed .
9 a r m n n .R om an Sur g ical Instruments. P . 8 .
xviii PREFACE.
In describing the surg ical instruments, I have confinedmyself strictly to the texts of the authors and commentato rswhom I have quoted, and have g iven the orig inal Sanskrit
passages in the foot-notes. These will be of great help to scholarswho will try to study the subject at first hand, and prosecutefurther histori cal inquiries. The references i n the foot-notesdo not refer to pages of any particu lars edition of the work, assuch pagination causes inconvenience to the readers who may
not secure the edition in question ; so we have g iven the
section, and chapter of the book whi ch will be found in any
edition
In the translations of Sanskrit passages, I have endeavou redto follow the orig ina l as closely as possible, except where asomewhat free rendering was necessary to make the meaningclear .
The dates of the ancient H indu authors of Sanskrit medicalbooks cannot be ascertained with certainty . In the first
chapter I have endeavoured to discuss briefly their approximateages. B ut as I have compared the surg ical instruments of theancient H indus with those of the Greeks, Romans and
a concise summary of the chronological dates of the
Roman , Arab, and the later authors would be a g reat help inthe proper elucidation of my text.
Ant/Lora.
Pythag orasMegasthene
K tesias
H ippocrate
£3. PREFACE.
for this work to ashes and distroyed a part of the manuscr ipt.
This portion had to bewritten again . Again the task of readingproof sheets was laid on me en tirely . The occupation of a
laboriou s profession encroached on my time ; and I was not
fortunate enough to secu re the cc- operation of any worker in
this field of research. The resu lt m ight be anticipated and no
one is more conscious of the unsatisfactory issue than myself . Ihad no exper ience in proof reading , and so mistakes are not
uncommon . Some of the errors will be found correctedin the corrigenda. As regards the corrections of many of the
proof sheets of the Sanskrit foot-notes I was assisted by my son
H irendranath M ukhopadhaya, who helped me much in gettingthis book completed. The au thor will feel obliged if informed of
any errors that may be detccted and of references to inform ationswhich ought to have been g iven , and also for any hints that
may make a future edition m ore usefu l to the readers. B ut
I have this consolation in my m ind that I have not pu shed this
work through the press hu rr iedly or pi efunctori ly and I havedone my best. I have laboured with the usual drawbacks of an
active professonal li fe and if this be adm itted by the cr itic asan excuse f0 1 err '
0 1 s and fa1 lu i es, I shall be g ratef ul to him .
A copious index has been provided for this work, wherebv
anything mater ial in the whole book may be readily found out
of whi ch it may be said that it wants no other advantag es than
such as the author had not power to g ive.
It‘
wOuld not be out of place here to mention that part of
this essay was read before the Asiatic Society of Bengal inJune, July and August, 1 908. The learned President in his
annual address remarked as follows : In the course of the last
renames ; and
session D r . Girindranath M ukerjee submitted to the societya paper of con siderable extent, in which he elaborately exam inedthe subject of the surgical instruments of the ancient H indus.
Thequesti ons he has raised, as to the priority of H indu medicineover that of the Greeks, the Romans and the Arabs, are l ikelyto arou se controversy, but in whatever way the question of
priority may be decided, it seems to me truly remarkable that thedescriptions g iven in ou r most ancient books on medicine, of the
surgical In struments then in use, shou ld bear a close resemblanceto the descriptions g iven not on ly in Greek, Roman and Arab
medi cal writings but in many cases with the descriptions g ivenin mederu works on su rgery . I trust that this subject
, so
peculiarly Indian , will not be left alone and wi ll ' r eceive the
attention from investigators which it undoubtedly deserves.
” l
As regards the transliteration of Sanskrit words, we have
employed the method adopted in the Cong ress of O ri entalistsand circul ated in the Jou rnal of the Royal Asiati c Society,ignoring in fact, the unpleasant characters of the
3
Sacred Bookof the East.
‘
i
Jou rnal and P roceedings of the Asiatic Society of
.
B en gal , Vol . V, 1 909,
Annu al Addr ess, p . XXX.
m i ru n es .
1
SAN SK RI'I‘ AND ALLIED ALPHABETS .
(Anum'
wi lca )
I).
x (Jahvc‘
zmizl iya ) h Amtddtta,
X b
CO NTENTS .
Sources of information : contemporary literature ;monumen ts and inscr iptions ; figu res of herbsand scenes of medical practice ; m useums ;
medical books comparative study accounts of
histor ians; travellers and pi lg rims ; medicalpractice of the present time . Downfal l of H induSu rgery : causes discontinuance of dissectioninterference of priests ; dread of the surgeon ’
s
kn ife ; authority of the ancient sages ; B ud
dhism want of Government help . Ack nowledgment . Chronological dates of the Graeco
Roman,Arab and later authors . Transliteration .
of Sansk r it words.
CONTENTS
CORR IGNENDA
W O R K S BY TH E AUTH OR
CHAPTER I .
INTRODUCTION
An cient medical au thor s and thei r worksCaraka Sati ihita,— age of
Caraka, edi tions and commentaries ; Susruta
Samhita- Dhanvan tar i , Susruta, N agarjjuna,ag e of Susruta, Candrate, Palakapya,
— editions
PAGES .
i— xxn
xxx— xxxi
Xxxl l
CONTENTS .
PAGES.
and commentaries. Vagbhata 1 ,— Astar
'
1ga
Samg raha, his age, edition and commentary ;
Vagbhat II : Astai'
i ga H rdaya Samhi ta,editions and commentaries Vagbhata III— Rasa
Ratna Samu ccaya Madhavakara — Nidana ;Vr uda M adhava z— Siddhayoga ; Cak rapan i
datta — Cik itsasara Samg raha, edi tion sSarangadhara :— Sarngadhara Sarhg raha, editionand commentarv ; Bhava M is
'
ra — BhavaP rakasi a, editions.
CHAPTER II .
H OSP ITALS AND D ISP ENSAR IES 344 60
H ospital in the Caraka Samhi ta ; Greek iatr iumlist of applian ces in su rgical operation s ; thely ing
- in - room ; the chi ld’s room ; room for
operated cases the k itchen qu alities of a goodpatien t and a good n u rse ; Charitable hospita lsdur ing the, reigns Of ASO ka and Si laditya II ;P unyasalas ; an imal hospital ; opin ions of
ancient sages as to the mer it of the fou nderof a hospital Dispen saries Anaesthetics.
CH APTER III.
M ATER IALS or IN STR UM ENTS 60 89
Iron and Steel, Copper , Tin , Lead, Bell-metal , Goldand Si lver , H or n , Bone and Ivory ; \Vood,Stone. Execution . O rnam entation . Edges O f
sharp instrumen ts. The temper ing O f Sharpinstrumen ts. Good and bad qualities of su rg i
cal instr uments. The uses of instrumen ts.
CO NTENTS .
W hetstone. Instrumen t cases. Boxes for oin tmen ts, O intment pots, and portable cases.
Kapata-Sayana or Fractu re-B ed.
CHAPTER IV .
TH E N UMBER. O F SURGICAL INSTRUMENTSInstruments and thei r classification The Yantra Or
blunt instruments ; The Svastika or cruci forminstruments : The Sandams
'
a or pincher - like
ipstruments; The Tala or picklock - l ike instru
ments The Nadi or tubu lar instrumen ts, the
salaka or rod- shaped instrumen ts. The Upayanta
or accessory instruments. The Sastras or sharpinstruments. The Anuéastras or substitutes forsharp instruments.
CHAPTER V .
0
D ISCR IPTIO N O F TH E BLUNT IN STR UMENTS1 . The Svastika yan tra or cruciform Instru inents z°
S i ihhamukha svastika or Lion - faced fprceps.
Vyaghramukha or Tiger forceps. Vrkamukha
or W olf forceps . Taraksumukha or H yena
forceps. Rk samukha or Bear forceps.
D wipimukha or Pan ther forceps. M arjara
m ukha or Cat forceps. Srgalamukha or Jackalforceps. A irbbaruka or Deer forceps. Kakamukha or Crow forceps. K ankamu kha or
H eron forceps. K u raramukha or O sprey for
ceps. Casam ukha or Blue- Jay forceps. Bha
samukha or Eag le forceps. Sas'
aghatimukha
or H awk forceps. U lukamukha or owl forceps.
Cillimukha or K ite forceps. Syenam ukha or
Vu ltureforceps. Grdh1 amukha or 1‘ alcon forceps.
XXV
PAGES .
xxvi CONTENTS.
PAGES.
K ra uficamukha or Curlew forceps. Bhrngaraja
mukha or Butcher-bird forceps. Afi jalikarna
forceps. Avabhafijanamukha forceps. N andimukha forceps. II . The Sandan
'
lSa or Pincherlike forceps : Forceps w ith and withouthandles. Forceps with Smooth and rough ends.
Epilation forceps. M u cut i or M ucnndi .
VamSab idala or Bamboo forceps. III. TalaYantra or Picklock- like instrument : Ectala
and D vitala . The Ea r-scoop . IV . The N adi
Yantra or Tubu lar instr uments K anthaéalya
valok in i or Throat speculum . Paficamuka and
Trimukha . Tubulur instruments for inspection of arrows. Salyan irghatari i . The Impellent . Tubu lar instruments for Pi les— for inspection and medication . Sami . The Rectal Speenlum . Calopter . Tubu lar instruments for theFistul a- in -ano. Tubul ar instruments for the
nose : N asal Specu lum . N athu -karan i and
Yamaka—nathu - karan i . N asal tubes. The
Angu li -tnanaka -or Eh'
nger-guard . Yon iVraneksana or Vaginal Specu lum . Di0pter .
Bivalve Specu lum . The tubu lar instr uments forwounds— Vrana-vasti or W ound-Syringe .
Tubu lar instrument for ascites. Dakodara yan tra
or Canu la . Tubu lar instrum ents for H ydrocele.
Tubu lar instruments for recta l stricture.
Tubu lar instruments for injection into the
rectum— Vasti Yantra or Recta l clyster .
U ttaravasti or urethral , vaginal and uterine
tubes. Catheters. Tubu lar instrumen ts forinhalation and fumigation . Disinfectionof rooms
, clothes &c. Tubu lar instru
ments for cupping . Srnga or horn . Alabu
Y antra or gourd. Ghati Yantra. V . Salaka‘.
xx'
vm CO NTENTS .
CHAPTER VI.
TH E SASTRA O R THE SH ARP INSTRUMENTS
The M andalag ra“
or round-headed kn ife. K arapatra
or saw . Vrddhipatra— di rghavaktra and hrasva
vaktra —the‘
long and short-m ou thed kn ives.
H ypoderm ic medication . N akhaéastra or N ai l
parer . M udr ika, angu lisaétra or finger‘
or
ring-kn ife. U tpalapatra, Phlebotome.
'
Arddha
dhara, Cakradhara, adhyardhadhara . Suci orneedles —curved, half curved and Straight?Javamukhi
'
needle. K uSapatra . Ati mukha .
Sarar imukha or scissors. Antarmukha : arddhacan
dranana or half-moon - faced Scissors. Ardhacan
dra kn ife. Tr ikfi rccaka , kfi rcca , khaja . K u tha
r ika. Vr i himukha or trocar . Ara or awl,
Karna - vedhan i or ear -
perforater, Ju thika, Pan imantha . Karmara or nali . Vetaspatraka .
Vad iéa or sharp hook , Danta -Sank u or toothScaler . Da nta- lekhana or tooth- sealer . E n i
pada . Esan i or sharp probes ; needle- Shaped
probes, K u ruvaka probes. The operati on of
couching Of cataract . Y avamukhi Sale.
Sarpasya . Gold or silver kn ife. P ratuda . The
mode of holding the sharp instruments The
practical tra in ing in su rg ical Operation s.
CHAPTER VII.
PAGES .
5325— 281
THE ANUSASTEA on ACCESSORY SHAR P 282- 494
Bamboo . Dissection . Crystal , Glass and ruby .
Leeches. Fire and caustics. Fingers a nd nails.
Leaves. Young stems of plants.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII .
H YGIEN IC AP P LIANCES AND H O SP ITAL REQU ISITES
Tooth-br ush. Tooth- pick . Razor and Shears. The
practice of shav ing . K eSa-
prasadhan i or comb .
Look ing -
glass. Dress. U sn i sa or head-dress.
Chatra or Umbrellas. Y asthi or sticks. U panaha
or Shoes. Vyajan i and c i mara or the fan . Filters.
W ater vessel . Bathing . Dr inking Vessels.
Dinner Service. Spoons. Spittoons. Bedpans and
U r inals. Pns Basi ns . Pestle and mortar . S ieves,
Strainers and filters. Cold and hot applications.
Balance or M anadanda . Collyr ium pots.
M edicine g lass. Dropper . Gr ind- stone. Stone and
i ron mu ller .
CHAPTER IX .
rB H E CO NCLUSIO N
Claim of Indian Medicine as a historical studyThe knowledge of the Science in an cient India .
Antiquar ian value of the study . A comparativestudy . Relation of the H indu and G reek
M edical Science. Indebtedness of the Persians,
Arabs, Chi nese, Tibetans and the. modern Europeans .
AppendixList of works consu ltedIndex - English
Sanskr i t
xxix
PAGES .
295— 328
W O RK S B Y TH E AU TH O R .
l . M uscles of the Human Body , arranged in Tabu lar forms.
FourthEdition . Re. 1
2. Tropical Abscess of the Liver .
Thesis approved for the deg ree of Doctorate in Medicine,M adras Un iversity . Rs. 5
3. G lossary of Indigenous Medicinal Plants.
(In the Press)N otices, Biog raphical and Bibli ographical, of the Indian
Physicians and their W orks on M edicine.
(In the Press)5. M edicine in the Vedic times.
(In preparation)
THE STAR MEDICAL HALL
80, Russa Road North, Bhawampur,
GHLGUTTA .
T H E
Surgical Instruments of the Hindus.
C H A P T ER I .
IN TRO D U CT IO N .
ANCIENT MEDICAL AUTHORS AND THEIR W ORKS.
The Science and Ar t of Medicine, l ike many other d i fferen tbranches O f learn ing or i ginated wi th the H indus. They consi
der the ar t of heal ing as an U paveda and i t is generally knownas Ayurveda , that is the art O f prologing li fe. Li ke the Vedas,
they trace the or igin of the scien ce to God, the foun ta in of
all tr ue knowledge . B ramha transm i tted this heaven - bornsc ience to this wor ld for benefit O f the mor ta ls in one of the
sacred wr i tings, the Ayu rveda .
It was composed as a sub - di v ision O f the Athar va Veda and
consisted or ig inally of a ldkh slokas or a hu ndred thousandstanzas, divided in to a thou sand chapters. Then consider ingthe short span of l i fe and inadequate in tel ligence of man ,
b e divided the book in to ei ght par ts 1 as follows
seenu are m m‘
amfafwm imam afim mm fi n
(amass mfi m afirffi nSuéru ta Sarhhi ta, I. i .
mfi swr m m massi f fawnfi fi ffi m fim en afimwms’
(smurfs msfim fiifinCarak a Sarnhi ta, I. xxx.
as s um—2m : a fl msfi uw s
’
iwfiafl wfisfl nsmsafi nfi fl a rares t
Ib id .
2 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS O F THE H INDU S.
1 . Salya Tantra or Maj or Su rgery.
2. Salakya Tan tr a or Su rgery of par ts above the Clavicles.3. K aye. Ciki tsa or Inner Medicine.
4. B hutvidya or D emnology .
5. K aumarabhr tya or the Scien ce of Paediatr ics.
6. Agada or Toxi cology.
7 . Rasayana or Trea tmen t to prolong life.
8. Vaj i karana or Treatmen t to stimu late the sexual power .
The book is no m ore avai lable now, SuSru ta being theau thor ity for the above in formati on .
‘
A different View i s held by otherS, W ho trace the originof H indu Medicine in the verses of the Rgveda.
2
W W m aw mwfifi nan: am ass
mmam s Siam (assig n n ew sman m an transient
SuSru ta Sarhhi ta, I. i.
as Err um : ex: aaulfi m aqtnéfiwai ai W ye—szfizzi
farms: m a fi a: mam a: m aximise {fin we arena-
151
sta tesm an: fsafi fa u
as firm ari asaamiewm aw aham W saéfieufim i tm 1
Caraka Sathhi ta, I. xxx.
The or i g in of medical science, as quoted i n the abovemessage of Caraka ,
does not however agree w i th the view expressed by the au thor in the Sutra
Sthene, Ch. I. (See footn ote 1 . P . In Ch . XXX , we find that an
attempt had b een made to mak e a compromise b etween the two v iews of
Agn iveéa and Sufiru ta. Evi den tly thi s w as the work of a later redactor,
possib ly D rdhavala .
a myfi’
m fiifi mm a 1 am n fi rfiqi m fi aif ratifi es: emis
g wasii smifi fi i sr saw feaa againas anaem ia a a a n
Caraka San‘
i hita, 1 . xxx .
9szfi umgas Hafiz: I
Carana Ityuha by Vyasa.
4 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDU S .
hymns, by B loomfield1 in to English Prose, with notes, in
Vol . XLIII of the Sacred Books of the East.
CARAKA SAI’
VIHITA.
In the Caraka Samhi ta we find that Brahma taught B aksa.the science of medicine ; B aksa became the preceptor of the
As’
win twins ; they in their tu rn became the teachers of Indraand Indra imparted this k n owledge to B haradvaja who was
sen t by a conclave of sages to learn the art for the welfareof the human race.
2 B haradvaja had P unarvasu Atreya and
the others as disciples. Atreya’
s studen ts wereAgn ivesa,
Bhela, Jatukarna,P araSara , H ar i ta and K earapan
‘i,all of whom
became celebrated as the au thors of treatises on Medicine ;the Caraka Sar
'
nhi ta being a r ev ised and improved editionof the treatise of Agniveéa ,
which was declared to b e the
best produ ction s Caraka did not,however , redact the whole
1 H e has a lso edi ted the K auéi ka Sutra of the Athar va Veda , w i th
extracts from the commentar ies of Dar i ta and K eéava (see Vol . XIV J ou rn .
Am . O r i en t . It i s very fii sefu l as a. help to the proper under standing
of the mean ing of a. hymn .
afishfaaafie asa m am anima l
w arrant gar « term i nate n
asmn fa am fi amgfi a m aria :
arms fafiaaai arafiaa‘
ra, gaa a : u
a fiawf m afiaas: afaaés aaaa l
azfacfiafi at arafaa ufi afimaaa llCarak a Samhi ta, I . i .
3aa aah“: gmaarg
’
cfi‘a'
sarcasmfafi ifi aaaiaW W : em n
area“ has aaarai : « rat : I
srf’la : amtufiua am g
’
fi a : ll
aoaaawas: m ean aa
’
i saaa n
are: aaiaaaag i a‘
atas aar’r‘
a a I
aiaai aratfi a afisiarf aaaa : nIb id , I. i .
MEDICAL AUTH ORS AND THEIR W O RK S . 5
book — the last forty- fou r chapters1 were edi ted by D rdha'
vala,
2a native of P anchanadapu ra , long supposed to refer
to Punjab (the land of five r ivers) b ut at presen t iden tified w ith a town in Kashm ir by D r . H oern le.
8 Two otherworks, the treatises of Bhela and H ari ta
,are sti ll extan t ; the
former existing in manu scr ipt in the Tanjore Library t and the
latter as prin ted texts by Xavi ’r dj es K . O . Sen and B . L . Sen,
of Calcu tta .
5
N ow as regards the age of Caraka , there is great di ver
gence of opin ions. The Indian s generally believe him to b e a
Rsi of great an tiqu ity whi le the European schol ars try
1 For a discu ssi on on the par t added by D rdhavala , see H oern le’s Studies
in Ancient Indian M edicine, J . R . A . S . 1 908, P . 997- 1 002 . A lso see pp. l l - l 5
in the Vanausadhi Darpana , Vol . I. , by K avi raja B i raja Charan Gupta , 1 908.
2aaaaflaafaa
'
a ta‘
arfiigfsai
saga aaa, as ? famifi iaa i aa u
aaam é as a’
iafaafsia I
w e re? seas?! sna : asaaa? u
as ?“w a s? fafima aa’
iaaa l
aaaaiw wrafafsaaaq raa u
Carak a Samhi ta, VIII, x1 1 .a far-1 HR W EHTHT: aam: filaa aa a I
ai ai a a'
isfaama aa at aafi a u
a fiaraanfizaaa : arenaaaaa’
isaf ia l
aaama assis t 1331 115 aaraus uIb id , vi , xxx .
3 H oern le’s Studies in the
'
M edicine of Ancien t Ind i a , P art I, Osteology ,
In troducti on . p . 2. See a lso hi s ar ticle on“The au thorship of Carak a Sarhhita
”
in the Ar chivf u r di e Geschz’
chte der M edizz’
n , 1 907.
4 See B urnell’s Tan jor e Catalogu e N 0 . 1 0773 of Sansk r i t M ss. , P . 63.
It is doub tfu l whether the H ar i ta Sarnhi ta is the genu ine work of the
Rsi , H ar i ta . The pr in ted text refers to Carak a , Suér uta and even Vagbhata,
who were decidely poster i or to H ar i ta , See the Footnote 3, P . .6 .
6 TH E SU RGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
to connect him with histor ical even ts of more m odern times.
Sylvain Levi has recen tly discovered in the ChineseTranslation of the Buddhist Tr ip i taka that Caraka was the
Cour t Physician of the Indo -Scythian K ing Kan iska, in the
first cen tu ry A .D .
1 B u t the following objections are to be
met with before his conclusions can be accepted as pr oved1 . The age of Kan iska is not yet settled, the probable
limits of his reign being from the first cen tu ry B . C. to the
second century A . D .
2 Moreover in the Buddhist Tr ip i taka.referred to
, the name of Caraka is simply men tioned as the
Cou r t Physi ci an of the K ing Kan iska bu t there is nothing toiden tify him wi th the au thor of the book . The same n ame
,
found in di fferen t places,does by no means sign ify the same
person .
2. The time assi gned to Caraka by the Indian medica ltradition i s of great an tiqu ity . W ith regard to the chronolo
g ical position of the three old au thors, he is men tioned as
an ter ior to Suéru ta and Vagbhata I.
3
3. D r . B ay has poin ted ou t that the n ame Carak a ispatronym i c in the Veda .
4 It is qu i te possible that a mu ch1 See J ou rnual Asiatique—J u ly to Decemb er 1 896, p . 444 to 484 and
J anuary to J une 1 897, p . 5 to 42 also Indi an An tiqu ary Vol . XXXII, 1 903,
p . 382 and Viena O r ien tal J ou rn al , Vol . XI. , p . 1 64.
2 Sec V . A . Smi th’s Early H istory of India , P . 225-26.
D r . Fleet in J . R . A . S. , 1 906, P . 979.
D r . B handark ar in J . R . A . S . (B omb ay B ranch) , Vol . XX, P . 269.
J . A. S. B . Vol . XXXIX , 1 870, p . 65 and 126.
3arm: aga
isa amazes W :
genus a'
fsarmama-a qa airair Itaria : saga i s?! an ? alga
”! aa :
a s“
? amaza rar a afi ais w e l
Samhi ta, P ar iéistadhaya .
4 Dr . P . C. Ray’s H istory of H indu Chemistry , In troduction , P . X.
MED ICAL AU TH ORS AN D TH EIR W O RK S . 7
later n amesake of his, is refer red to by the Tr ip/ti d ied ,
ju st aswe k now that more than one Vagbhata appeared as su ccessfu lphysician . Again we have eviden ce that em inen t physiciansin later times were called Caraka by way of a complimen tand so Vagbhata was called Caraka of Sindh or Sindhicara .
4. Pan in i wrote special Sutras for the Agn iveéas and the
Carak as.
l These names must have been famou s before Pan in i’stime, otherwise he wou ld not have wr itten special Sutras forthem . Pr of. Goldstucker has conclusively proved that Pan in icoul d not have flou r ished later than the sixth cen tu ry 13. C.
2
5. P a tafij ali wrote a commen tary on Caraka .
3 H e
flou r ished dur ing the second cen tury B . C. Both Cak rapan idatta and Bhoj a allude to him as the redactor of CarakaSamhita.
4 So Caraka mu st have flou r ished long beforehim , for un less his work was regarded as a standard work of
au thor ity , P atafijali wou ld not have taken so mu ch pains towr i te n otes on the book , and sti l l more for issu ing a redaction .
6. The in ternal evidence of the book i tselfo
speaks against
su ch an assumption. There is no salu tation to any diety at the
1 m artia l P an in i 4.
aairaza'
i as u Ib id , 4. I. 1 05.
afi l aaa l m ar l aga in
Goldstucker’
s Pan in i ; and J ournal of the Asiatic Society of B engal ,
Vo l . XLII, P . 254.
3anhaia awaa aaaam aria
-3a faaaara, t rznfizaarafil aT-amana‘
i
a: a aFa a t? aaafa:
Quoted in Laghumafijusa O f N ageSa Bhatta (Ray ).4ai asa— asi am—a t a nfaaeie
’
i zl
aa’
iara—a wa’
iam a fi sfaaaa aazu
Vida salu tation in the Ayurvedarthadipika.
8.
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE HINDUS .
beginning of the book ,— a custom invar iably found to be observedin the moremodern compilations. There is complete absence of
P auran ic theology in the Caraka Samhita, nor is there any
referen ce to Sakya Mun i and his r eligi on . Kan iska was a greatpatron of Buddhism , and i t m ight n atu rally be expected from the
Court Physician O f the king to descr ibe the char itable hospitalswhichwe know fr om the edict ofAsoka , to have flour ished in everyquarter of India. O n the con trary we find descr iptions of a hospitalas reserved for r ich men only at their own houses. Those godsand godesses that figu re so prom inen tly i n the Pura'nas w
.
ere
unknown du r ing his time.
1 Beef was not then , apparently, a
1 N o doub t the names of Lak sm i , K rsna and Vasudeva occu r in Cik i tsi ta
Sthanam, Chapter XXV , but i t shou ld be rememb ered that they occu r in the
Supplement added by Drdhavala in later ti mes.
swi
m a as m in a ai firai aaqa’
i t r
aafiia aa was aa trams—seats ll
fitmam Kae la fee"“W 5.I
an?aa'
i aargafi f’
aaa’rsa afarfiaat
aaz gawfiisra faa fi fi reman uamaara m m m fi aara a I
and smafii : m aRafi afie a’
ifi II
w e ai faanai fa maéawt raaa l
Carak a Samb its, VI, xxv .
B ut K rsna and Vasudeva are ment ioned in Pan in i as demigods, having
many adherents who formed a class.“mafi a
—{amt P anin i , 4. 3. 98.
Again the passage may be an i nterpolation of a sub sequent Va isnaba Va id.
So B rsavadhvaja i s also men ti oned i n D rdhava la’s Supplement , as a god to
be worshipped dur ing the preparat ion of some medicines
aaa’
iaaaazsaflfifaé: Faa'
fi aw m fi aa aaaariwam a‘
W ager aas faammfi aaaatfi zsfi i ama'iiafi mafian
Ib id, VIII, xi i .
MEDICAL AUTHORS AND THEIR W ORKS . 9
forbidden food, for i t is Spoken Of as an articIe of diet that‘
shou ld not be indu lged dai ly,l
nor shou ld i t be u sed in
excessive quan tity as i t is men tioned as a cau se o f the disease,
'Vata-Rak ta .
3
The’
style of the book is an tIqu ated and decidedly savours
that of the Brahmanas. Naya and Va iéesik i systems occur in thetext,
”and so probably the book was wr itten long before the
compilation of these S ii tras.
Edi tion s— The book had undergone several editions. It
wase di ted byJ i bananda Vidyasagar , Calcu tta,in 1 877 and 1 896(2ndEd.) by Gangadhar K avi ratna, Berhampur, 1 879 ;by GIIpta ,
Calcutta, 1 897 with commen tary by Cak rapanidatta , Ca lcu tta,1 892- 93 by Jaéoda nandana Sarkar , wi th Bengal i translation,1 894s.
Tr ansla ti ons— It had been translated in to English by A . C.
K avi ratna ,Calcutta , 1 897. Carak a was tr anslated from Sanskr i t
And we find that the an t idote to po isen cal led W INES?» i s said to have
b een told by Tryambaka (Siva ) to B a iéravana (K uvera ) :1
wai lsaéawm Ia-apaam ar i a :
Caraka Samhi ta, VI. xxv.
A lso we find the name of K arttikeya mentioned in Sec . IV. ch . v i i i .
naa aafafiaeafafarei em s,
afi ‘
a‘
aqfii as'
mfaaafim‘faafafir ll
aanaafia a mats awaits amafia nIb id , 1 . v.
am mafimiaafi ifaqafiafii z
aanaaaaa'filtaaaafi imgz11
Ib id , VI. xxix.
‘1 Vide Carak a, III. vi ii .
0cu )
1 0 THE SU RGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
into Arab ic in the beginn ing of the eighth century and his
name“Sharaka Indianus
” occurs in the Latin translations of
Avicenna, Rhazes and Serapion .
“A translation of the K arakaJl
from Sanskr it in to Persian and fr om Persian into Arabicis mentioned in the Fihrst, (Fin ished 987 It is
l ikewise men tion ed by Alberu n i 2 the translation is saidto have been made for the B armek ides. Albérfin i
’
s chief sou rceon Medicine was “Caraka, in theArabic Edition of Ali Ibn Z ain
,
fr om Trabaristan .
Comm en tar i es.
1 . Patafijali— 2nd centu ry B .c.— not available.
2. Cakrapanidatta’
s Caraka Tatparya Ti ka, i t)! Ayurveda
dipik'
as— 1 060 AD .
3. H ar icandra 6— 1 1 1 1 A.D .—not available.
4. Sibadasa’s Caraka-Tattva- P radipika.
5. Gangadhar’
s Jalpa-Kalpa—Taru— 1 879 AD .
1 P roceedings of the As. Soc. , B engal , 1 870, Septemb er .
R eih end , M emoi r e awr l ’lnde, P . 31 6.
Maxmul ler’s Science of Langixage, Vol . I P . 1 68, Foot Note.
Sacbau’s preface to India, P . XL .
5 See Caraka Saxhhi ta wi th Cak rapani datta’s Commentary by K am
'
rdj aH arin i th Visarada , Calcu tta, 1 895.
0 A Commen tary wr itten by H ar icandra i s refer red to in the Sansk r it
Slokasnarrating the genealogy of M aheévara, the author of Viévaprakaéa and
Sahasankacar ita , who flouri shed during the reign of Sahasanka, k ing of
Gazipur in 1 033 Saka (1 1 1 1 A . D . W i lson ).
amass m afafia fiaaI
afi w afirfi affi rm
« newatm aaaaart n
1 2" THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS on T HE HINDUS.
which he reproduced in this work . B u t in the open ing.
lines of the book , Salu tation is offered to Brahma, B aksa ,
Asvins, Indra, Dhanvantar i, Susru ta and others.
1L This shows
that Susru ta can not b e the au thor of the work or at least of
the work in i ts presen t shape, for no author can offer salu tationto himself. By
“the ot hers” are no doubt meant the n otable
su rgeons who practised and taught the Scien ce of Su rgery
and who were either con temporary with or poster i or to Suéru ta.
Possi bly the or igin al Susru ta Samhita had been recast and the
redactor cou ld appr opr iately offer ia salu tation to the or iginalau thor and to other surgeonswho flou r ished before him . There
i s also an Indian medical tradition,n oted i n D allanacW a s
Commen tary , which assigns the impr oved and su pplemen tededi ti on of Susr u ta
’
5 or i ginal work to Nagarjj f ma, 2 the celeb ratedB uddhist Chem ist
,who is said to have been a con temporary of
the k ing
In the thi rd cha’pter , Sufiru ta en umerates the subjects de'
s
cr ib‘
ed. ‘
by
'
h'im,—~ the chapter form ing an index of the book .
Therein he men ti ons the five pr incipal div isions of his bookand says that the U ttara Tan tra or the Su pplemen t wou ld be
mi?aa nammfiaaafirsa a fiuganefaw
Suéruta. San'i hi ta, I.
as as afifi {mm 333 nfar‘
flamj tra‘
amwfizfa I 11m m?am fi ij Q 3 r
Dal lana’s Commen tary to Susru ta , I. 1 .
See also Dr . Cord ier ’s Recen tes D ecouver tes, pp . 1 2- 1 3.
See H arsacar i ta by V i na .
B eal’
s B uddhist R ocords of the Wester n Wor ld, Vol II. , P . 209, 212, 2 16.
B u rgess’
A rchaeo log ica l Su rvey o f S. Ind ia .
l n tr od .a l'
li istoi re du B udh. 1 nd P . 508.
MEDICAL AUTH O RS AND THEIR W ORKS. 1 3’
descr ibed afterwards.
‘ N ow the fact t hat the sixth' part wasappended to the work as a Supplement or U ttara Tantra (72a ,
after treatise) clear ly shows that . i t was written afterwards b y .
another surgeon and added to the or iginal"
treatise. If the
original Suéruta W ished to have six di visions O f ' his beck, he .
would have men tioned i t clear ly in the index ‘
and Wou ld not
have, after stat ing that his book consisted Of five parts, added;that “the supplement wou ld be descr i bed afterwards,
”
seems to be an interpolation of t he S upplemento'
r to pass ,
his edition as the org inal work O f the author . Again at
theo
end of the fifth secti on , there , is a passage describing ,
the impor tan tce of the Ayu rveda, w’
hi ch was -meant as the’
cenclusion of the book - by the au thor .
3 It is to be noted,
1 mmfirfsa'
sfiiaaérmmi usea fi g Ha new sman“ aqaarfiuql:
£1331 fi zmfi I as! mf mfiu n aa tfi afsfa fiw fi I Wei mm: I fi rst
wars: I
mamai asfi afiafiafi fmwant awaitm anq u e
? nSuéru ta Satbhi ta, I. i i i .
2 i t? Gra h am m in afi fiiaqsfiaamaaaam W twfitexfir u
as,
fifim m fi wan was t as W mfitfifiqfi w fi u
adm it s‘
fiwfimi air irwm iqm m: 1Ib id, I. i .
3sfiamwmafiagfi faun a :
fi’
ifizm firf‘
ém sfq'
rqaimmfiui‘
u
m arm amaa a n
ames timate flamers éf‘
sm‘
W qfim rqtim ers zfsfi r. II
fi faifsatqalmaa a fwfszfiruse a
azfifi aumasneaafi fiisagfl : it
W h at g feastflaqm eme
smart summi t si n: aIb id, V. vi i i .
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDU S .
that at the end of no other sections do we find a similarpassage. H e also writes : “Thus one hundred and twen ty
chapters are descr ibed” b u t adds :“The other diseases
shall be descr ibed i n the U ttara Tan tra the latter par t no
doub t is an in terpolation O f the Supplementor . M oreover , inthe open ing li nes which serve as a preface to the sixth part,the author ity quoted for the diseases of the eye is N im i , the king“
J anaka of M i thi la and not Dhanvan tar i. 1 B ut in the first
chapter O f the first section , i t is descr ibed that the sages wan ted
Dhan vantar i to teach them Salyatan tra or Maj or Su rgery on lyand he consented to their requ est. And this su bject he treatedin detail in the five sectionsof the book. In the Supplement
,on
the other hand, are descr ibed the other bran ches of the scien cesuch a s M in or Surgery, Inner Medicine, 8m. Probably this partwas added afterwards to give completeness to the trea tise ; andthe or ig inal Suéruta was called Vrddhya or the O ld by the
commen tators to distingu ish him from the Supplemen tor .
Suéruta’
s «work i s specially important to us as hav ing twowhole chapters (vi i and v iii of Section I .) devoted to the
descriptions of Su rgical Instrumen ts and one W hole chapter(xxv of Section I.) to the pr inciples of Surg ical O perations.
T he age of Susru ta is also involved in Obscu r ity . N othingcan be ascerta ined from the fact that he was a son of Vi svam i traz ,
1 mama?a? fi t m am :
aaufii as!" Ha fi i wifirflifitfii ll
writ-“
rmfi fi fl’
fii m argflvr t
umm ta tfufism 1!
Su l r u ta Samhi ta, VI. i .
2 V i svami tra i s the gotr a. name ; so the simple name may ei ther refer to
the great Viévami tra or to his descendan ts.
MEDICAL AUTHORS AND THEIR WORK S. 1 5
for the age in which the latter l ived is not kn own to us. B ut
he must have flou rished during the Vedic Age as many VedicHymns are ascribed to him. In the Mahabharata, Su-Sruta is
mentioned as oneof the sons ofViévami tra l and in the Suéru ta
Samhita‘ the au thor is often descr ibed as his son . The age of
the great epic has, with good reasons, been fixed at 1 000
So Sufiru ta must have flou rished-much ear l ier . The latest limitwhich we can assign to SuSruta is 600 as there are
indications in theSatapatha. B r dhmazwt, a secondaryVedi cwork,that the au thor of i t was acquain ted with the doctr ines ofSuéi'uta” as Tegards the O steology.
“The exact date of that
work is not known , bu t it is wi th good reason refer red to the
Sixth cen tury B .c. Again in the Atharva Veda , i n the
tenth book, there is a hymn on the creation of man
in which the Skeleton is descr ibed according to Atreya and
Suéruta .
2 “The large por tion of i t (Books I to XVIII)indeed admittedly belongs to a much ear li er period
,possibly
as ear ly as about 1 000 B .C. ; and the hymn in. qu estion is
in cluded in this O lder portion” . This shows that Suéru tacou ld not have flour ished later than 1 000 R C.
Again in H asti -Ayurveda, a b ook on the Treatment of
1 man i la muffs M amm
M ahabhar ata, AnuéEsana Parva , Ch. IV.
See J . R . A. S 1 906, P . 915 ; 1 907, P . I.
H oer nle’s Studies in the Medicine of Ancient India, Par t I. Osteology ,
Introduction , P . 9.
1 6 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F'
THE HINDUS .
Elephants by Palakapyaj we find the Surgical instrumentsdescri bed after the manner of SuSru ta . Palakz
‘
tpya lived as a
V eter inary Surgeon in the Cou r tbf Romap'a da, King of AI
'
Iga ,
which had as i ts capita l the famou s town of Campa, identifiedwith the modern town of Bhaga lpu r . King Romapada was con
temporary with king D aSara tha , the father ofRama , the hero ofRamayana.
l H ere we have a cor robora tive eviden ce of the
a ge of SuSruta.
SuSru ta is men tioned in the Vdr tti kas of K atyayana ’ who
fl our ished du r ing the four th cen turyC
W e have alluded toNagaijjfi nafi the B uddhist Chem ist, asthe redactor of the Suéru ta Sarhhi ta. H e is said to have been a
contemporary Of king Kan iska that is about the : first centuryB .C.
Another revision was u nder taken by Candrate, the son of
T i sata, the au thor of Cik i tsa- kal ika. H e revised the text
which must have fallen then in to a state of corruption . The
probable date of Candrate i s the n in th cen tury A .D .
"
W agflm m fiat n mfisuqn
Ramayana , Valakandam, Ch. IX.
See also Ramayana , i , 1 1 , 1 3-20 Mahabharat, i i i , n o, 1 000843 ; B hagavat,i x, 20g,
2
was that Si g?“
9 P o‘
ssibly more than one N agarjjfina appeared in ancient India as a
chemist . Albér fmi says :“H e l ived near ly a hundred years before our time
’
(India, I. P . Rajtarang in i places him in the 3rd century (I. Vs.
1 72 The modern scholars ar e of Opin ion that the founder of the Maha
yana system l ived In the first cen tu ry A . D .
Hosta le’s Osteology , p . 100.
MEDICAL AUTH ORS AND THEIR - WORKS.
‘
1 7
“There is no doubt of the traditi on that Susruta’
s work h asredac ted,
‘
for the-author cou ld not wr ite such a passageas follows“The surgical treatises of Aupadhenava, Aurabhra, Susru ta. andP ouskalavata from the basis of . other treatises on the subject.” 1
Commen tator s.”
Cakrapan idatta Vanu'
mati— IOGO '
A.D .
Nyé’y -a Gandr ika‘ —1 1 th centuryfAZD ;32. Gayadasa
or Pzfij ika3. Jejjatacaryya
'
Bhaskara.
5. zMadhava.
6: B ramhadeva.
7. Dallanacaryya—Ni bandha Samgraha— 1 2th century AD .
8. Ubhalta(Kashmir) .Edi ti ons—Sufi uta Samhitahas been edited by Madhusudan
Gupta,Calcu tta, 1 835 byJ . VidyaSagar , 3td Edition , Calcu tta ,1 889 by
'
AfC. K aviratna, Calcutta, 1888-95 ; by‘
Prubhu ram
Jib anaram,fBombay, 1901 and by Vi rasvami , Madras.
This book has been translated in to English in part on ly by-Da.tta ‘ 1 883, A . Chattopa
‘
dhyay'
1 891 , H oernle 1 897,
Calcutta, in the Bibliotheca Indica,. It has been translated intoLatin by H essler “
and i nto German by Vul-lurs.
The book was translated into Arabic before the end of the
eighth century A.D . It 18 called Kitab Shawshoonqal H indi ”
80mmSafilhiti , I. iv;
W W : i ts“ : W u as
21 11351 am m fiwafimgé’
zma sgasqrema fiaasuwmmDallana
’s'
Oommentary , I. i .0
3
1 8 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
and also mentioned as“Kitab- i -Susrud or Book Susru ta bi bu
Ab illsaib ial. Rhazes often qu otes Sarad as an au thority in
Surgery.
1
VAGBHATA I .
The next author of celebr ity and whose work is stillextant is Vagbhata I or Vagbhata the elder , the au thor of
Astanga Samgraha Compilation of the O ctopartr ite Science).In later times, a namesake of his, wrote another work calledAstanga H rdaya Samhita (or the best Compendium fi e? the
H ear t of the O ctopar tr i te Science) . In the U ttara Sthana,
Vagbhata the younger distinctly states that his Compendium isbased on the Compilation of Vagbhata ;
As regards the age of V‘
agh IS the same
uncertainty as with his predecessor owever sure
that he is poster ior to Caraka and Suéruta for he refers.to
these wr iters by name.
3
The‘ chronological relation of the threeearly au thors is des
cr ibed in a popu lar couplet that Atreya, Susruta and Vagbhata
were the three great medical au thors for the three Y ugas
1 “H is next descr iption is from an author named Sarad, whom he fre
quently quotes in other parts of his works”.
Adam’
s Commentary on Pau lus E ginetta, VI. lxi .
sums-331m m a'
i sw eqm im fium .
s 0o
m am aw m m sails armnAstanga H rdaya San
’
i hita, U ttara Sthana, Ch. XL, v . 82.
a By name, eg . in Samgraha,“
B ombay cd. , Vol . I, P . 246 ; Vol . II, P . 421 .Again quoted from Caraka , Ibid. , Vol . I, pp. 20, 93 ; Vol . II pp 21 2 2131 0
a 3
atm m ; mm I, i bid» Vol I pp. 109, 1 21 , 1 77, 247 Vol . 1 1’
p 303etpaseim. (H oernl e).
20. THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
9th cent11ry AD 1at no
‘
very great interval from one another,and thisproof is based on the age of Vagbhata .
I as .sugges.
tedjby I’
Tsing’
sremarks. Thu s he has taken for granted whathe is requ ired to prove. H e has
'
shofwn that SUSru ta is anterior :to Vagbhata
"
I ; and Vagbhata II is poster ior to him
Bu t i n trying toprove'
thatVagbhata I'
l ived in theseventh _cei1 -_ j
tury hecann ot assume that Vagbhata II' lived in the eighth .
Another evidence addu ced i n support ‘
of his conclusionis. the fact that the non-medical version of the list of bones of,the human body as con tained in the Law- book of Yajnav
'alkya,
presupposesear l ier uncorrupted forms of lists of bones both inCaraka and Susru ta, and
“the corrupt . recension , traditionallyhanded down , mu st have come i nto e xistence at a laterthat is to say, between the date of Yajnavalkya (350 AD .) and
Vagbhata I, the latter of whom is proved to have . copied'
frorné
the corrupt recensions of Caraka and Susru ta. Thus the olderrecensions sti lliexisted i n '
the fou rth century A.D .
'
and i f we addto:
i t the interval . of time . necessary . for the texts to have : fallen
int-
Q fa state of corruption , we get the ear ly seventh centurymi) ;for
i
Vagbhata I. But we must remember that there is nothing!te- jprevent
" again st the supposition that Vagbhata. I l ivedbefore Y aj
‘
ii aval There m ight have been two r ecensions (if,
thete‘
xts avai lable'
during Y ajnavalkya’s time, one corrupted andi t -m ighto r might not have b een the work of Vagbhata I andanother true version which was. availed of by the sage . Yajna.
‘
valkya. And sim ilar even ts have happened, as has been pointedou t by Dr . H oern le himself, in our own generationCangadhar
’
s recension of Caraka Isacorrupted formof the text,
1 Ibid, P . 1 6.
MEDICAL AUTHORS AND THEIR WORK S. 21
while;the recension given in J i bananda’
s edition isthe traditional text ofCaraka. N o cr itic wou ld I think jump into theconclusion that Gangadhar lived ‘
three or‘
four centur ies after
Jibananda. Again i f i t be true, as he“contends, that Susruta
was redacted by'
Vagb_hata I, we cou ld easily imagine that
Y ajfiavalkya copied his list bones from the o riginal ~Susruta
and not from the redaction of Vagbhata I . So .we see that the
age assigned toVfigbhata I, or the seventh century A.D . can not
beaccepted as proved. D r . H oern le says“It shou ld
,however
,
be understood that these con clusions regarding thedate and
authorshipof Vagbhata I, are not pu t for ward as established7 ,
Let us recapitulate the objections that can be urged againstthe conclusion that Vagbhata I lived in the seventh century
1 . Vagbhata I is believed by the Indian medical men to
have flour ished long before the Christian era. By some, he i sconnected wi th the court of Y udhisthira, but his name is
nowhere mentioned In the Mahabharata. Atreya, Susruta and
Vagbhata are described as the O ld Triad or Vrddhya Trayi andthey were theauthorities for theTreta, Dv’apara and Kali "Yugas,
respectively. It is curious to observe ‘
that'
Dr . H oern le, in
argu ing agai nst the conclusi on . of Prof. ‘
,JO lly -t hat Susru ta is
meant hy I’
Tsihg; “takes advantage of this Indian medi cal
tradition that seem s flou rished during pre histor ic times, butdoes not mention the same tradition with regard toVagbhata I,which goes against his own conclusion . ,
O u the , other handthe same
j
objectioh doesnot apply against Vagbhata II.
2. The name of Vagbhata'I
’
s book, Compendium of the
22 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H IND U S.
O ct0par tr i te Science, no doubt, agrees very well wi th the
description of I’
Tsing that“lately a man collected them into one
bundle.
”
B u t Vagbhata II’
S book “The best Compendium of the
O ct0par tri te Science” is’
equal ly suggestive, thoughD r . H oern le
says :“ i t cannot prevail by the side of the more suggestive
name of the r ival work of Vagbhata the elder .”
3. Again in argu ing against Prof. Jolly, D r . H oern le has
attached mu ch importance to“
the word “lately" by wh ich
SuSru ta'
i s ru led out by date. Adm itting the validity of suCh
reason ing , i t does not follow that by the word “lately” I’
TSingmeant any contemporary au thor or any one who precededhim by a short per iod on ly. To comprehend the mean ing ofthe sentence wemust understand the word “lately
”
in Connection with the'
word“former ly” used before.
‘ Now the sentence“The science ofmedicineformer ly existed in eight books
”
no doub t
refers to the divisionof Ayu rveda into eight parts by B rahmaand to the treatises on the different branches of Medi cine byAgn iveéa , StiSrutaand others. These treatises arebelieved to 'beof remote antiqu i ty, . and so any later compilation may be spokenofa s recent in compar ision with the old treatises of unknownages. Thus the word “lately may refer either to Vagbhata IorVagbhata II, bu t the latter au thor
’
s claim to thehonour becomes r easonable consider ing his decided posteri or ity to the
fornier and so coming wi thIn the lim it of the time suggested
by~
the word “lately.
4. Again I’Tsing refers to a book which was recognised as
the Standard throughou t India. This may r efer either . to
J . R . A . S. 1907. P . 174.
MED ICAL AUTH ORS AND THEIR W ORK S . 23
Vagbhata I or II. B ut i f Vagbhata I’
s book'
occupied such'
a
position at the time of I’
Tsing , i t becomes difficult to imaginewhy Vagbhata II shou ldwrite another work pr incipally based ohthework ofVagbhata I after a lapse of a cen tury or so. Moreover ,we finda t the present time, that Vagbhata II
’
s book, AstangaH rdaya Samhita, has a wider popular ity than the book AstangaSarhgraha of Vagbhata I. The former has been pr inted many
times and,is W idely read by thestuden ts,— so mu ch soVagbhata
is generally known as the author of Astanga . H rdaya San'
chita.
“
5: Moreover , the Arabian physician Rhazes, who is said tohave lived in the n inth century (882 A.D .) in treating of the
property of ginger , the‘ common plantain or musa and otherdrugs, qu otes from an Indian wr iter , whom he calls Sindaxaror Sindicara.
1 Royle says B ut in the a rticle De
Allio another Indian au thor is qu oted, whom I have not
been able yet to trace ou t— Act Si n difar (in another placewr itten “D iwi tsi ndi chcw i ndian a svalet con traVentosi tatem .
”
This Sindicara is iden tified with Vagbhata II of Siridh whowasin his t-i
'
me'
known as a second Caraka or Cara, the syllable “ka”
making no differen ce, as in words likeI
“bala” ~
and “balaka, bothmean ing a child, 2 We know that theVagbhata’sAstenga H rdaya
Samhita was one of the medical works translated by the orderof Caliphs i n the eighth cen tury.
_
3
T he translations of the Caraka, the Susruta and theVagbhata occur in the Thibetan Tanjur . i
i “George H uth,5
1 Antiqu i ty of H indu Medicine, P age 38.
2 H istory of Aryan Medical Science, P . 196.
3 Z eit . dent. morg. Gee. 34, p . 465.
4' Jour . Asiatic Soc. XXXVIII.5 Z eit. dent. morg. Ges. T . (LXIX . pp. 279
24 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
whohasrecently critically examined the con-
"
tentsf'
dl'
the
Tanjur , concludes that the most rec'
ent date at wh ich i t can be
placed is the 8th century AJ5.”
80 I cannot avoid the con clusion that of the three authors,SuSru ta, Vagbhata I
‘
and II, to which I’Tsing’
s remarks mayrefer , the last has probably the best claims to that reference
I
,
and the date assigned to Vagbhata I may"
well suit VagbhataII “
as late as the early 7th century and possiblystill earlier .
3 Again it is impossible for us to say whether
I’
Tsing’
s remarks may not appr opr iately. refer to other authorswhose works are lest to us.
M ention Shou ld also be made of the fact pointed out by Dr.Cordier that Vagbhata Is mentioned in Rajtarangini and his
date i s fixed there as 1 1 96- 1 21 8 A.D .
‘
B ut the name of Vagbhata does not occur in - Stein’sedition of Raj , which is no doubt the most r eliable, andsowe can easily dismiss this view as untenable.
Edi ti on s—Vagbhata I’
s book Asteng'
a Samgraha has been
printed in Bombay.
bommén ta r y.—Arunadatta—about 1 220 A.D .
1 P . C. Ray’s H istory of H indu Chem i stry ,_ P . XXIX.
9 H oern le’s O steology , Intro. , p. IO.
”3
”
D r . K un te places him“at least as early as the second century .before
Chr ist,” Vide hisIntro. to Vagbhata’eAstenga H rdaya Saxhhits
fa m e: su shi "? W e: M ali “Fests m m
m m: em ulate-
am, aw In c W m !
Quoted In Cordier’sVagbhataetL’Astangahrdaya Samhi ta , 1896.
See In tro. to the Vaidyaksabdasindhu by K amrdj a Umescandra Gupta,1 894.
MEDICAL AUTH ORS AND THEIR W ORKS. 253
VAGBHATA II.
The next great au thor ity in H indu medicine is VagbhataII, son of Simha Gupta, an inhabitant of Sindh.
1 H is work ,Astafiga H rdaya Samhita, the au thor himself states, is basedon the summary of Vagbhata the elder .
2 In the first
chapter O f Sutra Sth‘
ana , he acknowledges the help he,
received from the works of Ag'
n ivesa , B ar i ta, Bhela , and
others ” The fact that Caraka is not referred to here
as one of the sour ces of Vagbhata II has been taken
advantage of by some to prove the poster ior ity of Caraka.
4
They conclude that Agn ivesa and Susruta wr ote their workslong before him ,
and the Agn iveéa Tan tra was not called by thename of, and in fact was not as yet edited by , Caraka , at the
W e?! aura w as?
eifiswamw a flit—ms
m m fingerm m 11
Astanga.
Astanga H rdaya . San‘
rhi ta, U ttara Sthana , Ch. XL, v . 82.
See foot note 2, p. 18.
Elanmamas?! asm me’
Isfimfi at W e’
i sfi gmfim fiqnan
asffi mfifi lésT2131m finFifi?
wagers-753 i W W W lulu
Astahga H rdaya, Sutra Sthana, Ch. I.
4 “It would appear also that at the time Vagbhata l ived, Agni vesha’s
work was not called by the name of Caraka , and Susruta had also been
written . H ence it follows that Caraka’s edi tion of Agnivesa, that is the
work now called Carak a, was probab ly edi ted after Suéruta had been
wr i tten .
”
Dutt’s Materia Medica of the H indus, Intro. , p. IX.
26 THE SUR GICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE‘
HINDUs.
time Vagbhata II flour ished. The argument is however not
con clusive i t on ly shows that the Agn ivesa Tantra was available to Vagbhata II in i ts or ig inal form. N O defin ite resu ltscan be expected fr om this argum n tum ea: si len ti o. Again itmay easily be imagined, and I think i t is the right view of
the question , that Caraka l ived and edited Agnivesa’
s worklong before Vagbhata , the reason of Caraka being not men
tioned in Vagbhata’
s book, is the fact that Caraka did notusu rp the authorship of Agnivesa Tantra bu t clearly states at
the end of each chapter the real nature of his share in the
au thorship of his book in the following words H ere ends
the chapter of Agnivesa Tan tra as corrected and edited byCaraka.
”
Many modern text bOoks of medi cine have beenedited and improved, though the books are still called after
the or iginal au thors. Moreover to make Caraka flourish after
Vagbhata II wou ld br ing him to qu ite modern times.
W e are however argu ing on false premises. ThoughCaraka isnotmentioned in the Si'i tra Sth'ana of Astenga Hrdaya,his name occurs in the U ttara Sthana.
1 So there can be no
doubt that Caraka’
s edition of Agn i veéa was current in Indialong before Vagbhata II wrote his Astanga H rdaya Sarhhita.
1ad
“
? et a-
east?W egmfi
'
nfmrfizawzmw fi sfi are : I
W m fi efiwzum :
ffiififi ?’ m3 37515 antiw arw as: "as"
W e filfiri 'gaflw aif
new : a: a saw-s aware“
emfitaqnu nAstanga H rdaya Sarnhi ta, (Ed . Vi jayratna Sen),
U ttara Ethane, Ch . XL.
28 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
Ayurvedadaréayana (D inachary‘
a P rakarana) by Hem
adr i or K amadeva , Raja of Devagi r i . It is availablein parts on ly.
Astafigahrdayarddyota by ASadhara Sallaxana.
Pad‘
arthacandr ika by Candracandana.
Sanketamafijari by Damodara.
Al tanga H rdayatika by Ramanath Vaidya.
Valaprobodhika(Anonymous).
H rdayabodhika
P athya.
Vagbhatartha K aumudi b y Har i Krsna Sen Mullick.
P radipa by JaSodanandan Sarkar , 1 298 BS .
VAGBHATA III.
The author of Rasaratna Samuccaya in the Colophonsa t the end of each chapter identifies "
himself withVagbhata II “H ere ends Book first (or so) of R .R .S. composedby Vagbhata, son of Simha Gupta, prince of physician .
”
The
salutation at the beginn ing of his book i s str ictly Buddhistic.The probable date of the book is “placed between the thirteenthand fourteenth centur ies A .D .
” 1 The chemical knowledge, asrevealed in Vagb hata is almost on a par with that in theSuéru ta,
”whereas the R . R . S. indicates an advancedState of that
sci ence. H e quotes Rasarnava as a sou rce of his in formation ;he does not men tion opi um as a medici ne, and the Firang
'
atoga
and i ts treatment find no place i n h is book.
1 Ray’s H istOI-y of H indu
p. Ii .
MEDICAL AUTHORS AND THEIR WORK S. 29
MADHAVAK ARA.
He . is the author Of the famous work on P athologyor N idana. H is book was transl ated into Arabic by
the order of Harun -Al -Rasid and so the most recent date that
can be assigned to him is the seventh century A.D.
1 Thakore
Saheb of Gondal identifies him with'
Madhabacaryya, the celebrated au thor of Sarvadaréana Samgraha, the brother of Sayana,the commentator of the Vedas.
2 I do not find a ny au thor ityfor such an assertion and here is an example of fallaciousreason ing based simply on the iden tity of names. Madhaha
caryya and Sa‘
yana l ived in the twelfth century A.D .
Mention shou ld also be made of the view expressed by
Dr . H oernle as certain that Madhavakara, the author of N idanaand Vruda
‘
Madhaba, the au thor of Siddhayoga are one and
the same person . H e holds that Vr nda is the real name, buthe was known to the commen tators as Madhava
,for his
melodious diction . There is no proof given of this Opin ion ,
and we have reasons for not accepting i t. H owever as he doesnot treat of su rg ical instruments, his work is not importantto us.
CAK RAPANIDATTA.
Cakrapan idatta or more common ly Cak radatta in a Colophon 3
has gi ven an account of himself in his book called
1 Jol ly’s Indian Medicine, if. 5, 6, pp . 7-9 .
"2 H istory of Aryan M edical Science, Ch . II, p. 35.
31715 1611 12: m am
Colophon in Cakradatta.
30 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
Cik i tsa Sara Samgraha The au thor of this work is SriCak rapani who belongs to the fam ily of Lodhravali ; and
who is the'
young'
est b rother of Vanu and the son of Narayana,
the superin tendent of the ki tchen Of N ayapala.‘ the king Of
G our .
” This . book is arranged on the plan of Vruda in his
S iddhayoga2 which again follows closely as a companion
volume‘
to Madhava's N idana .
3 The age of Cakradatta is
abou t 1 060 A.D . and Vruda mu st have flourished betweenMadhaya and Cakrapan i for he quotes the former while heis h imself quoted by the latter . So the probable age of Vruda
i s the ninth century A.D . Besides being a celebrated author,Cakradatta wrote excellen t Commentaries of Caraka and
Snsruta. H is extant works are;
1 .Cik itsa Sara Samgraha or Cakradatta. A treatiseon
Medicine.
1 For the date of Nayapala, vide Cunn ingham’s Archreo. Survey of
Indi a . IH . P . 1 1 9 also J . A . S. LX. P t. I. P . 46. Lifeof Atisa by S. 0 . D i s.
2a: fi efi wfefemfimrfesafim
an: wassafe fiéfirm m : n
Sloka at the end of the Cak radatta.
a “ It? l—fi fsa’m i fs“
fl am es ! Ear. W W W it
a fefi zfimss U‘
fi 3m m fi e firfezfiil
fi fsqfir, sw i m
M edium : Hawa i i seem, an fli fi i efiwgm an: m :
m . first ? 31??e W um m w .
faunas: amazement a fizTSibadfisa Sen’s Commentary.
Vrnda’s Siddhayoge.
MEDICAL AuTHoRS AND THEIR WORK S. 31
2. Cakradatta or Mater ia Medica. It treats on drugs
applicable to a number of deseases.
3 . Mnktabali . This treatise on the nature and propertiesof medi cinal drugs is ascribed to Cakrapani .
4. Vanumati— Commen tary on Suéru ta Sarhhita.
5 . Cakratattwadipika— Commentary on Caraka Samhita.
Edi ti on s.
1 . Cakradatta or Cik i tsa Sara Sarhgraha edited by K a r irdja Pyar i Mohan Sen Gupta, Calcu tta , 1 295 BS .
2. Cak radatta W i th Bengali translation by CandrakumarDas K avibhusan.
3. Cak radatta with Bengali translation andwith commentary of Siva Das Sen , by Jasoda N andan Sarkar ,
1 302 B S .
SARANGADHARA.
0
wrote Sarangadhara Samgraha. It is compiled fromthe works of Caraka, SuSru ta, Vagbhata and others.
1 It
is very popular in W estern India. It treats on nosologyand
Opractice of Medicine. H e was the son of Demodara and
flourished in the fifteenth centu ry A.D .
Edi ti on .-B y K avrrdja. Pyar i Mohan Sen Gupta, Calcu tta,
1 296 BS .
seasm’
ei‘
n'
as
was: m m a
Sarangadhara Samgraha, I. i .
TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OR THE HINDUS.
C’ommen ta/ry .— Sarangad
1fiarati ka' : It i s a commentary on
the above work by. Adhamu lla.
BHAVA MISRA.
Abou t 350 years ago, a compilation was made by
Bhava M isra, son of Lataka Misra, an inhabitant of
Ben'
ares, from the most celebrated medical works and was
called Bh’
ava P rakaéa .
1 H e lived about 1 550 A .D . . and was
considered a“Jewel of Physicians and Master of Sastras.
”
He
mentions China root called Tob Chin i2 in the Vernacu lar as aremedy of Firanga r oga or Syph ilis3 which he descr ibes forthe first time in India . H e was the first to make mentionofcertain drugs of foreign countr ies as B adhkshan i Naspasi ,
1 mf a fiaemzfiwfimfi firm-
6m?! aar
W éaM m a fsfisem l
ans uswzsfi :m mniafiwfsfim r
we?W art Emfilefflfi steer?m n
Bhava P rakafia, I. i .
sh Th e m ean afi w umfit fifi
m um as aw sag? ll
Colophon at the end of Section I.
ar r-aw firtefim’
lw afiz‘
fi eq
W armthm ama u
W W W-
e333mmmfisfit fiat
-
em u
Bhava P rakafia, I. i .
fats-"
sli t? i ?! arg'
wfrflawas 1
arms fit-
te agar?! anfitaaifiifimé : n
Bhava P rakat
sa,‘
II. iv.
MEDICAL AUTHORS AND THEIR WoRxs. 33
Khorasan i and P arasika Vacha (Acorns Calamus) , Su leman iK harjura (date fru it O f Su leman), 1 and opium .
Edi tions.
1 . By J ib‘
ananda Vidyasagara, Calcu tta, 1 875.
2. By Rasik Lal Gupta .
3. By K aIISa Candra Vidyaratna.
Besides these books, the number of Sanskr it medical worksis simply legion ; many of them are daubed with fancy namesand are excellent treatises on the differen t branches of medicalscience. B ut they are qui te foreign to our purpose. I in tendto publish in a separate volume shor t notices of the medicalauthors and their works, and so we need not dwell on themhere.
M a m a
Bhava P rakasa, I.
W W W-Z'Harfi i m n
W W;
am azes Hi ram"
firms an : affix: W EIR : via: 1
CHA P TER 1 1 .
H OSPITALS AN D DISPENSARIES.
Before enter ing into ou r pr oper subject, i t wou ld not be
am iss to n otice here two objects— H ospitals andAnaestheticswhich are essentially necessary for the devolopment of surgicalkn owledge. W e know from the Edict II of Asoka that Indiadu r ing his reign was studded with hOSpi tals not only for thetreatmen t of human beings bu t also for the bru te creations.
B ut even before Asoka, hospitals flou r ished in India'. In
Caraka we can trace the germ of such an institution ‘
thoughi t was u sed for r ich men and did not accommodate the public. 1
1esfamefi fifli i i M anama?i maqtaremafim fih wfi ems
W-W ‘fi-W -W 'W fi i W fitu fi fifi fim fi fi busti er
fl'
fl i M W W IW W Q Esq.“mW amq fi amfl amfiwfisfl s aft
-mm «seem .
“
317m l aah W W TM w fi m -m m a.m
m l ms W W W i afis-
flmi enfafifim m fifiarmare
m afi aafissfi afifiu azas‘
tgmaw mfi wfi m w fi efi mfi
miafir a W WW M um “n aturi sm ?
wem sue aenfin shum mit‘
a
{fa-f afafifi mrerfewa l asse s sets memes sfi smm fir
mW am -W m m m fi s I
fim fira”
(Tam mi semi ! aas’
ix’
m raafifiifi uw fs Hawai ia
mqfi fi fi qaflflflsra—efl fin W fQ TflTfiT sfiw rfi sweets affi rms:
Caraka Se-mhi ta. I. , xv.
36 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
shou ld always be kept in stock su ch as Lava (Ferd/ix Chi n ensi s),Kapifijala. (partr idge), hares, sheep and the different kindsof deers
, Ena (the b lack an tilope) black tai led deer , and
Mrgamatrk'
a . There shou ld be a diary attached to the bu ilding,The cow shou ld be good natu red and healthy, and shou ld yieldprofuse m ilk. The calves must . be l iv ing. There should bestock ed for them potable water and hay in a clean fold. In
that bu ilding mu st be kept the following necessary articlesW ater vessels, washing basins, tubs, jars, dishes, ghata,
(small jars) kumbhi , kumbha (larger and smaller vessels),kundu (j ug or pitcher), soraba (earthen basins), spoons or
ladles, cooking u tensils, churn ing rods, cloth, thread, cotton,wool, bedding and asana (seats). Near them shou ld beplaced dr inking vessels of gold and Spittoons. The beddingshou ld consist of a broad carpet, bed-sheet, pillows, and a
bedstead. There shou ld be collected "
good/ furnitures for beds
and seats and also u tensils and applian ces for application of
oleaginous medicines, heat , oil, ointment, bath and perfumeries,and for the acts of emesis, pu rgation , drain ing of the brain , ih
jection in to the rectum,defaecation and u r ination (fi e. Vasti
yantra, u r inal, bed-
pan The blunt and sharp instrua
ments and their accessor ies, well-washed mu llers and whetstonesof different degrees of smoothness- polished, plain or roughshou ld be near at hand ; the tubu lar instrumen ts for fumigation,inhalation and injection in to the rectum, u rethra and vagina,shou ld be available there ; and the following articles are also tobe stocked —brushes and brooms, weighing scales and weights,ghee (melted bu tter) , oi l, fat, marrow, honey, molasses, salt, wood,water , spir ituous liquor formed by steeping huskedgrains of barleyin water“or by boiling together the husks of fried maskalaya
HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIES. 37
‘
(pu lse of Phaseolous barley and water , spir ituou s liquorfrom the blossoms of Lythrum Fruticoscence with sugar , spiri tdistilled from the differen t sorts of grains, curdled milk, rice,gruel, whey, sour liqu id produced from the aceteus fermentationof powdered paddy, and the var ious kinds of ur i nes of an imals.Differen t kinds of ri ce such as Sali (or that reaped in coldseason ) and Sasthika (or that grown in hot weather in low
lands and reaped within sixty days of i ts sowing), Madga
(Phaseolus mungo) , Masa (Phaseolus Yava (H ordeumVu lgare) , seasame (Seasamum Indicum) , Ku llatha (DolichosB iflorus), plums (Z izyphus Jujube) , raisins (Vitis Vin ifera) ,Parusa (Grewia Asiatica), Abhaya (Chebu lic Myrobolan),Amlak i (Phyllanthus Emb lica), Vibhi taka (TerminaliaBellerica) and other classes of medicaments, as oils, diaphoretics,sternutator ies, cathartics, emetics, pu rgatives, astr ingen ts,stomachics
,digestives, calmatives carminatives and various
other forms of medicines, are requi red for treatmen t. Besidesthese, there must be stored the antidotes to poisons caused byoverdoses of medicines and other appliances likely to add to the
patient’s comfort.
To this may be compared the description of the Greekiatr ium ,
which is mentioned in the H ippocratic treatise, De
Medicio . H e directs that “i t shou ld be seconstruc'
ted that neitherthe wind nor sun m ight prove offensive to the patient,and goes on to enumerate the various ar ticles which it shouldcontain ,
su ch as scalpels, lancets, cupping- instrumen ts, trepans,raspatories, with bandages and medicines.” 1
1 W orks of H ippocrates, Syd . Soc, Vol . II, page 470 , Footnote ,
38 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
Suér uta gives us a list of appli ances1 requ ired in surgical
operations
Instruments. 2. Sharp Instruments. 3. PotentialCa‘
u tery. 4. Actual Cautery . 5. Salaka or"
rods. 6. H orns.
7. Leeches. 8 . H ollow bottle gou rd. 9. Jambav-oustha'
[a
bougie of blackstone, the extremity of which is shaped likethe fruit of the Jambu l tree (U rginea J 1 0. Cotton .
1 1 . Pieces of cloth. 1 2. Thread. 1 3. Leaves. 1 4. Materials(if
"
bandaging. 1 5. H oney. 1 6. Ghee, or clari fied butter.17. Suet . 1 8. Mi lk. 1 9. O ils. 20. Tarpan .
— i lorir ofany perched
grain or condensed milk etc. m ixed '
with water to mitigatethirst. 21 .
‘Decoctions. Lin iments. 23. Plasters.
24. Fan .
"
25. Cold and hot water . Iron pans, ‘kalasiand other earthen vessels ; beddings and seats. 27. O bedient,steady and strong servants.
The l il
y-
ing - i n -room— Caraka says : “Before the n inthmonthof pregnancy, the lying- in - room shou ld be constructed. The land
shou ld be cleaned of bon es, gravels and potsherds.=The,
ground selected shou ld be of auspicious colour, taste and smellThe gate of the house shou ld face towards the east or the
ner thfi Theremust be a store of wood su ch as Vilva (ZEgle
fi lmed W it fimfi m 35mgfi fiqzrssfi awrfii m mW anama
Susruta Salflhiti . I v .
The best sort of grou nd shou ld abound wi th-mi lky trees, full of fruits
and flowers ; i ts boundary shou ld be of a quad rangu lar form, level and smooth ,
wi th a slopi ng decl ivi ty towards the east producing a hard“
sound , with a
stream r unn ing from left'
to r i ght , of an agreeab le doour , ferti le, of an uni form
HOSP ITALS AND D ISPENSARIES. 39
Marmelos) , vTinduka (DiospyrosEmbryopter is), Inguda(Balan itesRox. ) B hallakaka (Semecarpu s Anacardium), Varuna (Oci’mu'
m
Basilicum) , Khadira (Acacia Catechu ) or wood of other kindssaid to be auspicious by a Brahman versed in the Atharvaveda ;
and there must be a su ffi cien t pr ovision for clothes, lin imen ts,‘
and covers. For the pregnan t woman,be carefu l to have a
fire- place, water , pestles and mortars, a pr ivy , a bathing place,and ovens. These Shou ld be constructed according to the
science of engineer ing and shou ld be pleasant w ith regard to
the season . There Shou ld be collected clar ified bu tter , oi l ,
honey, differen t k inds of salts as rock salt, sonchal salt, andblack salt, Vidafigas (Embelic R ibes) , treacle,
i
K uatha
(Saussurea Lappa) , Kilima (Pinus Deodara) , Nagara (dr ied rboq
t'
of Z inziber O fficinale) , P ippali (Piper Longum) , its root, H ast i
pippali (Scindaspus O fli cinalis) , Mandukparn i (Hydroctyle
Asiatica), Ela (Elettar ium Cardamomum) , Langoli (Glor iosaSuperba) , Vaca (Acorus Calamus) , Gavya (Piperraka (Plumbago Z eylan icum) , Chi ravi lva (Pongarpia Glabra) ,H ingu (Ferrula Assafaeti da) , Sarsapa (Must ard seeds) , LaSuna
(Allium Sativum) , finely or thick ly powdered r ice, Kadamba
(An thocephalous Kadamba) , Atasi (Linum Usitatissimu'
m ) ,
Vallijav
(Cucu rbita Pepo), B hurya (Betu la B hojpatra) , K u latha
Dolichos U n iflorus) , Maireya (a spirituou s li qu or from the blossoms of Lythrum Fru tecoscence) andAshava (fVlIl OIl S fermented
_.liqu or from sugar or molasses, R um ) . Alsoclollect two pieces of
colou r con tain ing a great quantity of Soi l , producing water when dug to the
height of a man’s arm raised above his head , and si tuated in a climate of
moderate temperatu re.
a
Manosara , Ch. I. quoted in Ram Raz’s The Architedture of
.
tli
e H indus,
P age, ’1 6. g
40 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS of THE HINDUS.
stone (mu ller and stone slabs) , two pestles, two mortars, an ass,
a bu llock, two sharp needles of gold and silver , two skeins ofthreads, sharp instrumen ts of steel, two wooden bedsteads(E gleMarmelos), andwood (Tinduka and Iugudi) for easily igni tingfire. The female attendants shou ld be mothers of children, andfr iends and relatives of the patients. They must be fond of her ,skillfu l in work, intelli gent , j olly , laborious fu ll of tender lovefor the children and a favou ri te of the mother .
” 1
The Chi ld’
s Room — H e continues The eng ineer is toconstruct a room, spacious, beau tifu l, full of light, well-ventilatedbut free from draughts, strong , and free from beasts of
prey, an imals with fangs, mice and insects. There shou ld bekeptwater , mortar and seperate pla ces shou ld be assigned forbathing, cooking, ur ination and defaecation . It should su it theseason of the year . The beddings, seats and covers should beconfor table and su itable to the season . Auspicious ceremoniesshou ld be performed in that room such as homa , expiationsand presents to gods, for the proper protection of the child ; andthere shou ld be present pious old men , doctors, and devoted
w atchm a n sar is-
«mm W mswi m m er ma umwfi mw : W m “
n i w wfi i saga s-
a ssas si n W eathers-fl s
’
iw tmfi i"
e a Fem -
a? was? mes-mt
“
? steamFaus ssfi m z zm m si s-imam : em : refs
-
am : slim :
W m mfim : i mfi sfi sfiiflm W W W sem is as
W mi n as RIW ‘ fan’s w e'ifi i'éz ll33 “1Caraka Samhita. Iv. vi i i.
HOSPITALS AND D ISPENSAR IE‘
S. 41 ‘
attendants constantly . The child’
s bed, covers and sheets
shou ld be soft, light, pu re and scented. These shou ld always .
be free from sweat,dirt, worms or bugs, u r ine and faeces.
If repeated change of new clothes be impossible, the soiledcover ings shou ld be well washed and the beddings well pu r ifiedwith steam and thoroughly dr ied before they are used again .
To pu r i fy or ster il'ise the dress, beddings, cover ings and sheets
by fumigation use the following medi cines wi th clar ifiedbu tter -Bar ley (H ordeum Vu lgare), mustard seeds, linseeds,assafoetida, Guggu la (Balsamodendron Muk u l) , Vaca (AcorusCalamus) , Coraka (Andropogon Acicu lar is) , Vayasth
'
a(Chebu l icMyrobolan ) , Golom i (Pan icum Dactylon) , Jatila (NardostachysJatamansi), Palankasa(a var iety of Guggu la) , Asoka (SaracaIndica) , Rohin i (Picrorrhiza K u rroa) and sankes
’
skin A
var iety of toys to please the child shou ld b e at hand and these
shou ld be colou red, light, musical , beau tifu l and must not be
sharp poin ted. They Shou ld be of su ch a size and shape as
cannot be pu t into the chi lds’ mou th or do not terr ify or killthe chi ld.
” Jl
1 sadi sm—t m fiflmsmmrmm: 11 aim : we“
(assess
u nm arried m°
sa=rmmwsws°
335W ! am starfi s
w fisfi afiisfi sfiwmfsn‘
fi ssfi m fefin m : u
W in—(1 11W m m wfaemfifa rgzl ram s
-
insist m i l
fiflwmfii a sst-fif e w: u stri fe w ares W 3 W W
sqffimF-I sssswm afizr wa s: I sw firwheat m em e-
(snare
m fi l‘
zswm sfi w aa :W isesmafiafifsmmfisfimfiism gmfi q : n was W m: w e: GW W
shimmer simi an W SWfiH Harm’
s TQI I 11511 611 l Gaw ain“
?
a armrest-Imam: miss: 1 fi sssnfi a sset s fafamfinmm fim
mfin swmfiwmfi smw fi fif m s! sm urfs rg : u
Caraka Samhi ta IV. vi i i .
6 o
42 THE SU RGICAL IN STRU MENTS or THE H INDUS.
Susru ta directs that there shou ld be a par ticu lar roomprovided for patients who have u ndergone surgical operations. 1f ‘P atients su ffer ing from su rgi ca l diseases as inflammatoryswell ing , wounds &0 . shou ld,
from the very commencementof their i llness, confine themselves inside a clean house, situatedin a wholesome local ity, free fr om draughts and not exposedto the glare of the sun . For , in su ch a bu ilding,constitu tional, mental and acciden tal diseases are not likely tooccur . In that room , the bed for the patien ts dhou ld be soft,spacious, and well- arranged. The patient shoujd lie doyvn , his
1am : W W W m wfifi
’
311 51 I
W eW fifi ifi
ismsa i t I'm: 351 : mow er-rismi L
afisqw ereW e v ii i maimei‘
w e?salt”
newsman : ens ism-N”
as? as? I
mwt fzfs fermim 'imdas flat : in
we“! fifasamw fifi cfim :
m am a”: W m : firm er: n
fears-
mai l mag ic—ire adretmu 1
m fi m zw as en?was in
s um ensm i mfafir’
fifim l
m am -
G' m wfsfi iasItem s slim?m am a : wfisi’ql
Suéruta sim ian; I. xix.
44 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
well-bathed, Of subdued passi on , well- dressed, obedient and havetheir heads well-covered.
“The doctor in charge of the k itchen shou ld be of noblefamily, religious, fr iendly, a clever manager for getting king
’
s
food proper ly prepared, ever careful for his health, non
avar icious, simple, fond, gratefu l , good- looking, cool- tempered,well- behaved, not proud and envious, labor ious, of subdued
passion , forgiving, pure, of good character , kind, intelligent, noteasily fatigued, always loving , well wisher , capable, bold, clever ,skillful, not unreasonably tender , provided with“
medicines and
wén proficient in the ar t of healing .
” 1
1wildmfita
‘
Fensusesafi ferc'
i
visas w e“
as? sas‘
fasci a u
N am ed W EN ]
fifi‘
ifizfi nmsei sfa"
ah ead-s is u
M auser-nests fstfismi u
{Hits fi g’
a’
firsi‘
sfafsamz‘
‘
flm fi again! 361°
afm fsrsll
warmer s-
ti sfsnms'
usageem it Imam em i t fi i fi
'
ci ll
farms-
series shuns m i en
m’
i zfismi a n: fi vfiau firszsim: ll
m m fain ter fifi sn assets :
vrsrtfismasrfii safe n fius’
Ias : u
«lemma i ts“: e‘
i tfizfiiafi tfifiiafir: IIairfi ai amn a st ai r a as? !
teas ass istmi sfi ts-flit:
Susruta Sariihi ta‘
V. L
HOSPITALS AND D ISPENSAR IES. 45
In the K amandak iya N i tisara , we find the king advisedto take thoroughly examined food, and to be surrounded byphysicians well-versed in the science of Toxicology ;1 and againi t is said that king shou ld take his medicines, cordials, and
edibles after having his medical attendants tasted them.
2 The
king is advised to kill his enemy by wean ing over his physicianor by adm in ister ing poisonous liqu ids.
3
In the Mah‘
avagga“we find the qualities of a good patient
and a good nurse descr ibed
6. W hat are five qualities, 0 Bhikkhus, which when a
sickman has, he is easy to wait upon
W hen he does do what is good for him when he does knowthe l im it (of the quantity of the food) that is good for him ;
when he does take his medicine, when he does let a nu rse who
desires his good, k now what manner ofd isease he has, or when
he is getting worse that that is so, or when i t is getting better »
that that“
is so ; and when he has become able to bear bodilypains that are '
severe, sharp, gr ievous, di sagreeable.
u npleasantand destru ctive to life. These are the five qualities, 0 B hikkhus,which when a sickman has, he is easy to wait upon .
1 feasted : era: fi rm : 1
sfi fas« mm : n t o II"
K amandakya N itisara vu . v. 10.
saw a trot-Ufa W Itin/fleas a
Haw ai i : em u n ew a u as 11
Ib id. v i i . v . 27.
w as an areW e crassIIs o u
Ib id. IX. v. 70 .
Mahavagga vi i i . 26, 6 8 (Sacred Books of the East).
46 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E H INDUS.
8. There are five qualities, 0 Bhikkhus, which, when one
whowaits upon the sick has,he is competent to the task— when
he iscapable of prescr ibing medicines when he does know what
(diet) is good and what i s not good for the patient, servingwhat is good and not serving what i s not good for him ; whenhe deos wait upon the sick out of love, and not ou t of greed ;
when he does not revolt from remov ing evacuation , saliva or
vomit when he is capable of teaching , inciting, arousing and
gladden ing the patient with religious discourses. These are
the five qualities, 0 Bhikkhus, which, when one whowaitsupon the sick has, he is competent to the task.
”
There is also good deal of evi dence to show that medicineswere distribu ted free to the poor and to the piousmen . When
Visakh'
a asked for eight boons of the B uddha, she mentioned
amongst them the previ lege O f bestowing her life long “ foodfor the sick, food for those who wait upon thesick andmedicinesfor the sick and explained her reasons as follows1
9. Moreover , Lord, i f a sick B hikkhu does not obtainsu itable foods, his sickness may increase upon him, or he may
die. B ut i f a Bhikkhu have taken the diet that I shall have
provided for the sick neither will his sickness increase uponhim, nor will he die. It was this circumstance, Lord, that Ihad in view in desiring to provide the Samgha my life longwith diet for the sick.
Moreover, Lord, 3. Bhikkhu who is waiting upon the sicki f he has to seek ou t food for himself
, may bring in the food(to the invalid) when the sun is already far on his course, andhe will lose the oppor tun ity of tak ing his food.
‘
B u t when
1 Mahavagga VIII, 1 5-9.
HOSPITALS AND D ISPENSARIES. 47
he has partaken of the food I shall have provided for those whowait upon the sick, he will br ing in food to the invalid in due
time and he wi ll not lose the oppor tun ity of taking his food.
It was this circumstances, Lord, that I had in view in desir ingto provide the Samgha my life long with food for those whowait upon the sick .
1 0. Moreover , Lord i f a sick B hikkhu does not obtainsu itable medicines his sickness may increase upon him ,
or he
may die. B ut i f a B hikkhu have taken the medicines whichI shall have provided for the sick , neither will hi s sicknessincrease upon him , nor will he die. It was this circumstance,Lord
, that I had in view in desir ing to provide the Samgha ,
my life long wi th medi cines for the sick .
”
The Edict N o. II of Asoka clearly shows that charitableinstitu tions were common i n India , during his reign . The
Edict runs as fol lows
Everywhere in the kingdom of the k ing P iyadasi , belovedof the gods, and also of the nations who live in the frontierssuch as the Cholas, the P andyas, the realms of Satyapu tra and
Keralaputra, as far as Tambapan i , (and in the k ingdom of)
Antiochus, king of the Greeks and of the kingswho are hisneighbours, everywhere the k ing Piyadasi , beloved of the gods,has provided medicines of two sor ts, medicines for men and
medicines for '
an imals. W herever plants? usefu l either for menor
- for an imals were wanting they have been imported and
planted. W herever roots and fru its were wan ting , they havebeen impor ted and plan ted. And along public roads, wellshave been dug for the use of an imals and men .
"
We also learn from H ouen Tsang’
s account that Si ladi tya II
48 THE SURGICAL iNsTRUMENTs THE mND iJ'
s.
(6 1 0 650 A. D. ) was in clin ed towards B udhism and he
forbade the slaughter of living an imals, bu ilt etamue, and
“in all the highways of the towns and villages throughoutIndia, be erected hospices, prov ided with food and drink, andstationed there physicians with medicines for travellers and poorpersons round about, to be given without any stint.” 1
H e also men tions abou t the father of the Bhikkhu
érutavimsati koti , that from his house to the snowymountains, he had established a su ccession of rest-houses, fromwhich his servan ts continually went from one to the ether .
Whatever valuable medicines were wanted, they commun icatedthe same to each other in order , and so procured them withoutloss of time, so r ich was this fam ily.
” 2
H e also mentions char itable institutions called P unyaéalas
as common in India .
“There were formerly in this country(Tsch-kia-Takka) many houses of charity (goodnessor hppiness,Punyaéalas) for keeping the poor and the unfor tunate. Theyprovided foi:
D
them medicines and food, clothing and necessaries ;so that travellers were never badlyAgain he says
“Benevolent kings have founded here
(Mo- ti -pil- lo or Matipura) a house of“mer it (Punyasalas). This
foundation is endowed with funds for providing choice foodand medicines to bestow in char ity on widows and bereavedpersons, on orphans and the destitute.
” 4 A similar Punyaéalaor hospice was in K
’
ei -P’
an - to (K abandha) .5 In describing
1 B eal ’s Record, Vol . I, p. 214.
2 I bid, Vol . II, p . 1 88.
3 Ibid, Vol . I, p. 165 .
4 Ibid, Vol . I, p. 198.
Ibid, Vol .-II, p. 30a .
nosrrrsts AND DISPENSAB IES.
“
49
Mu ltan hesays : “They have founded a house of mercy (happiness) , in which they provide food, and drink, and medi cinesfor thepoor , and sick, affording succour and sustenance.
” ll-0 £
Si laditya he says“Every year he assembled the Sramanas
from all countr ies, and on the third and seventh days he
bestowed on them in char ity fou r kinds of Alms (vi s a—food,drink, medi cine,Fa H ian (405- 1 1 a con temporary of Candragupta
Vikramaditya, describes the char i table dispensaries in the t ownof Fatalipu tra thus z—
“The n obles and householders of thiscountry have founded hospitals within the city to which thepoor of all countr ies, the destitu te, cripple and the diseasedmay repair . They receive every k ind of requisite help gratu itously. Physicians inspect thei r diseases, and according to theircases order them food and dr ink , medici nes or decoctions, every
thing in fact that may con tribu te to their ease. W hen cu red,— they depart at their conven ience.
” Smith remarks : “Nosuch foundation was to be seen elsewhere in the world at
this date ; and i ts ex isten ce, an ticipating the deeds of modernChr istian charity, speaks well both for the character of thecitizens who endowed i t, and for the gen ius of the great
Asoka whose teaching sti ll bore su ch wholesome fru it many
centuries after h is decease. The earliest hospital i n Europe,the . Maison Dieu of Par is, 1s said to have been opened in
the 7th centuries.
“
“Upatisso, son of Buddha D as, bu ilds Hospitals for cripples,
Beal’s Record, Vol . II, p. 274.
9 Ibid, Vol . I, p, 21 4.
Ibi d, Vol . I, Intro. lc1 1 .
Snii th’sEarly H istory of India , 2nd Ed . , p. 280.
.7
50 THE SURG ICAL INSTRUMENTS or Tii E H INDUS .
for pregnan t women , and for the blind anddiseased.
1 Dhatushena
bu ilds H ospitals for cr ipples and sick z. Buddha D as” himself
o rda ined a physician for every ten villages on the high road,and bu ilt assylums for the crippled, deformed and
destitu te.
“t
The an imal H ospitals or P ifij rapoles which still exist atAhmedabad, Surat, and Sodepore in Bengal, and elsewheremay b e regarded as the su rvivals of the institutions foundedby the Mau rya monarch. The following account of the Surat
H ospital in the 1 8th century is from the pen of H am ilton“The most remarkable institution in Surat is ‘
the BanyanH ospital , of which we have no discription more recent than1 780. It then consisted of a large piece of ground enclosedby high walls, and sub -divided in to several courts or yards forthe accommodation of an imals. In sickness they were attended
with the greatest care, and here found a peacefu l assylum forthe infirmi ties of old age.
When an a n imal broke a limb, or was otherwise disabled,his owner brought him to the H ospital , when he was receivedwithout regard to the caste or nation of hismaster . In 1 772
this hospital contained horse, mu les, oxen ,Sheep, goats,
monk ies, pou ltry, pigeons, and variety of birds ; and also anaged tortoise, which was kn own to have been there seven ty
-five
years. The most extraordinary ward was that approprirats, m i ce, bugs, and other nox1ons vermms for whom su 1 table
food was provided.
” 5
1 Mahawanéo, p. 249.
3 Ibid , p. 245 .
2 Ibid, p. 256.
4 Cunn ingham’s B hi lsa Topes, p . 54, foot note.
5 H ami lton’s Description of H industan (120) Vol . I, p. 71 8, quarto cd. ,
Crooks. Things Indian , Ar t. P in jrapole, (Murray
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
Nandi Purana.
The high- sou led man who g ives the Brahm ins collyr iumin char ity to cure . the diseases of the eye, goes to the Sun
(after death) and becomes free fr om eye deseases, fine- looking .
and fortunate.
Good health is a step to the acqu irement '
of religious mer it,wealth, pleasure and final eman cipation , and so the man who
bestows cure to the sick"
and also he who erects a hospitalequipped
,
with geod '
medicaments, dresses, learned doctors,servants and rooms for ‘
students, always gain them. Thedoctorshou ld be well-versed in the religiou s treatises, exper i enced,fam iliar with the actions
’of medicines, a discr im inator of thecolon izof the roots of the herbals and well- acquainted with the
Q W ! I
wa‘
i—wm mn : set arr-n farm : 1
fi r eman
t’
ifim’
i fim mdfiw’
a: m fin
maflzs i ’migzmafi a—41h E
‘
s
fans a 3m aura 11am m afia I
writ s-
vi sa? fizw: emf?sun?"on : n
was-m ew airfi
té
am rfi aafifl aft ita'
rfir fi rm 1
mammal? ass ashr am - 1
seesa w gamma u
EOSPITALS ANT)’
DISPENSKR'
IES. 53
proper season of raising them! frhm the grdund, Well- trainedwiththe quali ties of the ju ices, (their Strength
'
and actions),gali rice, meat and medicaments, trained in compoundingmedicines, one who knows well of the physique
'
of meh’
by
i ntelligence, onewho knowsthe temparament and the qualities“
of thediet, apathologistwho is not‘
idle, wellacquainted withthe remedial agents for the premoni tary sig ns and sequelae ofdiSeaSes, proficient in the requiremen ts of time and place,well-read in. the
,
medical '
text- b 00 ks —the Ayurveda with itseight divisions and an expert in cur ing diseases by dom
'
esticremedies(prepared from handfu l of common ingredients) .
The
,
pious man who erects such.
a hospital in twhich theservices of good physicians of this nature are retained, becomescelebrated as the virtuous, the successfu l and the intelligent
30 g m fa'
q 1
Sam mi e:m arsh u
W h am: mum’
imemf-137m?as anfw usage: 11
mew-
sansm m : 1“
u nits? {aim tfiwfi fia u
«musa
m fi f‘
a sazflmfir I
1231Fan: as? he"!W arfwfifimzl
sm mfiisfi”
shit a said: salam i“
saufi’
rmnm fi fi l imam—ii : u
54 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDU S.
man in this Wor ld. If in such a hospital the kind-hearted man
can cure a single patient of his maladies by Simple medicines,
oleaginous remedies and compounds of medicinal decoctions, goesto
'
the Brahma’s residencewith his seven generations upwards.
The"
r ich and the poor acqu ire religious mer it in proportion tothe amount of r iches they possess where wou ld the poor manget a hospital and a young physician to cure his diseases The
man secures the etern al regions men tioned before by renderingthe sick healthy by the use of roots to some andby good rubbing(with external applications) to others. H e who cures the sicksu ffer ing from an increase or decrease of theAi r, the Bileand thePhlegm by simple remedies
,he too goes to such blessed regions
after death) as are secured by those who performmany religioussacr ifices (Y ajhas).
snafi tram mannawas
cm are: sum animus 51mm 11
vfinfim amfi Henri -(win an I
w e? afifi ] 1 am? 61137119 111 11m —firs—m m Eat-WW I
swamman21 : winsfl’
t'fiiflg
‘mpi
w -d-m -fim w w'
W as :
gash-am fi sh «aim was: 1
i m amsf fimri fi azfifimazw m m em m u
HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIE’
S. 55
Sk andapurana.
H ear , the amoun t of religious mer it secured by a man who
erects a hospital contain ing all the n ecessary articles -(of
treatment) and in which are engaged eminent physicians b yreward. As good health i s the means of attalmng religiousmer it, weal th, pleasu re and final emancipation , therefore, he byrender ing the sick healthy , gives these fou r blessings.
By carefu lly curing a learned man of his sickness great
mer it is secu red, which is eternal and indestru ctible.-He too
who Ciires a sickman who is calm and absorbed in meditationof Siva and knowledge, attains the vir tue of all kinds of g ifts.Bramba
,Visnu , all the gods, diseases, relatives and kings
they are obsta cles to yoga b u t not to those who per form i t
(yogi) . W hatever mer i t is obtained by the great, by support,
ing the sick Brahmans (pr iests), Kshatr iyas (warr iors) , and Bith(cultivators) and Sudras (servan ts), can not be obtainedby the performan ce of all the great Yajnas (relig iousceremon ies) . As even the gods can not reach the end of the
sen first : an : ca same: m w : 1
611 1133 sa fe-tu sauméa efififi i a n
ana fi n—fie-
um fimahnftw a l
was m ai l?! a saw : II
m e: am ma : W W? I
em i n ence farm? afimngtfiwfi a as?“war fin
-
gt at : I
am? fi ll-
erg? sun screens-«i nas: a nvhfi
'
fin s m: ma: can
magm a as: «i ts: III—“
Gum : u
a fin afififi rfivfa at 1113 21
56 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
firmament, so there is no end (to the mer it) of the gift of cure.By this great merit, the
,
man reaching the region of Sivaenjoys himself by soar ing in a b alloon which can goto the var iousdesired directions. W ith his twenty one generations upwardsand su rrounded by his servan ts, he stays in the Siva’s realm so
long till del uge does not occu r . There, after the lapseof his
iner i t'
, the devoted servan t acqu ir es kn owledge from Siva.
Abandon ing this wor ld by knowledge, abiding by the
prayers to Siva, and.
casting away this body as a. straw, he
reaches:
beyond the limits of sor row. Being freed from all
sorrows, becoming pure, all- knowing and self- sufficient, and
absorbed inhis ownsel f, they are called the Liberated. Thereforeto m itigate the diseases, the sick should be well nursed ;
the great sages shou ld especially be attended to even by the
Sacr ifice of one’s body or r iches. The wise must not irr itatethe weak patients, and they like the preceptors shou ld berescued constantly from sins. H e who relieves the sick, bytaking thém under his care, reaches the other bank of thisocean of wor ld.
G i t am azesfi gzmamgmqu
m gza firaiai : at : «Im am :
ssh : m an an {Elm a nm am a i ’rmn wan ts 1
nW m si t? a nfi fim
’
?fl eas w t“
: Filman m anaf
‘
mm fi : wads n
W W W I
H emadr i ’s Catu rvarga, Cintamon i , Dana K handam .
Asiatic Soc. Ed. Ch. XIII,‘P, 891 - 95.
HOSPITALS AND D ISPENSARIES . 57
After these proofs, the statement of Mr . Ameer Ali that
the Arabs inven ted chemical pharmacy, and were the
founders of those institu tions which are now called dispensar ies
” 1LCan not be accepted as correct.
DISPEN SARIES.
As regards dispensar ies, Suéru ta advises the physician to
constru ct his dispensary in a clean locali ty ; and the bu ilding shou ld. face towards some auspicious direction as the east
or the nor th. H e says The medicines Shou ld be kept inburn t ear then pots arranged on planks supported by stakes
or pins” .
2 This is still the method of storing medicinesu-sed by the K avi fr c
’
tj as. Dallvana explains the passage thus“The medicines shou ld be kept in pieces of cloth, earthen pots,wooden pots and Sanku (k i laka) ” 3 The former explanation isplausible for i t is impossible to imagine how a ki laha or stakecan be a con tainer of medicine
,u n less i t is implied as a poin t
of support for hanging the medicine vials from it.Dr . H eyne (1 81 4) thu s descr ibes the an cien t dispensar ies
of the H indus “The place in which medicines are kept shou ld
1 H istory of the Saracens p. 262, 1 899.
2
mama? fzfi l as? flam mws u
Suéru ta Samhita. I. xxxvn .
3 fi lmW W W anna ls :r s'
firfin thi s aim , est m ,
m u dw'
w sfit gm i m z, “ Mirna fi s fiafi s fiafi
sum m i nefi w Emm a {is swa n m mgam m a
-ea i n wfaqafiwfimflm fi , fin i ng; mama s Era
swa n M a fi a mi l fsfes afar W W IQ W
gar atméfirma’
fifi a aréu i n f-m l
Dallvana’s Commentary.
58 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
be clean , dry, and n ot accessible . to rats, white ants or dust.
The drugs ought . to be pu t in nets, or large pots, the mou thof which must be tied over with a piece of cloth, and suspendedin a room. Fire, smoke and water mu st be kept at a distance.
The house in which medi cin es are stored, shou ld be neitherin too high nor too low a situ ation ,
and i t shou ld not be far
distant from pl aces ‘
in which medicines may be collected.
Its front" shou ld face either the sou th or the north, with a
conven ient vi r anda before the door of the same side.
The necessary apparatus for mortars, scales, &c., m'ust be
kept in a place in the wa ll that has been consecrated for thatpurpose by religious ceremon ies.
After describing the different classes, and members composing each class, of medicines, SuSru ta continues : “The wisephysician should collect and classify these medicines, and withthemprepare extern al applications, in fusions, oils, ghee, syrups,8m, as requ ired for derangement of a particular humour . The
medicines shou ld be carefu lly preserved i n all seasons, in roomsfree from smoke, rain , wind and dust. The medicines shouldbe used singly, or in combinations of several medicines of aclass, or of an entire g r oup, or of more than one group,according to the nature of the disease, and the extent of
derangement of the humours.
” l l
Efifi m W fi cfi fimm a
M usl imsfi a wfasmficrai ll
W eifisfiz: “fi lm !
W fil’at 1 1'
swai fsfirfiww s‘ n
«as fireman? m firstssawW fsam sum
-
enmi 31 asset-
cl n
Suéruta Saxfihita I. xxxvut.
60 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
mentions Mandragora . (Mandragora Atropa) to have beenemployed internally as a hypnotic and anaesthetic. Pliny (32-79
A .D .) in-his N atural H istory mentions that this anaesthetic was
also u sedby inhalation ; and this fact is corroborated by Galen ,Araetaeus, Celsus and others. The Arabian physicians alsoused it . T he Chinese surgeons still use some powder (Indianhemp probab ly) to throw their patien ts into profound sleep.
'In the 1 3th century Theodor ic(died 1 298) descr ibed the “spongiosomn ifera the vapours raised from which were capable, wheninhaled, of setting patien ts into a n anaesthetic sleep
,thus
indu cing - insensibility to the agony and torture of a surgeon’
s
k nife. Baptista also mentions his “Pomum somn iferum”
, to be
made with mandragora, opium, 850 . TheH indusalso inhaled thefumes of burn ing Indian h emp as an anaesthetic at a periodof great antiqu ity. As ear ly as 927, A. D they also knewdrugs which they employed ,
for the same purpose, for PanditVallala, in hi s Bhoja Prabandha, alludes to a cran ial operation
performed ‘on the King Bhoja after he was rendered insen'
sibleby some drug called Sammohim (producer. of unconsciousness).Another dr ug is also mentioned, Safij iban! (restorer to life),by which he soon regained consciousness after the operationhad beenfini shed.
1
1 m nfi nan-«i Elsi
-"
in M ar 81cm m eme frailum uamM a fi fifi wm fi m m in mm fi lm?
a ti st i ffen ! an?sain ts I
Bhoja P rabandha (J ibananda’s Edm), P . 98.
CH AP TER III.
MATERIALS OF INSTRUMENTS.
I RON AND STEEL.
In theRgveda , ayas, Latin aes), next to gold, is the metalmost often referred to. Ayas often stands as a gener ic nameto mean simply “
metal, though in later works i t sign ifies iron as
a rulh. The men tion of dark and red ayas in the Atharva
veda indi cates a distinction between iron and copper or b ronze.
The surgical instrumen ts of the H indus are recommended
generally to be made of . iron ; bu t Suéruta allows. other su itablemater ial when iron of good quality is not available.
1 H e says :
“Awise surgeon shou ld get the instrumentsmade of pure iron andwith Sharp edges by an exper t blacksmith who is skilfu l andexperienced in his craft.” 2 The use of impu re iron as a mater ialfor surgical instrumen ts, he deprecates as a defect and advisesthe su rgeons not to rely on such instruments.
The H indus were acquainted with steel and they knew howto turn out steel of fine quality from a pure i ron ore.
Nagarjuna, the well known Buddhist chem ist, wrote a scientific
mfi mfl fi wfi m fi w fiwmfit maam l
Suéruta Samhi ta. I. 11 1 1 .
W fif W a nna-Tam ra s 1
W 1 and: ms‘
W itt admi ts? 11
Ibid, I. vi i i .
62 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HIN DUS.
treatise on steel and iron .
1 Si bodasa in his commentary on
Chakr apani quotes Patanjal i as an authority on the subject.“In the Dhanu rveda, Vir acintamani , Sarafigadharapaddhati
and Loharnava, steel as a mater ial of sword has been descr ibedand classified.D r . Mitraquotes'
some references“. abou t theknowledge of ironpossessed by the ancient H indus from theRgvida. H e finds that
“swords(II. spears(IV. javelins(II. lances(I.
(IV. II. 288) and hatchets (I. 1 20) are frequently mentioned ;and these weapons were bright as gold or golden (IV,“Shining bright” (I. “blazing” (IV.
“sharp” (IV. 1 1 3) and
made
‘
of iron" (I. 226) they are“whetted on a grind stone”
(II. 36) to improve their keenness (I. and “polished to
enhance their brightness (II. 326)“According to N earchus,
King Porus gave 30 lbs of steel to Alexander as the mostprecious present he cou ld offer .
Royle also remarks‘ “W orking in metals they have longbeen famous‘ for : their steel acqu ired so great celebrity at an
awai t”! g ift? was W W W !
Cak radatta, Rasayanadhi kara.
ars’
faa t fiufi a first w i n
sham—emW i s s
‘
rsqrsmfim l
W fi ffi fi sé'
r’
zi i m i litan t: ll
Quoted in Sibodas’s commentary on Louhamarana
Vidhi in Cak radatta.
3 Dr ' R 'L'M i trflffl Indo'myfins, VO 10 1 , P o 301 SeeWi lSOn
’sRgvedao
f Boyle’sAntiqu ity of H indoo Medi cine. Pp 46-7.
64 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or i n H INDUS.
of lead plates to sorround tumours before application of actualcau tery has been n oted above.
B ELL-METAL.
Theuse of bell-metal fi an amalgam of zinc or tin and copper ,25 parts of the former with 75 par ts of the latter ,— as a materi alof probes for applying collyrium , is men tioned by Suéruta.
1
GOLD AND SILVER .
Gold was known to the H indus fr om the remote antiqu ity ;and among the metals, i t is the one most frequen tly2 mentionedin the Rgveda. Silver was perhaps unknown dur ing the ear lierVedic age, from i ts name being not mentioned in the Bgveda .
B u t no conclusion can safely be drawn from this argu
ments. W e find, however , gold, silver , and other precious
1s’
iw (Tara mai
ana'
ézémfimsi
m fir st a’
mrfi arena-
rs mum in
Suéruta. 8m m, VI. xvi i i .
“first i ts”
Bgveda . 5 M andala. 1 9 Siik ta.
Si yana.
w za m u
Ibid. 4 Mandala . 2 Sukta.
aw”
firfii‘d maximi ses?!
I
Sayana .
A horse with golden caparisons —W i lson .
caris»
I
« fi rfimfii tfi w u
“Guam-if si lver money be intend —W i lson
MATERIALS oF‘
INSTRUMENTS. 65
stones mentioned as mater ials of instruments in the medical
books. Gold and silver vessels and plates are often describedin Sanskr it literature.
‘ Suéru ta men tions the use of dr inkingcupsmade of gold, silver and precious stones.
”
Caraka, amongst other things necessary for a lying- in-room,
mentions two needles of gold and silver .
3 To cut the navelcord of the new-born child, he recommends a kn ife made ofgold, or silver , or iron .
‘ In the Manusamhi tas we find
“Before the section of the navel str ing, a ceremony is
ordained on the bir th of a male ; he mu st be made while sacredtexts are pronounced, to taste a li ttle honey and
'
clarified butterfrom a golden spoon .
” 6 A golden needle is mentioned by
antiw ar-mt nfi i t a and? a I
mam maTent-rwas mnfif a
(fi na l
fi nanmh fifam fi fi am
M i G’
fiamfl‘ lfifl flfi é ffi qll
Snéruta Saxfihi ti , I. xlv.
h i fi fim fi sfiw’
tm fifim fi vmm'
Gfi l
Caraka San'ihita, Iv. vi i i .
fi n’
fimM (”
1m aw n -W W W 36 71 n
m "
; m ange Elm a: f‘
abfiaa
m m? mmW imqu
Manusarhhita, II. 29.
Manusau’
ihita(ch. 1 1 . V. 29. J ones’s trans . )
9
66 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
Susruta for pr ick ing the bu lb of Soma plant to extract i ts j u ice.
l
To cu re tr ichiasis, Cack radatta mentions a needle cau tery of
gold.
2 For destroying the hai r follicles, he advises us to passthe hot needle into them as soon as the eyelashes are removedby epilation . In the Y ogaratnakara ,
i s mentioned a cau tery of
gold, to burn the fistu ious track rou nd the anus.
3 sarngadhara
men tions silver or coral pots for keeping medicated snufi'
s,4and
gold and silver tubs for immersing patien ts in medicatedlotions.
5
H ORN .
H orns of an imals are men tioned as suction - apparatus. For
a shame“
. satiawtfzfméi m m
Suéruta Samhita, IV. xxix .
new w fimfiuawtaste: zfiqas: W u
Cak radatta . t raroga Cik i tsa.
afimaw tram w izfiramfim qu
Y ogaratnakara, p. 347 .
(Anandasram Ser ies) .
T ram s %aamfzufififwz
w mqfi w rmafiéi m ars?“
Sarngadhara Samgraha , vi i i .
fl aw h as antsmam am u
fi rm?as wfiafi fi W e u
Ib id, III. 1 1 .
68 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
W O O D .
To apply vapour-bath, Sarngadharamentions tubes made of
wood or metal. l W ooden Tubes for injections were also
used ?
STONE.
Sarngadhara says :“The collyrium probes shou ld be
made either of stone or metal” .
3 For compounding medicines,stone [cha t or mor tar and pestles are mentioned. A b ig stoneslab with a mu ller is recommended to be used for grindi ng dryor fresh vegetable medicines. In extracting the Soma'ju ice,two slabs of stone are mentioned in the Bgveda. ‘
EXECUTION .
The execution of the instruments is said to have lieen all
that can be desired. Suéruta says5 “They should’fia
>
made
just of the proper size with their ends rough or polished ; theyshou ld be also strong , well-shaped and capable of a firm grasp.
Again he continues “When a n instrument(has been selected) of
fimfi m W ands
Sari i gadhara Samgraha , III. ix.
3? $1 15 m m rwzI
waiéfiw ii : Hfinfinh fi rmsnIbid, III. v.
m : sifimnamW h at
mm mm anmmfi lm I
Ib id , III. x i i i.
4
Bgveda. 1 0Mandala , 76, 94 87. 175 Sfiktas.
5 m 1"
?m istM iami‘
s! a n
Hemfi m finm fiss mm n
Suéruta Samhita, I. v n,
MATER IALS OF INSTRUMENTS. 69
a fine make and with an edge keen enough to divide the hairson the sk in, and when i t has been firmly grasped at the properplace, on ly then i t shou ld be used in any surgical operation“ .
And again : “A wise surgeon will get his instrumen ts made of
good iron and with sharp edges, by a blacksm ith who is skilfu l and exper ienced in his craft. ” 2 Vagbhata also gives the
same directions.
3
ORNAMENTATION .
In the absence of actual specimen ,i t is impossible to say
"
whether there was any ornamen tation on the surg ical instruments of the H indus. N O ornamen tati on is descr ibed in theextant medical treatises. O nly one instrumen t— Mucu ti— ismentioned by Vagbhata II as being ornamented with a ring.
4
EDGES OF SHARP INSTRUMENTS.
Suéruta says5 “The edges of instruments, used i n Inel smg
amW’
sm'
W T? WW W
Ibid, I. vux.’
See foot-note 2, P . 61 .
ssj‘
a'
stfit: W i ém w fifin
sImf‘
sIW W W W sum11
m finW IS!mmfisa may
W W W ? !
am m fisUmsfisfimfit a uAstanga H rdaya, I. xxv.
W‘
l fi fl'
fl i fifi m l
amsm fimmri mufl l m i nima l
instan t firm s si fssafi u fi m i m u
Su§ruta Samhi ta, I. vi i i .
70 THE SURG ICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDU S.
(as of Vrddhipatra, N akhaéastra ,shou ld be of the
fineness of a masu ra (Ervum Lens) of those used in scar ifying(as Mandalagra Etc. ) O fa half a masu ra ; of those used i n punctu ring (as K uthar ika) and evacuating (as needles, kuSapatra, 8m. )
O f'
a hair ; and those used in dividing (as Vrddhipatra) , of half ahair As to the VadiSa or hook and the Dan taéank u or toothscalers, the former shou ld have a cu rved end and a fine poin t,while the latter shou ld have an end Shaped like the first leafof barley.
” 1
THE TEMPER ING OF SH ARP IN STR UMENTS.
Suéru ta remarks2 that “the instruments'
are tempered in threeWays;— by immersing the heated Sastfr a i n an alkaline solu tion ,
or water , or O i l . Those tempered in an alkal ine solu tion are used
in dividing bones and in excising arrows and other foreignbodies. Those tempered in water are used in in cising , dividingor clear ing muscles ; and those tempered in O i l are used in
punctur ing veins and dividing nerves and tendons.
”
As the methods of temper ing the . Sastras are the same as
those recommended for the arms O f war , we qu ote fromVrddhaSarngadhara(the elder), twomethods O f-tempering arrowheads - and swords. H e says
i‘ : “I shall descr ibe the ways of
temper ing arrow—heads, by . smear ing them with a paste of
simil aaaamaafi a’
imam m amaaa u
Suéru ta Sarixhi ta, I. vi i i .
ash ram fifim mfi aaaas as mamas m ama—fa .
aaaqtfaaa«mam saw sFaa aaaa‘
rgai aas1
am mast aa’
i «amass .
3a gi‘
iaamfa fiafia aaasi aa 11
Ib id.
Vrddhya SSraI’
lgadhara,
THE SURGc L INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
III.
The sage Usanas or Suk r'
acaryya thus descr ibesll the tem
per ing of swords in theVrhat Samhita(Kern ’
s trans. Ch. L.)
23. The flu id to imbrue a sword with, according to theprecepts of USanas, is : blood, i f one wishes for a splendid for
tune ghee, i f one is desirous to have a virtu ous son ; water, i fone is longing for inexhaustible wealth.
24. An approved mixture to imbrue the sword with, incase of one desirous to attain his object by wicked means, is :milk from a mare, a camel and an elephant. A m ixture of fish
bile, deer -m ilk, horse-milk, and goat-milk, blended with toddy,
wi ll make the sword fit to cu t an elephant’s trunk.
25. A sword first rubbed with O i l, and then imbrued withan unguent compounded of the m ilky ju ice of the Calo
‘
tropis,
goat’
s horn , ink , dung from doves and mice, and afterwards
whetted, is fit for piercing stone.
1
mamas-ms was?!
afimafmaaaaram’
i‘
: u
mamfila'
suafitas as:
a masfiésfi as: sass-m u
Vrhat San‘
Ihita.
THE USES or IN STRUMENTS. 73
26. An instrument imbrued with a stale mixtu re of potashof plantains with butter m ilk, and properly whetted, will not .
get crooked on a stone, nor blunted on other iron instruments.
GOOD AND BAD Q UALITIES OF SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Sufiruta says1 “
.The good points in an instrument are
the following it shou ld have a well-made handle, affording a.
firm grasp ; i t shou ld be made of iron Of good quality i t shou ldhave a fine edge, a pleasant shape andawell-finished point and
it shou ld not be dentated (except the He gives
preference to the Sastras which are of good make and with a
fine edge—so fine as to dividethe hairs on the Sk in and whose
handles can easily be grasped by the surgeon’
s hand.
On the other hand, he points out eight defects2 of sharp
instruments t they must not be bent, or blunt, or broken , or
jagged, or too thick, or too thin , or too long, or too short. Instruments free from thesedefects shou ld be used. The
.
K arapatra
or saw is the on ly exception , for being used for sawing bones, i trequ ires a jagged or dentated edge. Vagbhata also mentionsthese defects.
8
Snéruta Samhi ts, I. vi i i .
2’as ant
-
gas as W dai‘
amg aamafisf rs'afasmamfi slams!”
aa’
ifi w’taaw rsfi iflaa « w aft? M ari ssa?l
w artarm inn: asfif‘
sian u
16
Astahga H rdaya, I. xxvi.
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HIND'
us.
Susruta enumerates twelve defects‘ Of blun t instr umen ts, viz.,
i tmay be too thick, or made of impu re metal, or too long, or too
short , or incapble Of being grasped, or capable of being grasped
(uneven ly) partially, or ben t, or made of too soft material, or of
elevated ends, or i t may have bent, loose, elevated, and weak
pins, or be of Weak ends, or of thin sides. These fau lts refer
pr inci pally to the Sebasti lca. yan tr asor the cruciform instru
ments.
THE U SES O F INSTRUMENTS.
Twenty four different kinds of operations” are said to heperformed by the blunt instr umen ts (Susru ta), viz
1 . N i rghatana Extraction by moving to and
fro. e. g . Salyanirghatan i .
2. Par ana Filling the bladder or eyes
with oil.3 . B andhana B andaging and bindi ng by rope.
4. Vyr'i hana 1 . Raising up and incising a
part for removi ng a thornor 2. br inging together the
lips of the wound.
Var tana Con tracting or cur ling up.
Snérnta Saxixhi ta, I. vi i- r
mastitis-
g fisiaaamsaaggafi ssrasfiafiafissfi i aafi
Ratsistfa saféiafa: n
76 THE SU RGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H IN DU S .
1 9. Esana Exploring as by an earth-worm
shaped probe, the direction of
a sinus or the existence Of a
foreign body in the wound.Darana Splitting or dividing as the
head, ears 8m.
21 . Rjukarana Straightening anything whichis ben t.
Praksalana W ashing as a wound withwater .
P radhamana Blowing as powders in to then ose through tubes.
24. P ramarjana Rubbing ou t as foreign bodiesfrom the eyes 850 .
Vagbhata recogn ises on ly fifteen different kinds1 of operations performed by the blu nt instruments : N i rghatana (mov
ing to and fro), Unmathana (probing) , P firana (filling up),
Marga Suddhi (clear ing passages) , Samvyfihana (raising up and
extracting a thorn by incisi on ) ,Aharana (pu lling out) , B andhana
(bandag ing) , P idana (pressing) , Acusana (suction ) , U nnamana
(elevation), Namana (depression) , Gala (movement), Bhanga
(b reaking), Vyavartana (turn ing round) ; and Rjukarana
(straighten ing).
Astanga III-days , I. xxv .
THE U SES OF INSTRUMENTS .
277
The Sastras or cutting i nstruments, on the other hand, aresaid to perform eight kinds of su rgical operations (Suéru ta). 1
1 . Chedana Excision or removal -of a partof the body by Operation as
of piles.
Instrumen ts — Vrddhipatra, nakhaéastra, mudrikfi,
u tpalapatra, and arddhadhara.
2. Bhedana Incision of a part, as of an
abscess.Instruments — The same as above.
3: Lek'
hana Scarification or dissecti on of a
skin -flap ; or scraping, as of
Rohin i 12a , surgical diseasesof the throat.
Instruments — Mandalagra and karapatra.
4. Vedana or Vyadhana Puncturing as of veins to bleedpatients by instrumentshavingfine points.
Instrumen ts — K uth'
ar ika, vt imukha, Era, vetaspatra,
and sucI.
5. Esana Probing , as of Sinus and fistu laby .a probe.
Instrumentsz—Esani .6. Aharana. Extraction, as of stone by the
spoon or b ook .
Instruments — Vadiss, and danta-sanku.
as ma aaim fss l saw as as as assassima‘
fima‘
sass .
Snéruta Saxfihi tfi, I. v.
78 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
7. VISTavana To let ou t pus as from a deepSeated abscess.
Instrumen ts -Siici , kuSapatra, stimukha , Sarar imukha,
antarmukha, trikurccaka, and esan i .
8. Si vans Stitching, as of the lips of a
wound by needles.Instruments z— Thedifferent kinds of Sl'i ci or needles.
Caraka mentions, however , six kinds1 of Operations1 . Patana Incision , as in Operation for
sinus, abscess, intestinalinju ry , and deeply impactedforeign bodies.
2. vy'
adhana Tapping or piercing, as in
operations for ascites, suppuratin g tumour
, ovar ion
tumour , boils
azawsfi smaa'
asaaan
m anm aa n
Stamens a2911 : meansafasas a u
amaa fisasst am : aas (am:
s tas ismassaarsaasiaarmsSara
asi zxmazmaia' Seamus ?! n
fammfi aamfi fafiamfisgfaman
amafafi ams‘ a mrim—arms u
as magmas slats afimfia I
Caraka Smhiws VI. Xi i i s
80 THE SuRGICAL INSTRUMENTS: OE THE HINDUS.
W H ETSTONE.
‘ In the Rgveda we find the use of stones mentioned forwhetting '
the edges of the arms O f war .
1 The H indusurgeons used a stone Slab for Sharpen ing the éastras
or edged instrumen ts.
2 It was of the colou r of mass
(Phaseolus The whetstones used by the Greeks andRomans. were either the marble O intmen t slabs, or made of
clay slate or sandy schistaceous shale.
INSTRUMENT CASES.
To preserve the edges of the cu tting instruments, a casemade of the wood of Salmali (Bombax Malabaricum) was used
(SuSru ta) .3 Such caseswere also man ufactured of canvas, or wool,
or silk, o r leather . These cases— twelve antgu li (fi e, fingers’
breadth) long and n ine afigu li , broad— wer e well sewn and
1 SeeRgveda, Mandala. 2 Suk ta . 39 Verse 7.
9 90 1 .
9 1 12 2.
10 53 9.
1 9 1 01 2.
2 samfi w fim mfl h
Su §rnta Sarfihi ta, I. vi i i .
Piercing as by the Sharp Esan i .Tapping as by the Vetasapatra.
Chu rn ing as by the Khaja.
Fixing as by the SandamSa .
Burning as by the rods.
‘
PORTAELE C ASES. 81‘
consisted of compartments, lined wi th‘ wool and“
seperatedby
‘ parti tions for 'each instrument. ‘They could be‘
f olded;closed with a rod and firmly tied by a knot." The bar-hers
of India still use similar cases for their instruments.
That the razor used to be kept in a case, we know from a
passage in the Vrhadaranyaka (800 to 500 B . C .)
Where the author says“It (the Atman ) is hereall-pervading
down to the“
tips of the nail. One does not see it any morethan a razor hidden in its case or fire in i ts receptacle”:2
sfia ss‘
i'
sias: a s asmiss : u
fsa a maraqa: ma f aster sass :
srmm fifiaus 1! slams: sass:
Astanga H rdaya, I: xxvi .
saw s? stasi s? slams ans sari‘
smi‘
a l w afafiam'
asraa
m m : seals: ana l W W sfis: seams“ ass mmasare“ w afas
‘
iamrf‘
a l amagfi fl firfimaaazam siw rgméaw
m afimmmms’
iafi a n am fiam w aflw arazmsi’t ata a
safa ris swim s , maria afiaa a mafisfi‘
smaa : r asa
srmaan fi faamhrammaa am a ammfim am as asa’
t srfsa‘
attesszrsYIatTaa-Ia aasa : l amsamaaamm‘
sassmm: l aaaas :
am an an anwas was sm‘
Vagbhatsrtha K aumndi .
Vrhadaranyaka, I. iv.
Macdonell’s 22"
1 1
82 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS on THE H INDUS.
To prove that portable cases for medicaments and instru
ments were in use in an cient India, we qu ote i n toto fr om the
Mohavagga some references to them .
1
BOXES FOR O INTMENTS, O INTMENT POTS, ANDPORTABLE CASES.
N ow at that time, the Bhikkhus used to put pu lver isedointments into pots and saucers. They became spr inkled overwith herb - powder and dust.
They told this thing to the Blessed O ne.
“I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, the use of a box for ointment
N ow at that time the K habbaggiya Bhikkhus used to carryabou t var ious k inds of boxes for ointments— gold ones and silverones. People were annoyed, mu rmured and became angry,
saying ,“Like those who still live in the wor ld.
”
They told this thing to the Blessed O ne.
Var ious kinds of boxes for ointments, gold ones, and silverones, are not, 0 Bhikkhus, to be used. W hosoever does so, is
gu ilty of a dukkata offence. I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, the use of
such boxes made of bone, or ivory, or born , or of the nala reed,
or of bambu ,or of wood, or of lac, or of the shells of fru it, or of
bronze, or of the centre of the chank- shell (Sankhu
2. N ow at that time the boxes of ointment had no lid.
(The ointmen t) was spr inkled over with herb-powder and dust.
They told this thing to the Blessed O ne.
1 Mohavsgga VI. 12. (Sacred Book oi theEast).
84; THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTs-
O F THE H INDUS.
N ow at that time the Bhikkhus -used to carry the O intmentboxes and ointment- sticks abou t in their hands.
They. told this thing to the Blessed O ne.
“I allow, 0 B hikkhus, the use of a bag to put thei bintmenti
box in .
”
They had no shou lder strap.
“I allow you , O B hikkhus, the use of a shou lder strapa(by
which to carry the ointment- box) , or of a thread (by'
whi'
ch to
sew or tie i t on) .
1 3.
1 . N ow at that time the venerable P ilindavalclthahad
head- ache.
“I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, the use of a little oi l on the head7
(The disease) became no better .
‘l
“I allow,0 Bhikkhus, the practice of taking up(medicine)
through the nose” . (See commentaryon the Dham'
m'
apada, pp.
The nose ran .
“I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, the“
use of a nose-spoon (Natthu e
karan i) .
New‘
at that time the K habba‘
ggiya Bhikkhus hed variouskinds of nose- spoons— made of gold, and of silver . Peeplegwefe
annoyed, mu rmu red, and became. angry, s aying,‘ f
.Like. ffrhose
who still l ive i n the world.
They told this thing to the Blessed One.
161 7 85
“Var ious kinds of nose are not to be
:hihasoever does-80. isjg u i lty allow,
Qi Bhikkhus, the use of such (nose-spoons
, made,ethane“(8203;
as in chap.,1 2,
‘
1 , .down to the P h b
1
lr
'. gi K a
'UI
t C L2; -~T-hé-nose'
took ;up themedicament. in unequal prow l»
f0 0)'
a
z‘ 1 ’
“ Ianew, a0 Bhikkhus; the ri te act”
a'
disab le note-lepton
‘
fffThey-cused to Spread
'
th'
ed rugscon -a fwl ck beforethey
‘
dfified
up the aroma: and their throats got burnt.‘ I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, the
“
use of a p i pe to» confidctthe
moma ’
HNew at that time the K hab baggiya B hikkhushadydrid’iifi
kinds of pipes (8m, as in the last clauses of:
1 dowl‘i to the
Now at that time the‘farema-pipe
‘
s came open-i f and: 57mm
got m.
'1 allow, 0 Bhikkhlrs, the use of a lid to tli emipee.’
New? at'
tha'
t time the B hikkhus carr ied the pipes about in
"
allows‘
fl Bhikkhus, the use of a bag to carry‘thgaffiliat
i
pipes in ’
.
The aroma-ipipes rubbed agai nst‘
one another?
‘I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, the use of a double 5 15"
They had no shou lder strap.
I allow, 0 Bhikkhus, theuse of a shoulder strap (by whichto.carry,the dquble :bfig
‘) or of a thread(bywhich to sew it on).
86 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDU S.
O PERATION TABLE.
In the examination for piles, SuSruta directs the patient tolie down on his bed or on a board‘ ; and in describing theoperation , Vagbhata II men tions a board to be used as an
operationtable.
“ A similar bed, as long as the distance fromthe top of the head to the knees of the patient, is alsomentioned in the discription of the lithotomy operation.
3
The use of a board as a fractu re bed is also advised.
For passing the tubes of the vasti -ya'ntm or clysters into
the urethra in the male, the patient is recommended to s i t on
a steel as high as his knees (jan umdtrdsafia ) .
In . phlebotomy, the patient is advised to si t on a stool, anaratni high5 the distance between the tip of the olecranon
process of the u lna to the tip of the little finger).
1 m w a q afi eam samafi m aammw rfss
W W WSuéruteSamhitS, IV. vi .
Astanga B ydeya, VL vi i i.
aahm afi a-
w ares? wasmafi a: glass « h as?m i sm
Suéruta Saxhhi ti ,’
IV.
'
v1 1 .
was: 31m tea aasfl‘
qan
Caraka Saihhits, VIII. ix.
5as safsi W wfi m fltfm fi fs fi swam I
Sufiruta Saifihita, III. vi i i .
wfsawmfisi flsqw fifvazl
Astafige Hrdaya , I. xxvu .
88 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
leg, seven rods are requ ired—"
two on the" ou ter side of the
ankle, knee, and groin, respectively, and one under the foot.
The,
f racture-bed is recommended to' be similarly availed» of
il lfi'
acturesand dislocations of the loin , the spinal column , the‘
chest, . and the clavicle. And this mode of treatment, he adds,
may adgantagequsly'be used for the other kinds of fractures
and dislocati ons. Vagbhata II also mentions i t in - the treat‘
mento f fractures‘ .
H ippocrates used a sim ilar fracture- bed for thepreper treatlincut Of frahtures and dislocations. It was called SOMnmum
H ippocratic or bench of
.
H ippocrates. As the figuresoi’
Of thisbenchwould elucidate the structure of theImpdta—‘éayana ,we reproduce here three plates ‘wi th their . explanationsgiven atthe end of Vol. II, Genu ineW orks
,
ofH ippocratesand two plates— Scammum H ippocratis and- Plinthium N ileu
from the Collection De chirurgie‘
ns,Grecs.
Fig. 1 . The Scammum H ippocratis or'
Benchof H ippocrates,as represented by Andreas aCruce(Ofi cim chi rr ug i ca. em eti cs,
2. The.same as represen ted by M. Littré.
A. A board, 6 cubits long, 2 broad and 1 2 inches thick ; net7 18 as incornect
ly‘
stated by M . Littré.
B 5: ‘The feel; of theAxles,which are short.
W in was inm 11
Astenga B ridya, VI. xxvn .
FRACTURE-BED. 89
CC. Axle- trees.
DD. Grooves 3 inches deep, 3 broad, seperated from one
another by 4. inches.
E. A small post or pillar , fastened in the middle of themachine in a quadrangu lar hole.
F. Pillars a foot long.
G. A cross-beam laid on the pillars FF, which can be placedat different heights by means of holes in the pillars.
Fig . 3. Representation of the mode of reducing dislocationof the thigh ou twards, as given by M . Littré (Gfluv. d
’
H ipp.,
tom. iv, p.
A mi stake i n thefigu r e gi ven by M . Li ttre’
i s here cor rected.
A. A lever applied to the nates of the luxated side, andacting from withou t inwards, in order to br ing the head of the
bone into i ts cavity .
B. Another lever , held by an assistant, put into one ofthe grooves of the machine, and in tended to act against lever A.
C. Grove in which the end of the lever A takes i ts pointof support.
D . The luxated member .
EE. Extension and counter -extension .
Fig . 4. B ane d’
H ippocrate, d’
apres Ru fus, servant a
rédu ire dififérentes luxations. (Collection De Chirurgiens Grecs,B ibliqtheque N ationale) .
Fig . 5 . P lin thium , ou cadre de N i leus, d’
apres Hél iodore.
(Ibid) .
CH AP TER IV.
THE N UMBER O F SU RGICAL INSTRUMENTS.
The armamentar ium of the H indu surgeons consisted of a
good number of surgical instrumen ts. They aredescribed tobe of two kinds, the yan tr as and the the blunt andthe sharp instruments. SuSru ta enumera tes no less than one
hundred and one var ieties of the blunt instrumen ts, and twentydifferent kinds of sharp instruments. Har i ta, on the otherhand, enumerates twelve blun t instrumen ts, twelve sharpinstruments, and four prabandhas, as necessary for the
operation of extraction of a rrows and other foreign bodies. 1
Vagbhata II mentions one hundred and fifteen kinds of bluntand twenty-six kinds of sharp instrumen ts. Palak apya
(Treatment of Elephan ts) men tions ten kinds of éastraa
or sharp instruments though he descr ibes the uses of otherinstruments requ ired for the su rg ical treatment of diseases.
INSTRUMENTS AND TH EIR CLASSIFICATION (SUSRUTAJO f the one hundred and one var ieties of the blunt instru
ments, the su rgeon’
s hand is r ightly considered as the
principal instr umen t, for w ithou t i ts help, no instrument can
properly be used, and every su rgica l operation is under i ts
con trol },They are recommended to be used for the extraction
1 “sai l aserial ae rial sisal-
cl a
asaafiafisrsam am asmam wrs l fit slu r
flammasf’n?! W sssai I
as fl zafit fim finawrf‘
am m aerial I
92 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
size, with their ends rough or smooth as requ ired. They shou ldbe - o f strong make, good Shape and capable of a firm
grasp.
1
I. The Svastika or Cruciform instruments are
Sir’
nhamukha . 2. Vyaghramukha. 3. Vrkamukha.
4. Taraksumukha. 5. Rksamukha . 6. DvIpimukha.
7. Marjaramukha . 8. Srgalamukha . 9. Airvvaruk amukha
1 0. K akamukha. 1 1 . K ankamukha. 1 2. K u raramukha.
1 3. Casamukha . 1 4s. B hasamukha . l 5. Saéaghatimukha .
1 6. U lfikamukha. 1 7. Ci ll imukha. 1 8. Grdhram ii kha.
1 9. Syenamukha. 20. K rauficamukha. 21 . B li rngarajamukha.
22. Afijalikarnamukha. 23. Avabhafijanamukha, and
24. N andimukhamukha .
II. The Sandamsa or pin cher - like instrumen ts are1 . Forceps with arms.
2. Forceps W ithou t arms.
1 mfi mfi afia fi m fa aquf‘
awmfiumm fin as mam as
Elfin?“sunfi sh gé'
g'mfir sewn m : m usm a m ma
i m azsimrfims imam
m ama m fi m wgmfira l
sszfi f w its martin -“
a W a n
Susruta Sarhhi ta, I. v n.
W fir m fa fifism zu
W W ssn awwg -n Hana n
INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION .
III. The Tala or picklock- like instrumen ts arel . Ekatala.
2. Dwi t’
ala.
IV. The Nadi or tubu lar instrumen ts areFor fistu la- in - ano (1 ) with one slit ; (2) with 2 sl itsFor piles (1 ) with one slit ; (2) with 2 slitsFor woundsFor clysters (Rectal) (Some au thors descr ibe 3 on ly)For clysters (vaginal and (male and female)
For HydroceleFor AscitesFor fumigation and inhalationFor U rethral Str ictureFor RectalFor Cupping—gourd
V. The Salaka or rod- shaped instrumen ts areGandfipadamukha or earth-worm l ikeSarapunkhamukha or arrow- stem likeSarpafanamukha or snake
’
s hood likeVadiéamukha or fish-hook likeMasfiradalamukha or masura pu lse likeP remarjana or swabsK hallamukha or spoonsJamvavavadana or jambul seed likeAnkuSavadana or goad likeK olasthidalamukha or plum seed likeMuku lagra or bud shapedMalatipuspavrn tagra or like the stem of malati flower
93
94 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
VI. The Upayan tra or accessory instruments are
1 . Rajju— thread. 2. Ven ikér—twine. 3. Patta—bandages.
4. Carma— leather . 5. Valhala— bark of trees. 6. Lata
creepers. 7. Vastra—cloth. 8. Asthi lfiéma— stone or pebble.
9. Mudgara— hammer . 1 0. Pan ipadatala
— palm of the
hand and sole of the foot. 1 1 . Angu li— finger . 1 2. J ihva
— tongue. 1 3. Danta— tooth. 1 4. N akha— nail . 1 5. Mukhamou th. 1 6. V
‘
ala - hair . 1 7. ASvakataka— the r ing of a horse’
s
bridle. 1 8. Sfikha— branch of a tree. 1 9. Sthi vana— spittle.
20. P ravahana— fluxing the patient. 21 . H arsa— objects exci tinghappiness. 22. Ayaskanta
— a loadstone. 23. Ksara— caustic.24. Agni— fire. 25. B hesaja— medicines.
B . The sharp instruments or Sastras are
1 . Mandalagra or roundheaded kn ife.
2. K arapatra or saw(li t. like the human hand) .
3. Vrddhipatra (li t. like the leaf of vrddhi— an unknownmedicinal plan t)— a razor .
4. N akha-Sastra or nail- parer .
5. Mudrika or finger-kn ife (like the last phalanx of the
index finger) .
6. U tpalapatra, a kn ife, i .e. , resembling the peta l of a bluelotus, (Nymphaea stellata. , W illd) .
7. Arddhadhara or a single-edged knife.
8. Suci— needles.
9. K uéapatra—a kn ife shaped like the kusa grass
(Eragostris Cynosuroides).
96 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
5. Cakrakrti or circular shaped. 6. Anaka ? 7. K ankapada ?
8. Srnga or hem . 9. Kundala ? 1 0. Sri batsa ? 1 1 . Saubatsika ?
1 2. Paficabak tram, 72a , five faced— simhamukham ?
The twelve sharp instruments of Harl ta are
1 . Arddhacandra or half-moon shaped. 2. Vri himukha .
3. K ankapatra. 4. K utharika. 5. K aravi rakapatraka. 6. Salakaor sharp pr obe. 7. K arapatraka or saw. 8. Vadiéa or sharp
hook. 9. Grdhrapada ? 1 0. Suli 1 1 . 817 01 or needle. 1 2. Mud
gara or hammer ?
Vagbhata II classifies the instruments in the followingBlunt instruments
I. Svastika, as heron , lion , bear , cr ow, deer
forceps 860 .
II. Sandarhéa : It consists of two ironblades soldered at one end, the otherends being free
(a) for extraction of eyelashes 8m.(b) mucutI
III. Tala(a) Ekat
'
ala
(b) Dwi tala
IV. N'adi or tubu lar
(a) K anthaSalyavalokin i or throat specu lumhaving three and five holes
(b) Salyan irgh'
atani
(c) For piles, different sizes for male and
femaleFor inspection : 2 holes— r ectal speculum 2
For medication : 1 hole 2
For applying pressure : entire— Sam! 2
INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION. 97
(d) For fistu la - in - ano : with one and two holesFor nasal polypus &c.
(f) Anguli - tranaka or finger-gu ard
Jon i -vraneksana or vaginal specu lumVrano vasti or wound syr ingeFor dakodara or Paracen tesis abdomin isVastiyantra or clysters r ectal , vaginal andu rethral
(It) For
(l) .Cupping instr umen ts : Alabu , Ghatiyan tra
and H orns
V. Salaka or rod- li ke instruments
Gandfipadamukha or ear th-worm Shaped
(b) Masfi radalabak tra
Fan i bak tra or snak e’
s hoodSarapunkamukha
VadiSa or blun t hookGar vaéanku or delivery hookAsmar i or li thotomy hookSarapunkamukha or tooth extractorFor wiping ou t dischargesFor rectumFor noseFor ears (karnaSOdhana)
For application of actual and potentialcau ter ies
Jamvoboustha , three for each
TH‘
E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or“
THE HINDUS.
Arddhendu or half-moon shaped, for hern ia 1
K olasthidala for nasal polypus 1
N ai l - shaped 3
For cleansingRectumVaginaU rethra
Collyr ium probe 1
34
VI. Anuyantra or accessory instruments are ni neteen in
number . To the list of Suéru ta he adds the following 1
Goat’
s gu t, Silk, time, suppuration ,and fear .
B. The sharp instruments of Vagbhata are twenty-six in
number .
2
1 . Mandalag‘raf 2. Vrddhipatra . 3. U tpalapatra. 4. Adhyar
ddhadhara. 5. Sarpasya . 6. Esan i z— Gand PadamukhaandSfici
mukha. 7. Vetasa . 8. Sarari . 9. Tr ik u rccaka. 1 0. K uéapatra
1 1 . Ati vadana. 1 2. An tarmukha and Arddhacandranan .
1 3. Vr ihibaktra. 1 4. Kuth‘
ar i . 1 5. K uravak asala. 1 6. Angu liSastra. 1 7. Vadiéa
’
. 1 8. K arapatra . 1 9. Kartari . 20. N akhaéastra
21 . Dantalekhana. 22. Sfici . 23. K u rcca . 24. Khaja . 25. ATE.
26. K am avedhan i .
m zm zat zqfi wfi sfismfifimu
Astanga H rdaya. I. Xxv.
m m m am qu
Ib idz‘
I. xi v i .
a l l [ 31 5 0 1'
b e [1 1 1 0 In snr um en ts W 1 3 CO D SI
next the Sastras or the sharp instruments.
I . The Svast i k a yantr a or Cr uci form In str umen ts.
The word svastika is a techn ical term Sign ifying one
of the twen ty- fou r .
signs of the Jinas ; and i t can be represen tedby two l ines crossing each other , the arms of the cross beingbent at their extremities towards the same direction. SO
these instruments may be descr ibed as cru ciform . They have,
as a ru le a leng th of eighteen'
aI’
Igu li . Their ends shou ld beshaped like the faces of the following ferociou s beasts (1 to 8)dear and birds (1 0 to and the instruments are to be
called'
after their names.
1 They are divided into two classes ; theinstrumen ts of class I resemble the mou ths of l ion (simha)and tiger while class 1 1 compr ises the instrumen tswhich have the l ikeness O f the faces of birds of prey.
The fu lcrums of these instrumen ts whi ch are at the m iddle,
are of the size O f a maSI‘
Ira (Ervum lens) . The handles
are either rounded Off, or ben t at an angle at their ends,
like an elephan t driver ’s goad— the object being to
afi'
Ord a good grasp of the instr ument by the su rgeon’
s
hands. The svastika i nstrumen ts are used for the extraction of
1as afiamw argsqw fi fi smasw sa nfifimm fi ir
W mm mnawm fi fsfi swfi sm wsm iw safi
w rfifmn afi fu : fi tsafl fa fiafi m aw m fsfi aeamfimn
Sufiru ta Sau'
Ihi t i , I. Vu .
THE SVASTIK A YANTRA OR CRU CIFORM INSTRUMENTS. 1 01
foreign bodies impacted in the bones.
1 If the foreign bodyis visible, extract it by the lion forceps or similar forcepsof class I. If i t is invisible, i t should be extracted by theHeron forceps or similar forceps of class II.
“
O f all the
var ieties of svastika instrumen ts, the Heron forceps (kankamukha) is the best, for i t can be easily introduced and turned
in all directions, and also i t grasps firmly and extracts a foreign“body with ease and can be appl ied withou t any harm to all
par ts of the body.
2
Class I
535? 1 . Sir’
nhamukha svastika or Lion-faced forcep's —thisi “
ginstrument is said to have i ts mou th shaped like that of a l ion
(Felis leo) . It is the principle instrument of the class I. .It is
Sam‘
s aisfdssi ffl mfzsmfamh
fiéfi’
fi TF-I 21am?amiss Saar-
If? a u
film tam Raf a! saw a
afi fim ww swfims n
Astanga H rdaya. I. xxv.
far-fi r], a
i r: m'
m gfi iwfism nfirafi isW ? St amth ush
-
si sa sump
fi es: i sm aw lW Tfl aw %a ll
Suéruta Samhi tfi I. Vl l .
fimifl ems-
«Isaa
m‘
affi rm? a m
W u
'
ei flfimfi Era u
Astanga H rdaya. I. xxv.
1 02 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS o r THE H INDUS.
cur ious that iu'
mOdern times, theEuropean su rgeons use a pairof forceps cal led the Lion foreceps for holding bones firmlydur ing operations. So the Makaramukhaof Palakapya is the
Crocodile ferobps;
2.
A
Vyaghramukha or Tiger forceps : themouth of this instrument is likethat of a tiger (Tigris regalis) .3. Vrkamukha or W olf forceps (Can is lupus) .4. Taraksumukha or Hyena forceps (Hyenastr iata) .Rksamukha or Bear forceps (U rsus Amer icanas).Dwipimukha or Panther forceps (Fel is pardus).Marjaramukha or Cat for ceps (Felis domestic
'
a) .
po
s
se
ss
Srgalamukha or Jackal forceps (Can is au reas) .9. Airbbaruk a or Deer forceps (Cervus elephas) .
Class II — The birds,in im itation of whose faces the
instrumen ts of this class are made, can be iden tifiedfrom the
following discr iption of their beaks
Birds : 1 . Raptator ies : they have curved beaks bookedat the extremity.
(a) hooked beaks ben t down frombaSe.
(b) straight beaks bent downat tip.
(a) osprey and usuallydentated beaks,.hooked at the ends.
2. and stronglyserrated beak. (b) and blue strong,thick, somewhat curvedanterior ly and slightly notched.
3. or and
have long and powerfu l beaks with sharp hard
1 04 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or "I‘HE HINDUS.
to forceps with arms, used by the barbers'for depilating thenasal cavities, while the second var iety is like the armless forcepsused by the goldsm iths. The former consists O f two arms j oinedcrosswise by a pin fixed at abou t their m iddle points, and so
really is a cruciform instrumen t bu t is classed here for i tsdifferent use in su rgery . The forceps without handles consistsOf two blades soldered at one end. Some commen tators l ike tosubdiv ide the pinchers in to two classes according as their endsare rough or smooth. And so H essler translates '1 Duacforcipes den ticu lata et non denticu lata” .
The sandarhéas are used for the purpose of extracting foreignsubstances from the soft stru ctu res of the human body, such as
the skin,muscles, veins, nerves, and tendons
‘z. Generally they
have a length of sixteen angu li .
Vagbhata II men tions two other instrumen ts as modifica
tions of the type
(a ) O ne var iety has the length of six angu li . It is intendedfor the purpose of extracting m inu te foreign bodies su ch as
thorn , hair 8m. and of removing the superfluous eyelashes.
3
Cak rapan i also advises us to use a sandamSa for epilation ,
which.may be called the Epilation forceps.
4
1 H essler’s Suéruta. Caput vi i . P . 1 4.
afi fi t lfi l‘
gfi fflfl awassassin u a n
Astafiga H rdaya , I. xxv.
flfiiuss new Héfif f HushH ar i ta San
‘
Ihi ta, III. lvi .
Esra-
shrewd} W stash quaint u enAstanga H rdaya , I. xxv.
See foot-note 2, p. 66.
THE SANDAMSA Y AN'
TRA OR PINCHER-LIKE EORCEPS. 105
Similar ly in modern times, we remove superfluous eyelashesby the Epilation forceps. Mr . Berry wr i tesl z When the
trichiasis is on ly partial , a temporary improvement is obtainedby epilation . In some cases where a few eyelashes on ly have
been left altogether , the patien t may procure for himself apair of forceps, and have the eyelashes removed whenever
they cause ir r itation . Surgical epilation was frequentlynecessary for tr ichiasis among the Romans and a similarforceps was in use there.
2
Inancient times in India, the barbers u sed epilation forcepsfor pu lling ou t grey hairs. In Makha -deva j ‘
ataka, we find the
following conversations between the king and his barber s
Barber . There is a grey ha ir to be seen on your head,0 King.
’
King. Pu ll i t ou t, then , fr iend, and pu t i t in my hand.
So he tore i t ou t with golden pinchers, and placed i t in the
hand of the King .
”
(b) The second var iety is known as the Mucu t‘
i instrument. ‘It is a pair of stra ight forceps, having no curve like that O f
the sandamSa . It is serrated finely at the open ends. The
soldered end has a r ing attached to i t as ornamentation . It is
recommended to be used for removing painfu l sloughsand proudgranu lations from a deep- seated abscess. It is also to be used to
P ractical Ophthalmology , 1 904. By G. A . B erry , M .E. P . 52.
1 Pau lus E gineta. VI. xi i i (Syd. Soc. Ed. )
1 Rhys David’s B uddhist ic Jatak a stor ies, Vol . I, pp. 1 87.
A 0
gsa awm afi a « mm I
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
compl ete the operation for pterygium by rem oving the remnant,after - i t has been extirpated by the sharp instrumen ts. Suéruta'call's it’
Mucundi 1 , and uses i t to hold the pterygium after i t
hast'
heen raised by vadiéa or hook . It must be then a smallervariety of mu cuti .
A similar pair “
of forceps, D r . Er ichsen men tions, and says2
‘
that “for the pu rpose of extracting needles, thorns, spl in ters ofwood and other foreign bodies of small Size and poin ted shapelying in narr ow wounds, forceps with very fine b u t strong , wellserrated poin ts will be found usefu l .
‘
SuSru ta mentionsbar'nsab i dala3 or bamboo forceps. It ismade
of a piece'
of bamboo r od, split longi tudinally in to two halvesnear ly to i ts whole extent; T his i s l ike the bamboo tongsused by the smokers in Bengal to raise glowing charcoal to the
earthen bowl . It shou ld be used to remove worms from the
su rface of the human body .
The sandarhéa instrument may be comparedwith themoderndressing forceps and with the forceps still used by the goldsmiths,kn own as a sonna. Those with arms have their coun terpart inthe sadasi or a pai r of pinchers, still used by the blacksm iths.
"
III. Tala Y an t r a or P i ck l ock - l i k e In strument s .
The“thi rd class of blunt' instrumen ts is called Tala
W Jim sfisfia Hmfsa :
gm sfsrm ,! u§man 53 : uSuSruta Sarhhi ta, vi .
2 Er ichsen’s Science and Ar t of Su rgery , Tenth Ed. vol . I. p. 342 .
amfi fivmm xRafi-Izam si a I
Suéruta Sarhhi ta, IV . xxvi i .
1 08 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
For removing substances that have fallen into the meatus
auditorius, Pau l says : 1 “They must therefore be extracted byan earpick, a hook, or tweezers, or by using powerful shak ingof the head, while the ear is placed upon some circu lar board.
Albucasis recommends us to use a Slender forceps, whichresembles the modern d issecting forceps. H e also commendsfor the purpose a hook slightly bent, which is also mentionedby Celsus.“
IV . The N adi Y an tr a or T ub u l ar Instrumen ts .
The Nsdr or tubu lar instruments are described to be ofvarious k inds and toservemany purposes
s. They are open either
at one or both ends. These are u sed for the extraction of foreignsubstances from the natural ou tlets of the body. They are
also recommended to be used as a diagonostic apparatus for
inspection of diseases in the canals. They are the means of
sucking out flu id discharges, as pus etc. , fr om cavities and theyfacilitate the performances of other operations. They vary
length and diameter in pr oportion to the different sizes of theou ter canals of the body, or according to the var ieties of
purposes to b e served by them .
1 P aulus E gineta, Vol . II. VI. xxiv. (Syd. Soc. Ed. )
Celsus, VI.
1 ms"
?amm wm vfi a W W SW 5 arts thi t
w'
immui finalist-th wartsam t-Tamas arfirmamm W W W s I
m m m w g u
Sufiruta Sarhhi ta, I. vi i.
Q ll
Astenga H rdaya Sarhhita, I. xxv.
THE NKDI YANTRA OR TUBU LAR INSTRU MENTS. 1 09
The tubu lar instrumen ts are used for fistu la- in -an o,haemor
rhoids, tumours, abscesses, injections in to the rectum , vaginaand urethra, hydrocele, ascites, inhalations, str icture of urethra
and rectum and cupping as by gourd and horns.
1
AS examples of the tubu lar instruments, Vagbhata II.mentions
OR THRO AT SPECULUM .
To exam ine foreign substances su ch as a fish- bone in thethreat, the instrumen t shou ld have a length of ten angu liand a circumference of five angu li .SuSru ta descr ibes the extraction of a foreign body, made of
lac from the throat of a patien t by the following device. A
heated iron probe or sound shou ld be in trodu ced into the
throat of a patien t through a tube of copper and made to
touch the b it of shellac. The foreign substance wou ld beginto dissolve or soften and so wi ll adhere to the probe. The
rod is then to be cooled by spr ink ling water through the
tube and the foreign body then shou ld be drawn ou t steadi ly
with i t. s B u t other kinds of foreign bodies are to be extractedfrom the threat by means of a rod- like instrument, one end of
which is smeared wi th melted wax or Shellac.The use of some adhesive substance for extraction of foreign
bodies accidentally in trodu ced in to the ou ter passages of the
1W ffim w mm fssmw fism w fl swmm
Suéruta San'
Ihi ta, I. Vl l .
Astahga H rdaya, I. xxv .
351133 m iss m ma
'
fim m W fimfiu fs
Rficfirw fsrfiuagsfi W W W W 31m Tésafi ifi I
1 1 0 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS.
human body was well kn own to the Greeks and Romans. Pau lsays:
1 Stones and such like bodies we extract by wrappingwool round an earpick, and smear ing i t with turpentine- rosin,or some glutinous substance, and in troducing i t gently into themeatus auditorius.
”
2. PANCAMU K H A AND TRIMUK HA.
To take a good hold of a fou r - cared arrow, 9. specu lumhaving five holes (PANCAMU K H A) shou ld be had recourse to ; andfor a two-eared arrow, a specu lum hav ing three holes(TRIMUK HA)wou ld be necessary. The central hole is for the arrow
,.whi le
the side holes are mean t for the ears of the arr ow.
2
Celsusa says that when a weapon bur ied in the flesh
has barbs too strong to b e brok en wi th forceps, they may be
shielded with split wr iting-reeds (Calamus scr iptor ium) , andtheweapon thus withdrawn .
Pau l says :“Some apply a tube round about the barbst
so that when they draw out the weapon, the flesh may not be
torn by the barbs.
In modern times a snare is used instead of a tube.
Dr . Erichsen ‘s wr ites : “The extraction of an arrow is usuallyattended with little difficu lty. B u t i f barbed, special precautions have to be taken. W ith the view of safely efi
'
ecting i ts
removal, the snares have been devised.
1 Paulus 2Egineta. Vol . II. VI. xxiv . (Syd . Sec. Ed. )
1 msh s iitsfsm sw i m (in? !
Astanga H rdaya, I. xxv.
1 Celsus. VII. v .
The W orks of P au lus E gineta . v i . l xxxvu .
The Science and Art of Surgery . Vol . I. pp . 343.
1 1 2 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
end was meant to fit over the tail i n case where the arrow
was tanged.
l The Greeks and Romans recogn ised the
necessity of an arrow being m oved abou t until loosened, i fi t remained fixed in the bone ; and Celsus2 directs us to str ikei t with some iron instrumen t un til i t be shaken from the placewhere it is lodged.
5. TU BULAR INSTRUMENTS FOR P ILES.
According to SuSru ta 8 these shou ld be made either of iron ,
or ivory, or horn or wood. They are hollow instruments taper ingat the end which shou ld b e shaped lik e the teat of a cow. For
males, the length is fou r angu li, while the circumference is fiveanguli. In the case of females, however , the tube shou ld bemade wider , the circumference being six angu li, and longer , thelength being equal to the space covered by the palm Of the
hand. There are two sl its on the sides- one for inspection of
diseases and the other to allow application of caustic and
cautery to the diseased par t. The sl it measures three anguli i nlength and the pu lp of the thumb in breadth. At a distanceof a half angu li from the margin of the slit, is raised a circu lar
projection , also a half angu li high.
1 Paulus E gineta, v1 . lxxxvi i i .
1 Celsus, VII. 5.
8as as
‘
si
ts‘
stfi Susisi s mzfinsiswt
‘
sm m s fists-"
RM s'
st
“Ream W an ts asfi fsns'
sfiswifis'
W’
Fez-s stirfiu
Tami ft mesm‘
ismfifsfii s safe” Sawmi lls W SW
Suéruta Sexhhité, IV. vi .
THE NADI Y ANTRA O R TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS . 1 1 3
Vagbhata1 descr ibes two differen t instrumen ts, one for inspec
tion and the other for medication . They both have the same“
length and circumference. The former has two slits on the side,while the latter has on ly one sl it, three angu li long and the
pu lp of the thumb in width. The annu lar pr ojection is turnedupwards the object being the preven tion of sudden in troduc
tion of the instrumen t too far inwards.
A similar instrument withou t any Slit on the side is calledSami z. It is advised to be used for exerting pressure over the
piles by i ts introduction into the rectum (Vagbhata)
Rectal specu lum is men tioned by H ippocrates in his
treatise on fistu la 3 and by Pau l in the treatmen t of piles }
It i s called Calopter in con tradistinction to the vaginalspecu lum whi ch is called Diopter . The rectal specu lum in
the N aples museum is a two bladed instrumen t working witha hinge in the m iddle. In modern times
,both the var ieties
of the specu lum , tubu lar and valved, are in use.
For inspection and medi cation of piles, a tubu lar specu lumis recommended to be u sed by the veter inary surgeons. In the
1ssiUU iissIsu—t sssr
'
m ea l
in?wagesEst assist w as I
fish ? axis s fi i’sfis ss srs’
rfinI
mi ss: WW W fsslasr I
stfi sfifa fl s‘ samis s Essie: u
Agti nga H rdaya Sariihita, I. xxv .
aw aitmanti s semi : uses u as uIbid.
1 The Genuine W orks of H ippocrates. (Syd . Soc. Ed. ) Vol . II. P . 817.
1 P aulusEgi‘
rieta, VI. lxxix .
1 5.
1 14 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
Aévavaidyaka, Jayadatta sfi ri 1L descr ibes the instrumen t thus“The surgeon shou ld know the instrument to have the
length of six angu li. O n the two sides, the W ise su rgeon shou ldmake two slits, threeangu li long and a half anguli broad. Throughan instrumen t With two slits, the piles of the horses should
'
be
examined. Through a speculum with one slit, the surgicalopera tions, such as incisions 8m, shou ld be performed: after
having t ied the horse and making him lie down”
.
6. TU BU LAR INSTRUMENTS FOR FISTU LA - IN -ANO .
These are similar to the instrumen ts used for the inspectionand medication of piles
, the on ly difference being theomissionof the circu lar r ings in their constru ction ,
for otherwise, . the
projection may rub over the sore i f the specu lum be introduced deeply.
2
C‘ a cx
fi fi‘l’fimfifi wga mut
-
rm n
w i t: mime: W EEN : 1
with am Erwi n!m in u
ii i i im W
Aévavaidyaka (B ibl iotheca Indica). Lii i . 4, 5 and 6.
fli ng t itan i um : aafiqn
me?W e; HEW nSuéruta. Saxirhi tzi , IV . vi i i.
warm ers farms“ an ? I
Astafiga H rdaya , I. xxv .
1 1 6 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
Aretaeus says that a qu ill or reed or a wide long tube may
be used for blowing powders in to the pharynx . A lexanderTrallianus2 says that a calamus scriptor ium ,
the j oin ts of whichhavebeen removed, may be used as an insu fflator . O ribasius8
however g ives the fu llest descr iption of the tube used as a
nasal insufflator .
“A reed Slender and with a straight bore,6 inches in length,
and of su ch a size that i t can be passed in thenares, is taken and i ts cavity en tirely filled with medicament.
The reed may be either natu ral or of bronze. This beingplaced i n the nares, we propel the medicamen t by b lowingc intothe other end.
”
In modern times, we advise our patien ts'
to do thes ame
thing when powders are prescr ibed to be thrown in to the noseor ears. The cylindr ical shaft O f the ordinary qu ill so cut as
to be Open at both ends will serve the pu rpose admirably.
The nasal insu iflator is u sed now for iden tical object.
Aretaeus4 men tions a n asal syr inge with a double tube.
It consists of two pipes un ited together by an ou tlet so that
liqu id medicine may be injected in to both the n asal cavitiesSimu ltaneously, for injection in to each n ostril separately, hepoints ou t, can not be borne.
It is remark able that in Mahavagga5 mention is made
of single and double n ose- Spoons. Nathu - karan i (i s , an
instr ument to hold up the n ose, SO that the medicated O i l
1 Aretaeus, Vol . II. ,P . 408.
2 Alexander Trall ianus IV . vi i i .
3 O r ibasi us Collect, x 1 1 .
Aretaeus, Ed. Adams,'
0 1 . II. , P . 459.
Mahavagga , VI. 1 3. l 2. Sacred B ooks O f the East.
THE NADI YANTRA OR TU BULAR INSTRUMENTS. 1 1 7:
does not run and Y amakaJD‘
athu -karani (12a , one .
that wou ld go up both They are recommendedto be made of gold, or silver , or bone, or ivory, or horn , or of
the m la reed, or of bambu , or of wood, or Of lac, or of the Shellsof fru it, or of chank - shell
”
. (Sacred Books of the East).
To apply oily medi cines inside the nasal cav ity a cottonwick is first soaked in the oi l and then i t i s pushed wel linside the nose. It is recommended also to pour oil in to the
cavity through a tube, whi le the other cavity is pressed by a
finger (Vagbhatal
).
To treat a case of fractu re of the nasal bones, Sufirutarecommends2 two straight tubes open at both ends to be
introduced in to the nasal cavi ties, after pu tting the fractu redends in position ,
either lower ing or elevating the ra ised or
depressed end by a rod as requ ired. Then bandages are to be
applied. The tubes serve as spl in ts to support the brokenends in position ,
while through their or ifices the patient maybreathe withou t inconven ien ce.
Similar ly Celsus, after replacing the fractu red ends 1 1 1
position uses oblong ten ts sewed round with a thin soft skin as
splints in to the nostrils ; or a large qu ill smeared vvi th gum ,
or ar tificer’
sg lue may be applied in the same way. Pau l also
n ew? firflh‘
vizfiw firfi ql
sans inns warm firsmsem u
Astanga H rdaya , I. xx.
W m i fi fi i ma fi‘afi rm l
12mgm ash er? fagsfi e’
tfisfiqu
as: tfis fli er W ear m afia u
Sufiruta San-
1mm, v1 . i i i .
1 1 8 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDU S.
says“And some sew the qu ills of the feathers of a goose into
the rags,'
and thus introdu ce them into the n ose, in order thattheymay preserve the par ts in posi tion wi thout obstru cting therespiration ; but this is unnecessary as respiration is carr ied on
by the mou th.
” 1
Sufiru ta also advises us to in troduce these tubes into thenasal cavities dur ing the performance of the Rhinoplastic operations.
2
8. THE ANGULr-TRANAK A O R FINGER -GUARD .
Vagbhata says:a It is generally made either of i vory or
W ood. The instrument is shaped like the teat of a cow, and is
foil r ari gu l i long. Two slits occur on the sides like those in theSpecu lum for piles.
It protects the finger of"
the su rgeon from being injured bythe teeth of the patient and so helps the surgeon in open ingthe mou th of the patient with ease.
‘
In modern times, finger -
g uards are used for the same
purposes.
P aulus E gineta, Vol . II. vi , xci . Syd . Soc. Ed.
fi'
fl'
ffl i m ainN ew as:
ism fiam gyias rim -
«mas u
Suéruta Sarhhi ta, I. xvi .
3
v m'
m’
sfi in W “ L
W dreamt m fimfigfi n
Amflsa H rdaya . I. m m
4as as film,an; m am inseam filfi u
‘
as w aif maya?m « fit i n Bar Refi t?! I
Vagbhatsrtha K aumudi , I. xxv .
vwfiéfifitW afi film fi f‘
n are
Sawafiga Sundari , I. xxv.
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F“
THE HINDUS .
The vaginal specu lum or Diopter is men tioned by Soranus,Paul 1 and other Greek su rgeons. Pau l descr ibes i ts method of
working as follows “The person using the specu lum shou ldmeasu re with a probe the depth of the woman
’
s vagina, lestthe stalk (fistu la) O f the specu lum being too long , i t shou ldhappen that the u terus Shou ld be pressed upon . If i t be
ascertained that the stalk is larger than the vagina, folded com
presses are to be laid on the alae pudendi , in order that the
Specu lum may be placed upon them . The stalk is to be
in troduced, hav ing a screw at the upper part, and the
specu lum is to be held by the Operator , bu t the screwis to be turned by the assistan t, so tha t the laminae of the stalkbeing separated, the vagina may be distended.
”
The accounts
given by Albu casis2 and H aly Abbas? are similar . Theseinstrumen ts are descr ibed to be bivalve, tr ivalve or quadr ivalve.
A quadr iva lve specu lum of the Greeks is iden tical with the
Jon i -vraneksana of the H indu s the on ly difi‘erence being thatthe former is acted by screw mechan ism , while the latter isworked on the pr inciple of the lever . Drawings of severalShor ts O f the Greek instruments are given in the su rgery O f
Albu casis and by Schu ltet.
4 There are three specimens of
vaginal , specu lum in the N aplesmuseum , drawings ofwhich are
g iven by M ilne. In modern times, we use Similar valvu larspecu lum for iden tical pu rposes.
1 Pau lus E gineta, Vol . II. vi . Ixxi i i'
. Syd.
9 Albucasis, Chirrug, II. 71 .
H aly Abbas, P raot. ix . 57.
4 Arsenal de ch‘
irru'
g . tab . 1 8.
THE q i YANTRA OR TUBULAR INSTRUMEN TS. 1 2 1
1 0. TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS FOR WO UNDS.
Vrana-vasti or W ound- syringe.
If the wound be caused by deranged air and be very tender ,
especially if it forms on the lower half of the body , the vasti
should be used. In diseases of the u r inary organs, such as,
obstruction of ur ine, fau lty conditions of u rine,impure semen ,
stone in the bladder and disorders of menstruation ,uttara -vasti
is necessary .
1
There are two instruments mentioned— one for applicationof oleag inous medicines to a sore and the other for washing a
sinus with medicated lotions. Each . consists of a tube and a
leather bag . The tube is smooth and rounded and is shapedl ike a cow ’
s tai l . 2 It is Six anguli long . The base is broadand admits a thumb, whi le the end is narrow and adm its a pea .
There is a ci rcu lar projection or r ing at a shor t distance fromthe end. The base is fitted tightly into a bag of thin leather f’
magi ?arm'
s; fi m éazfl z
3 mm ?! faith as staff-AM
zi am ?! visa? swasmfiafl
SuSr u ta Sainhi ti'
i . IV. i .
ins?! ami d firm’
iwm m a de aas? an? as? genie 711333m
i nfirm msfim m sfii'
m a mas was was afi , afieaamfa afa
fiaria'
r'
t air ima m "
?
Vagbhatar tha K aumudi,I. xxv .
arr}are? alum -
s immer firs
Unaware“
?sari s m i?! 1
:sum: a fflia as? fi fi fi fi rfi'fi u rt: 1
Astanga H rdaya Samhi ta, I. xxv
1 22 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H IN D US.
To prevent the tube slipping ou t of the bag , an additionalprecaution is taken by tying a knot of thread over the leathercovering the tube. For description of the bag , vide i igf m.
Sai'r'
igadhara1 however says that the tube should have the
thickness of the shaft of a vu lture’s feather and shou ld adm ita moong (Phaseelus M oong ) . It is eight angu l i long .
Palakapya describes the tube for washing woundsof elephan ts-2to be made of copper , and shaped li ke the karontaka flower . It
is sixteen ai’
igu li long .
In modern times, wound syr inges are similarly used to.wash
the sore with medicated lotions.
For description of the tubes for vrana-dhupana or aroundfumigation , r i fle iaf ra .
1 1 . TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS FOR ASCITES .
Dakodara yan tra or Canula .
Itmay be either metallic or manufactured from the cy lindricalhollow calamus of a peacock’s feather .
2 The tube is open at
both ends and is of the same calibre throughout. SuSruta
advises us to u se a pipe of tin , or lead or a feather to drain thefluid, after the abdomen has been tapped.
8
at axia fia'
(an sw sfi fm I
Si rhgadhara Sarirg'raha, III. v i .
first“affirmsw am anmin i I i s I
Astafiga H rdaya. Samhita, I. xxv .
3aam m fi fsm as“? an Refrain 31571337
Eafeéfi’
n71W Sem i n a l m fiflwfi mSuém ta Sarixhi ta, Iv . xiv
1 24 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS.
with ghee.
1 He advi ses us to u se the same tube for three cou secutive days, then another of larger calibre for three days more,and so on, till the canal be fully di lated. H e reserves ExternalU rethrotomy as a last resource.
2
It . TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS FOR RECTAL STR ICTURE.
Suéruta similarly descr ibes g radual dilatation of str icture of
the rectum, using a higher number of di liators after the lapseof three days u ntil the desired effect is attained.
3
1 (3 ) m m are? W u'
s? u
ard i an Elsa—cf? salami slam
Rfifia‘
assi st m m : H
‘ifi lfifi fiaa'
ci FEW W E I
W W Hat an a em i a
Suéru ta Samhi ia, Iv . xx .
(b ) W umfi flfifi fi'
fiefiq W W I
531mm samfzfi ii a wflfiafiman W iesi a a W "
as : W“WSW M l
« 11252?q u
Cak r adatta , K sudraroga Cik itsfi.
See also Y ogar atnakara, P . 368,where these verses are quoted.
8 See 1 (a) . ‘S'
Ik'ml z— fiafif wa r set an 15min : Rafism
’
as
lam-
(am m in W fl zm é mass .
Commen tary of Sr i K antha in Vyakhyt'
i K usumfival i
(An andasram Ser ies) , P . 406.
3alias—s 1172 than fim w fam
SIISruta San'
i hits'
i , IV. xx .
THE N KUT YANTRA O R TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS .
There is no -mention of solid bladder sounds in the Sansk r i t
medical books. B ut from the above descriptions, it seems beyondt that they had a set Of dilators for str ictu re of the ur ethra
and another set Of dilators for str icture Of the rectum . Thesedilators were tubes— either metallic or wooden— and had a regu lar
gradation in the increse of their diameters. Cakrapan i mentionsstricture di lators of gold .
1
In‘
modern times we have also two sets of these instruments
—~ urethral and rectal dilators, numbered in an ascending series
according to the increased diameters of these i nstruments.
0
1 5 . TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS FOR INJECTIONS INTO THE REOTUM .
Vasti yantra or Rectal Clyster .
Injections into the rectum are to be thrown by means of a
tubewi th a membranous bag tied to its end. The tube is advised tobe made either o f gold, or si lver , or lead, or copper , or brass
,
or bell-metalfrHivory, or horns, or glass, or precious Stones, or
wood or bamboo . It'shou ld be clean , smooth, strong , and taper
ing likegcow’s tail, and Shou ld term inate in a smooth rou nded
bu lb . The tube var ies in length and circumference accordingto the age of the patient as follows
I. Car ak a ?
end admi ts.
A moong
A smal l plum seed
1 See foot note I (b) , P age2 W W S
“ NEWafifilwfififmfifi
swi ft Hai fa HafiianFvi n
1 26 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H IN DUS .
II. Su Sr u ta .
1
year - 6 ang u l i 1 5 an gu l i Li ttle fin ger
8 2 4th
1 6 3 1 3rd
1 2 3 P u lp of thumb
Sam e as that of the l 6th year .
“g ram s w mfa firsfaiafiimmfim
M y Ri iraarfsfm rfwawi fizfsmfa si ft: u
m i ni s m trauma: w: qfimsafia
Haif aW emfi fi zamfi a Ejfififi fi'
lfl'
fi'
lfi n
Runmaf ia—m 3 3511 115?Ra fi ? afia fiafl fi
M am as at FIR TH—5TElli
-
{t i er anti: u
semi arid?Fermi : mum : Hm} : H’
s—s:
Car ak a Sarnhita VIII. i i i .
Also qu oted in Cak r adatta , Anuvasanadhi kTara.
1Ha Hiaqef
‘
rm fime asi tui W EW EE 11311e a fi isamfiim m
is qfiwfi m msfi mé east-
si s Hfsfiwz a fiimfa HERE? affine md
ssa fi mfi m ar-ma sh i re flaw -
fl int as w as W NW
w sfiwfia 1IW Hfiifiii W rit fiaaif fsfi fa'
fim:
wafa afi l
fi fi s fimfl am i‘
rs fs u
si im (sitar afi fifii u
sati sfies} mamas are“
! si ster qficmsrfii a fafsafifi qfimsfl iz 5731 6!
efaE-Ie arfiia'
a saaméfiw HERah iszm'
far? im amm a'
mass 1
Harriers? afs ifi aafiHa ida-ire 1 sum as: m m‘
a fitFeaIm Team
si r-71155
? 3a m fiaéazw Ham-“
g Ferm i-
etau
as Ha irs a wkm méfii fit m -
swfinam mfif Hi nts sa fe
ma m as afa r{renf‘
m m amm arfii ass i g n: m us-“
wit
whetssarrsrfirm mr l
1 28 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS .
Cakradatta ‘ , Sarngadhara andBhava M isra 2 follow Caraka as
regardsmeasurement . K haranada 3 also g ives a similar description .
1 See foot n ote 2, P age 1 25 .
afii fifim w fiufifiai fish ? n
m ain 61333awardw as
mfiw'
W E? si tarf‘
a efawqu
«fig-s ass a?! egg“
m m 6 31 1
w rist Rafi-
ar m'
Tw at-mmu
fi fsmwfim i a q m as u
i r-‘
Hfi a fii a 3 a m m usa-vim
513 133 Ha afizfiaas safamaa: u
W W W ?vi i-
em i ts an was
313mm fl iers;mi ni? a s1 im: 11
mm : Hm : firmi i R fifsa : 1
w as,He
“
emsw ash
331m m 3
Sér irgadhara San'
rgraha, III. v .
B hava P rakééa , I. i i .
H i seaqfi'm‘
as‘
item Texa n
la"
msj fa mi nimas: W m ass
mai nstream“
Em m a:
TUE NKQI YAN ’
I‘
RA OR TUB ULAR INSTRUMENTS . 1 29
Heri ta ‘advises u s to use a bamboo tube four angu li long,
which is to be introduced into the rectum up to two angu li .As a general ru le, Caraka writes that the broad and the
narr ow ends of the tube are to be equal to the pafi'
ent’s thumb
and li ttle finger respectively, in circumference. The orifice at theend of the tube is to be kept closed by
'
a wick, so that no
foreign body may enter the lumen of the tube to occlude it .The plug may be easily removed when the tube is-
reqmred
for use, and then replaced.
Towards the narrow end of the tube is a projection or ringat a distance of abou t two a i
'
igu li from the extremity . The
height of the projection varies with the size of the tube at thebase. It acts as a. bar to the further introdu ction of the
tube inside the rectum than requ ired. Towards the base are
two simi lar projections, two angu l i apart from each other . Tothe one near the base is firm ly tied the leather bag , so that
the tube may not slip away suddenly during forciblecompression of the bag . The other is meant to afford a firm graspby the surgeon , so that the tube may not move dur ing itsintroduction into the rectum . These projecti ons are to be made
of thread or a piece of cloth and are to be so shaped as to
resemble the end of the proboscis of an elephant .
As regards the leather bags, they are recommended to be
ari ng v intageFags-
emn
K haranéda quoted in Sarvai i ga Sundar i , I. xix.
‘
W mi mw’fmfi nmau m amafmfiméxQifl l
'
fl lr
w e? m m'
mi?HER-331 Hafiz
Est i rai Su i ihi té, v. i i i .
1 30 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE H IND US .
made of the i bladder of cows,'
or buffaloes, or hogs, or goats, or
lambs. The bladder is to be well cleaned first w ith lime and
water,so that no unpleasant smell may be em itted by the
decomposition of i ts muscu lar tissue, then dyed red. withMafi jistha(Rubia Cordifol iatum) or with H ar i tak i (Term inaliaChebu la, Retz.) and thoroughly dried. The bags are
'
recom
mended. to be soft, durable, enti re and capaciou s. If the bladdersof these an imals are not avai lable, the bags are to be manufacturedfrom a frog’s sk in , or the per itoneum (one- fou rth part wou ld suffice)of any beast, or a piece of leather or a piece Of very thick cloth .
The size of the. bag .
varies according to the age Of the patient.
It is to be firmly tied over the first projection at the base of the
tube.
In the Siddhisthana Chapter XI of the Caraka Samhita, 1
there is a. passage show ing that vetern iary medi cine. was. wellknown to the ancient H indu s at a very early peri od. . This portionwas edi ted by. D rdhavala and it is impossible to decide whetherthe passage refers to Ag n iveéatantra or not . It run s as follows“Then the disciples asked ‘H ow are clysters to be made in casesof an imals such as elephan ts, cam els
,cows
, horses, lambs and
goats?’ To this, the sage Atreya expla ined the clysters for
1 mari a Haafirmfi qfitters-
eerie 3a : Haitian :
fi lfiffi muah éiai m am u
Hamm i a’
mafia? w as m n
ufi rfi sww fis REIT assists?a sa id? 323
mm rsfiféfim armfi sfifiqfli w m i
fees a re smear-
ea use"
sfssaamefim : u
Carak a Samhi ta, VIII
1 32 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS .
length of the tube varies, the most conven ient being sixteenari gu li for men and sixty
-eight anguli for elephants. The pro
jections at the base of the tube shou ld be twelve angu li high.
H e describes in detail the method of introduction , position of the
elephant, etc.
D rdhavala advises us to reject the following eight kinds of
tubes and eight k inds of bags 1
I . Tubes1 . H rasva or too short For the injection does not reach the
proper place.
2. D i rgha or too long : For the injection passes beyond theproper place.
3 . Tanu or too thin : The in jection can not pass throughthe tube easi ly and so the bag may burst .
4 . Sthfila or too thick : The tube pu lls the mu cous membrane o f the rectum and anu s backwards and for
wards du ring its entrance and exi t .
5 . Ji rna or old, weak and delicate : The tube may breakinside the rectum du r ing its introduction and so cau seinju ry to the gut or anu s.
1as f rai l W 331
“
ahififafwmm ffi z
‘
am w e“? fiatfin m an u
W W W : 1
Carak a San'
i hi ta VI”. v .
THE NKQI YANTRA on TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS. 1 83
Sithi labandhana : The tubes do.
not fit the bags well, soduring compression of the bags, the in jected fluid runsout by the side of the tube.
Parévacchidra or leaky H aving slit on the side, the tubemay injure the soft parts by rubbing against them .
Bakra or curved : The motion of the injected flu id wouldbe curvilinear . It wi ll strik e a side of the rectum and
so wou ld not“
go insi de the gut .
Bags1 . M amsala or fleshy : The bag em its bad smell .2; Chidra or leaky The in jection escapes outside.
3. Visama or uneven : Parts are unequally compressed andso the injection does not issue in a forcible jet.
Sthfila or thi ck : It is dfficu lt to grasp the bag and so
i t can not be forcr ibly compressed.
5 . Jalaka or havi ng a network The injection comes out .
6 Vi tala or hollow,a iry and incompressible If ai r can not
be expelled out, froth forms in the injection ; and so
air is pumped into the rectum .
7 . Chinna or torn : The injection flows down .
8. K linna The in jection can not be forced out.
Suéruta me even defects of tubes and five defects of
1new Effi e fi lm ! afififxm
'
.W firfw f‘
aa€r
Suér u ta Samhi ta, IV. xxxé.
wags anti-
i i a 33 3 1333 am u
1 34 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
I . T irbes
1 . Atisthfila : Too thick . Su ch tubes inju re the rec
2 . K arkaéa : R ough. tum and so cause pain .
3 . Avanata Curved.
4 . Too thi n . It becomes use
5 . B hinna Broken . less to inject6. Sann ikr t a K arnika : Projection near ? ‘flui ds into the
7 . Viprakrsta K arnika : Projecti on Injure the rec
distan t tum which bleeds.8. Sfiksma : Small orifice
}It becomes diffi cu lt to inject
9 Atihrasva Too Short . as the fluid comes out .
1 0. Atichidra Large orifice.
1Too mu ch flu id passes intothe rectum and s o pain is
1 1 . Atidi rgha : Too long . complained of .
II . B ags
1 . Vahalata Fleshy . It is difficul t to tie the bags2. P rasti rnata : Large. over the tubes properly .
3 . S acchidrata : P erforated. N o flu id can be forcedi nto the r ectum and so
4. D u rvviddhata : Difficu lt to the instrument is use
t ie. less.
5 . Alpatfi : Smal l . Small quantity of fluid passes into the
w as flifii
fi in?fifi sufi W’
s"
:
w a fi fi flfi fifi i fi s fiffi a
W e a i fi amw
m ar-sums! mfizr am-
113mmam: u
go‘s? w 'fifi a ffi azSE W !
Sufiruta Samhiti . IV. xxxvi .
1 36 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE H INDUS .
it has two projections whi le Vagbhata1 describes three. The
bag is to be made of goat’s bladder . A probe is first passedinto the u rethra to exam ine its condi tion and then the tube isintroduced up to the length of six angu li . The bla dder whichcontains the injection and which i s tied tightly round the tube,is then compressed to force the flu id in to the u rethra . The
tube of course, varies in size according to the dimensions of theorgans of generati on .
For the female, the pu span etra is described to have the
length of ten angu li . The projection is at a distanceof fouranguli from the base. The ci rcumferen ce of the tube variesaccording to the width of the urethral canal . The calibre of thetuhe allows a moong to pass through it .
2
airframe fi re mi fi gsi fifigmq 1
it s“
“
an Reefer-efess stems-emn as u
Caraka Sarhhitii , VIII. ix.
1 mans-
stifl e ai a‘
stemse'
f I
asW as await: as s fir'
s’
u
fia'
emse'
t assesses-
set u
W am fim w l
Astanga'
H rdaya Samhitz'
i , I. x ix .
1 was new users?ems-em
sis-
eta: seamsW a s te s It
misfita srfimfies est-
seq
erst-f
f W a ste m I§ fl § jfifl uCaraka Sarhhité, VIII, ix
TH E NKDI YANTRA OR TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS. 1 87
Catheters.
It is cur ious to find no description of so important an
instrument as the catheter . In jection s were thrown into the
urethra but the tube used was always a straight one, havingthe length of six angu li ; so it cou ld not possibly have reachedthe bladder in the male
,and nowhere has the claim been pu t
forward for it to have done so. The tube might have served
well for the females. The female catheter of the Greeks, as
preserved in the N aples museum ,is 0 98 mm . long and is
straight throughout (M i lne) .
In the Atharvaveda Samhita, 1 however, we find a hymn,
unmistakably al luding to the use of catheter i n ancient times.
Against oéstm ctz'
on of m i ne wi tfi a rod.
This hymn is intended to be‘used in a r ite for regu lating
the flow of u rine’. The reed implies some pr imitive form of a.
fistual u rinar ia,the vastiyantra (one of the nadi yantran i ) of
the late physician s— who however do not appear to have made
frequent uses of it
6 . W hat in thine entrai ls, thy (two) g roins, what i n thy
bladder has flowed together— so be thy u rine released, ou t of
thee wi th a splash ! all of it . (In the groin are two vessels
located in the two sides affording access to the receptacle of
urine) .
7 . I split up thy u r inator , l ike the weir of a tank— so be
thy u r ine released, ou t of thee, w ith a Splash all of it .
8. U nfastened (be) thy bladder or ific, like that of a water
1 B ook 1 . 3. Whi tn ey’s tr anslations and annotations.
1 8
1 88 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
holding sea—so be thy u rine released, ou t of thee, with a splash !al l of it.
9. As the arrow flew forth, let loose from the bow,—so be
thy urine released, out of thee, with a splash ! all of it”.
2. Tubular Instruments for the Vag ina .
Similarly injections were thrown into the vag ina. The
vaginal tube should be thicker than the urethral tube and i n
circumference shou ld be equa l to that of the little finger . It
shou ld be introduced into the vagina l canal up to a distance of
four angul i , whereas into the u rethra, the tube was allowed toenter up to a distance of two angu li on ly in the adults and ofone anguli only in the girls.
1
3 . The U ter ine Tubes.
The uttara-vasti comprises the u rethral syringe— male and
female— and the vag inal and u ter ine clysters. N o distinctuteri ne tube is described in the text books. B ut Suéruta ’ says
1stemssei aswe?s sea
w as“
thesemesses-
see u
assassin s as as W e i
was tes-
Rsm an u
sarngadhara Samhita,B hava P rakaéa, I. n .
sgafi teaesteemfifies ta:
sisters s en?! ems seefi fsfi
fesfiifi e ea? emei’rfefifi
'
aft 1
smas h finerm a res
140 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS on THE H INDUS.
The Greeks were no better, for M ilne also complainsIt is difficu lt to separate ancient descriptions of in jections intothe vag ina from those into the uterus, for the terms for the
two parts are frequently interchangeable.
”Again he says
“It is probable that at other times u nder the heading of ‘ injec
tions of the bladder’ , only irr igation of the urethra is meant”
.
1
1 8. TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS FOR INH ALATIONS AND FUMIGATIONS.
The tubes for smoking were made, like the vasti tubes, of
various metals, or glass or wood. Caraka 2 descr ibes it as astraight tube having three pou ches. The end of the tube is equalin diameter to that of a plum seed . Samgadh m s adds that2. reed
or bamboo pipewill also serve the purpose. It is descr ibed as a
straight tube, the broad base of which admits the patient’s thumbwhile the n arr ow end
,a plum seed. SuSruta 4 descr ibes the base
1 Gr aeco-Roman Su rgi cal Instr um en ts, P . 1 07-8.
1sgfé
'
ufisei fis'
issefifii faifefi l
mane-
sisasWhi ts tems n
sqfifi mfefiW auuim u
ateas sees W’
was i uCaraka Sarhhi ti
,I. v .
3 ram?!warns few s fears
—m u 1 °
sfiifim fi rmer (im merse! I
w uaefisi m fi‘fifimfissfi: u U.
sa f i afini eesfiiufsée‘
i spa
w mswg t 313 1 .q II R
Samgadhara. Samhi ta, III. ix.
THE NKDI YANTRA OR TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS. 1 41
and end of the tube to be equal in ci rcumference to that of the
thumb and little finger respectively . The orifice shou ld allow a
common pea to pass easily through the tube. Vagbhata1
says
that there are three pouches or dilatations of the tube, shaped likethe half- open buds at equal distances from each other . The tubeis supposed to consist of fou r equal part s. Thefirst pouch islocated at the end of the first part, the second and third pouchesat the ends of the second and third parts respectively .
Cakradatta 11 also describes it sim ilar ly .
Drdhabala 11 mentions another method of inhalation . H e
makes a paste of the medicines prescribed and smears it on a
piece of silk cloth . This is then to be rolled round like a wick .
This wick is to be dipped in ghee before use, and fire lit at one
end, while the patient is to smoke it through the other end.
It? sift: si mm er W“
wean sins-
am aze smegma? mumm ies
m 15113 i f?“Sufiruta Samhiti , IV. x1.
1afu as we esi testssu ites: I
zfim ees fi g a'
i finsmf‘
t qe s l
W aterm an : M ummies“ en
Asti figa H rdaya Sarnhitfi, I. x i .
1 W a fersW umfinamsfsfiam w
'
{was w e I
med i ates: (fi es mint-
si tes 1
as anus? finish : asems-“
e: uCakradatta , Dhfimapi n i dhikfira .
Hys ftei figsms’
et W zfinemu
su n effi fifi sj M efimfl l
serene?! s at m m a
Caraka Samhi ti,VI. xxu .
1 42 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
Both Caraka 1 and Sax-ri gadhar'
a2
advise us to'
maketubes of medicines
,the fumes of which . are advi l ed to be
smoked in the following manner — Powder the medicamenteand make a paste ; measure on e karsa take a smoothreed (Saccharum sara, Rox .) twelve angul i long . Apply thepaste round the reed, for a length of eight angu li . D ry it in
shade. Remove the reed, leaving a dr ied tube of the paste .
W hen requ ired for smok ing , light one end of the tube wi th a
burning wick and smoke through the other end.
Caraka” describes another inhaler, which consists of two
earthen basins (soraba) placed upon each other, their edgesbeingpastedwith flour . The upper one is perforated at the centre forthe reception of one end of the tube, the patient puts the other
1 fan firea r ms atat? w as
sis-sum swies rssse
'
r fuss n
m i remit at fife“
sfi mfiiat 7K :
M arines?fifiqmmfirsi‘i sens u enCaraka Samhitfi, I. v .
1«arm state m
'
stems-me I
emf sfififi i firmmmW smi le I
efismfi tmwGermsfiiw ll
ssfieffirai sen se ni reel was
eefie flees; seifis users 11
mfm ifl'
as: thensai ls Eras srfizl
Sarhgadhm shagrhha , III. ix.
8 wafers seinesa
'
Russia"?
m agi ffiasgs’ersmmg mm n
Car ak a Samhita, VI. xxi .
144 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HIND US .
3 . Recana, Sodhana, ti k sna
4 . K asaghna
5 . Vamana
So the length of the tube wou ld vary thus
Caraka .
1
In str ong smokingmedium
m i ld
SuSruta . 2
In medium smokingoleaginous
anti- cough or emeticVagbhata .
9
In strong smokingm ediumm i ld
Sarngadhara .
4
In m edium smok ingm i ld
stronganti- coughemetic orwound- fum igation
FUM IGATION .
Sim i larly wounds are said to be purified by medicinal fumigation . In the pu r ification of wounds by fum i gation ,we get a g limpse of the antiseptic method of treatment inits
1 See foot-note 2. P . 1 40 .1’ See foot-note 1 . P . 1 41 .
1 See foot-note 4. P . 140 . See foot-note 3. P . 140 .
THE NKUT YANTRA on TUBULAR INSTRLMENTS. 145
emb royonic form . Suéruta 1 recommeds the tube to be eightangu li long and to have the circumference of a common pea; andits ori fic should be of the size of a ku lattha (Dolichos biflorus,
The fumes of medicated substances from the inside ofany closed pot con taining fire, pass out through the tube and
are allowed to play on any sore to pu rify it. For this pu rposetwo earthen pots— soraba sampu t-a— may conven iently be used as
before. Sarngadhara2 Uses a tube ten angu li lon g and recom
mends u s to u se N imba leaves (Azadirachta Indica) for woundfumigation . As another instance of the application of the principlesbf antiseptic methods to pra ctical therapeutics, we mav
mention the u se of m edicin al in jections into the cavity of the
uteru s to rectify its morbid conditions.
3
A sim i lar instrument was u sed to fumigate the uterus and
vagina in various diseases of these parts.
“Fumigation” ,says SuSruta,
‘1 “is to be applied to the vag ina by bu rn ing the1aufiauetssN i neti es
-311mm m fiefirfi fd
Snéruta Samb iti , IV. x1 .
is efisassfifiivj ws’swfia iR
Ib id. IV. i .
W W W W IRQ
=l= i t i t
m am m u s
the as fisw mfifie may4?
K "
#
Si rfigadhai'a Samgraha , III. ix.
3 See foot note 2, P . 1 31 8.
Suéruta Sarnh it i , III. x.
1 46 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
slough of a snake (Bungarus ) or pinditaka wood, in cases of
obstructed deliverv of the fsetus. Caraka 1 mentions fum igationof the vag ina by burn ing Bhu rjapatra (Betula Bhojpatra
g lass, precious stones and the Slough of a snake as one of the
means for removing the placen ta . To remove the after painsand diffi cu lty in mictur ition and defaecation , Susi -uta 2
advises us to fum igate the vag ina . H e recommends fumigationof the u terus with pu rifyi ng medicines. In fumigating these parts,the H indu surgeons desir ed a. local action , and did not share in
the belief, held by some of the Greek gynaecolog ists3 that “the
u terus was an an imal wi thin the body which cou ld wander abou t,bein g attracted by pleasant smell s and repelled by disagreeable smells” .
4 The Arabs also did not believe uterus to b e an
an imal . This method of treatment was well known to the
G reeks for H ippocrates" wr ites that “fumigati on with
aromatics promotes menstruation and wou ld be u seful in many
other cases, if it did not occasion heaviness of the head”
. H e
“directs us to take a vessel whi ch holds about four gallons and
fit a lid to it so that no vapou r can escape from it . Pierce a
hole in the lid, and into this aperture force a reed about a cubitin length so that the vapour connot escape along the outside of
1
settlements! sc’
ififi srsn afarstreet
Caraka Samhi ta, IV. vi i i .
1sgsmseifi es S imstifireffs ssi m ffi i ffirms
’
W e l
Suéru ta San'
i hi ta, III. A .
11 Ar etaeus. Morb . Acut . n . 1 1 .
P lato’
s Timeas.
1 Gm co-Roman Surgical In strumen ts. P . 1 58.
Adan’
s Commen tary on P au lus ZEg ineta, Vol . I. B k . n . P . 636-37 .
5 See also in the H ippocrat ic treat ises, as N at . Mn]. v u, 9 ; l Morb . Mu].
pvi i . 1 ; II Morb . Mal . x1 . 20, 21 ; Steri l . v i . 3 Superfaet. i x . 3, t . 9, II.
1 418 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS .
ten days, morn ing and even ing , after the Operation has beenperf ormed.
1 5 . TUBULAR IN STR UMEN T FOR CUP P IN G .
Generally cow’
s horn is recommended for the pu rpose. It is
eighteen angul i long , its base, forming themou th of the instrument,
is three angu li wide (Vagbha ta) . 1 It is con ical in shape and the
cone is said to be either cu rved or straight . The other end is
pointed and perforated to the extent of allowing a mustard seed
to pass through it . The narrow end,however , is made to assume
the Shape O f a woman’s n ipple by w inding thread rou nd it .
This facilitates the Operation of suction by the mouth of a
surgeon when the broad end is placed against any diseased area
of the patient’s body . Susru ta 2 mentions i ts u se in bloodextraction . For extracting bood
, the part mu st be scar ified
before its application and to faci litate the Operation,the part
should be fomented (Y ogaratnakara) .3 After suction , the horn
is to be covered by a piece of cloth or a small bladder of an imals.
Valluki 4 descr ibes the srr'
i ga thu s It is the horn of a
white cow,half-moon shaped and seven angu li broad. The or ifice
1 meg-
finer use? sogi i sma isa
‘
n
si fsméwffi z'
sflfi ssfi lsfit u
Astanga H rdaya Samhita , 1 . xxv .
2 muff Hum an ism}? szs?
=f fi fmawafisfia i qSnsruta, Sari i h i tz
—l,I. xi i i .
3ei
‘
z'ma rques me nuse rm
”arse: si s
Y ogaratnak ara Arbudn cik i tsz'
i .
4 firms : i mfifig fi'
esteem I
farm :mafi a:
519 1 W ast ffi I
we? W 0? swam em
Vallfik i quoted in N iband ha San'i g raha , I. xi i i .
THE Mi ni YANTRA O R TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS. 149
at the base is equal in circumference to that of the base of the
thumb, whi le the end which is perforated admi ts a moong . Thisor ifice at the end is closed by a w ick of cotton” . Cakra
par’
i idatta says that the horn shou ld be three angu li long , and its
orifice shou ld be Of the size of the sta lk of an O leander flower .
Sus’
ruta mentions a pecu liar u se O f the horn ‘: the
extraction of an in sect, cerumen , etc . from themiddle ear by means
Of a horn or a probe. The horn was ev idently u sed as an
apparatus for suction , and Susruta descr ibes suction as one of
the methods of extracting salya from the body“. Caraka 3 u ses
horn s and leeches to extract venom from a snake-bite and
Suéru ta also refers to it . Besides the horns and cupping g lasses,suction u sed to be accomplished by the surgeon’s mouth .
Sim i larly P au l Jr says that foreign bodies may be sucked out
from the ears wi th a reed.
O n the method of suction as a mode of treatment,Eriehsen 5
says In former days, when duels with the small swordswere of frequent occu rrence, persons called suckers who were
often the drummers O f a reg imen t, were employed to attend the
wounded combatants. This treatmen t which was condu cted witha cer tain deg ree of mystery , consisted in sucking the wound ti llall blood ceased be flow ,
and then apply ing a pellet of chewed
1smite? arise? afié derm is an
usmmsifi flww fi W WW”
Suér u ta Samli i ta, VI. xxi .2 See foot-note 3. P . 1 08.
as i nflawfi u
FREE swash : first : enact as“
? r isen
Caraka Samhi ta, VI. xxv .
4 P au l . VI. xxi v. and III. xxi i i .5 Er ichsen
’
s Surgery , Vol . 1 . p. 841 .
1 50 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS.
paper or a piece of wet linen to the orifice ; in this way it wou ldappear that many Sword thursts traversing the limbs were healedin a few days. The process of su ction cleared the woundthoroughly of all blood, and drawing the sides into close apposition
,
placed the parts in the most favou rable condition possible for un ionby pr imary adhesion . This practice m ight, perhaps, in many
cases advan tageously imitated in the present day by means of a
cupping glass and syr inge” .
W e also find Suéruta 1 descr ibing a vasti yantr a in the treatmen t Of snake-bite. The tube is Open at both ends, one end
applied to the part ‘bitten by the snake, whi le to the otlier end
the Si n-
geon pu ts his mouth to suck ou t the poison . So this
vasti yantra may be compared to the modern aspiration syri nge.
Cupping in strumunts of metal or horn are still u sed by theArabs in Kordofan and Si r R . Pasha 2 suggests that cupping is
possibly borrowed by the west from the “most perf ect physieiau s” the Arab . B ut now we are confident that the credit isdue to the H indus.
ALAB U YAN TRA .
A li bu or gou rd is described to be made of the bark of the suc
cu lent fr u it called alabu (Lagenarea Vu lgaris) . The pu lp is scrapedaway and thebark is allowedto dry . Su ch a bark shou ld be selectedwhich is twelve and eighteen angu li in length and circumferencerespectively . Its mouth shou ld be circu lar and shou ld have adiameter Of three or foru '
anguli . A fire is to be lit inside it by
bu rn ing a strip of dry cloth tO '
produce a vacuum, and the
1stuff: as afi féamgsvi was
Suéruta Samh ita, V. v .
Vide Thi rd Repo’
rt, W ellcome research laboratory at Gordon . P . 3 1 6.
1 52 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O R THE H INDUS .
which is still used commonly i n India by all classes of peoplefor drinking pu rposes. A fire shou ld be lit inside as before and
the ghati applied to the su rface of the body covered by a
piece of cloth. It soon becomes firmlv fixed and is thu s u sed
to raise abdom inal tumours by means of it for pu rposes of correctdiagonosis and also to effect its cu re bv subsidence. It is stillused by the common people for the same ends.
Caraka 1 savs After the abdom inal tumou r has beenrelaxed or softened a little by fomentation and oleaginousapplication , it is to be covered by a piece of cloth .
.
Theninside a small ghati , a fire is to be lit by bu rn ing kus
‘
a and otherforms of grasses ; the pot is then to be in verted and pressedover the part covered by the cloth . By
'
this way, the tumourwould be drawn upwards be made prominent . The ghati
is then to b e taken away and . after remo ving the cloth, andexamin ing the exten t of the tumou r
,it is to be incised . The
different shapes of the incisions are called v im’
arga , ajapada and
adarSa . After in cision , the tumou r is to be pressed and rubbedwith fingers. B u t the intestines and the heart must not be
tou ched .
”
The extraction of blood bV means of cups, has been practisedfrom remote antiqu ity . It is interesting to note that both the
Latin and Greek terms— czu'm'bi hda and c u m sign ify a gou rd ;
1 ffiwfiaw fifl fl 1m 3m u
affi rm waster seam en $31a
firm ed: m ww‘
m d fails"
sen-7 17i as: seenfumwwm mfimn
Carak a Samhi ta, VI. v ,
THE NZ QI YANTRA OR TUBULAR INSTRUMENTS. 1 53
and we know that Alabu also means a gourd. It is curious thatthe instrument shou ld have been kn own to the ancient H indusand Greeks by the same name.
Prosper Alpinus1 (1 6th century) who wrote a book on the
state of medicine in Egypt in his time, gives drawings of cuppinghorns he saw there. The horns were those of young bulls, highlypolished, w ith a small hole at the top, by which the air was
extracted by suction . To close the orifice a small tab . of parchment was taken into the mou th and affixed by the tongue. The
Egyptians also used cupping g lasses, by suction and not by
fire, a method evidently unkn own to them .
H ero of A lexandr ia (B . 0 . 285— 222) descr ibes an interestingform of cup. M ilne summar ises his account thus : 2— “The figure
shows a cup of ordinary flattened form, divided into two by a
diaphragm . Two tubes pass through the fundus, one passingthr ough the diaphragm, the other not. Each of the tube is fittedwith another whi ch is open at its inner end but closed at its outerend and provided with a small cross bar to rotate it. Each of thesesets of tubes is perforated by small Openings. In the case of theshort tubes, these are outside the cup, in the case of the long tubethey are inside the cup, in the chamber shut off by the diaphragm .
By rotating the piston these open ings can be placed in apposition or not at will, thus form ing valves. O pen valve A byplacing the hole in apposition . Close valve B by tu rning theholes away from each other . The inner chamber of the cup isnow shut off except for the small hole A . Apply the mouthto the valve A,
and suck the ai r out of the chamber . Closevalve A . Apply the cup to the afiected part. The advantage
D e Med. Aegypti orum . Ed. 1 541 l i b . 1 1 . ch . xi i . p. 1 89.
Greece-Roman Su rg ical Instruments. P . 104.
20
1 54 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS .
of this arrangement is that the affected part is not directlysucked upon by the mouth ; and the instrument is thereforemore pleasant for the operator to use
Celsu s 1 thu s describes the differen t k inds of cups Thereare two ki nds of cups, bronze and b orn . The bron ze is openat one end and closed at the other ; the horn , open at one end, as
in the previou s case, has at the other end, a small foramen . Into
the bronze k ind, burning lint is placed, and then the mou th isfitted on and pressed until it sticks. The horn is placed emptyon the body, and then by that part where the small foramen is,the ai r is exhau sted by the mou th, and the cavity is closed off
above with wax and it adheres in the same way as before.
Either may advantageou sly be constru cted, not on ly of these
var ieties of materials but of another substance. If other thingsare not to be had, a smal l cu p or a nar row mou thed jar w illanswer the purpose. W hen i t has fastened on , if the sk inhas previously been cut w ith a scalpel , i t extracts blood but
if it be entire, air” .
Paul 2 remarks that “those whi ch are made with lon g erneck s and broader bellies are possessed of a strong power of
attraction .
” Both O ribasiu s3 and Aretaeu s“ allude to them .
Antyllus says that there are three materials of which cups are
made— glass, horns, and bron ze. A good number of su chcups occu r in the N aples, Br itish and Scottish N ationalMuseums.
Celsus. 1 1 . xi .
2 P au lu s ZEgin eta. VI. xi i .
3 Med . Coll . VII. xvi .
De M orh. Acu t . I. 1 0 .
1 56 THE SURGICAL IN STR UMENTS or THE H INDUS .
after incision , of extracting any foreign body from it . O thers
assign to them the fu nction of br ing ing together the lips of thewound caused by an abscess being opened and emptied.
Two Salaka have their ends shaped li ke the hood of a snake.
They are u sefu l for transferr ing any material from one part toanother . Some of the simple probes u sed by the ancient Greekand R oman su rgeons carri ed a sing le or double snake of
E sculapius at one end. B ut evidently it was meant as an ornamentation and served no usefu l pu rpose.
Two Salaka have their ends shaped like a fish-hOok but are
blunt . They are u sed for extracting any extraneous materialfrom the muscles or bones” .
The last six k inds of SuSru ta are practically the same as the
six Sanku of Vagbhata,1 which are the following
The Sanku are six in number . Amongst these, two are twelve
and sixteen angul i long respectively . They are u sed for the
pu rpose of raising a foreign body upwards from the wound.
Two var ieties have thei r ends shaped like the hood of a
snake. They are ten and twelve anguli long and they are used
for the pu rpose of moving a foreign body in the wound in all
directions.
Two var ieties have the shape of a fish- hook— the ends resem
bling the stem of an arrow . These are used for the extractionof foreign bodies from the wou nd .
1 m : wgfi fistM ums-
e? I
wsfi fs m ust?a area a r ea 11
we? m mHI! 611315 afisfmafiizuse
Astang a H rday a Samhi ta. I. xxv.
SALAKA O R RODS .1 57
SuSruta 1 mentions another pai r of salaka which have their
ends shaped like a masura pu lse, and slightly cu rved these are
used for the purpose of extracting a foreign bodv from the
external ou tlets of the body su ch.
as m ou th, nose, etc. Theyare eight and n in e angu li long respectively .
SW AB PR OBES .
Six Salaka are used for the purpose of wiping out the principal exeretorycanals of the body viz. ,
rectum,nose and ears.
2
Their .ends are covered wi th cotton like a head-dress pagdi
The two Salaka in tended for the rectum ,have the lengths of
ten and twelve anguli respectively for Short and long distances.
So the two vari eties of probes for the ears are eight and n ine
angu li long , while the other two k inds of probes for the noseare six and seven anguli long respectively . Some commen
tators are of opin ion that these six Salaka are meant for clearingabscesses.
For sim i lar pu rposes the G reek and Roman su rgeons u sed thespathomele or spatu la probe. P r iscianu s3 writes : “First of all
we mu st frequ en tly wipe away the clots of blood from the nose
1 See foot note 2,P . 1 55 .
W e? 3 sum Hew s-
{Fi nn
Astanga H rdaya San'
i hi ta. I. xxv .
2 minis Fqfi a'
fisfisn: 916mm:
rue-
imam gm: s w m rsfi i
Eas news? xii i s IR CH
Ib i d.
5 P r iscianus. xiv .
p.
1 08 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
with the end of a spathomele wrapped on the ‘berry’with soft
W ool, and then occlude it by plugging with wool in the same
way .
”
The use of probes, havi ng the ends wrapped wi th wool, forwiping ou t discharge of pu s from the ears of horse
,is men
tioned by Jayadatta Suril in his Treatment of H orses.
SP O ON - SH AP ED‘ PROBES.
Three probes are described to have their ends shaped like a
khala or mortar with a con ical cavity, and so they resemb le a
spoon . They are to be u sed for the purpose of applying cau sticsolu tions, etc.
2
Sim ilarly cyathiscomele, which is a variety of spathomele in
which the spatu la is replaced by a spoon , is said to have beenu sed by the Greek surgeon s to m ix, measu re and applymedicaments. The specimen s of these instruments occu r in the
N aples M u seum . Sometimes the edge of the spoon is sharp and
is recommended to be used as a curette. Scrivoniu s Largus
directs u s to use the spoon of an ear specillum for the applicationof caustics to hwmorrhoids.
1 men affirmsSw am i
firvjmscreen a sam e} W ISH: u
as m in?asai tifiie i teams:
tnfiraszem W m u
Aévavaidyaka, 34,v . 2 . and 3.
2 See footonote 2, P . 1 55.
1 60 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
by the surgeon . These six varieties are recommended for thepu rpose of applying cau stic medi caments and the actual cautery .
Pau l l mentions a gamma- shaped cautery in the radi calcure Of hern ia . This cautery is shaped like the Greek letter I‘ ;SO it resembles the ankuSa cautery Of the H indus. The ankuss
is sim ilar in appearance to the Greek letter .
O ne vari ety, which is used for the purpose Of removing a
tum our from the interior Of the nasal cavity, has its end shaped
like a khala or mortar, with sharp edges, and Of the size of half
the stone Of the fru it Of the jujube tree (Z iziphus jujubaV.
Vag bhata8 mentions a simi lar probe for the purpose Of applyingactual cau tery to a nasal tumou r . Its end resembles in shapeand size
, a half of the stone of the fru it of the jujube tree.
This spoon -shapedprobe of the H indus is comparable to the
curette like sharp cyathiscomele Of the Greeks, noted before.
CO LLYR IUM PROBES.
For the pu rpose of applying collyria to the eyes, a rod is
mentioned having the length Of eight angu li and the thickness Ofa pea . Its both ends are shaped like buds4
The probes for applying collyria to the eyelids, shou ld besix anguli long, with a rou nded bu lbous end. They may be made
of gold, or silver, or copper, or iron , or stone. For thehabitual u seof collyria, a lead probe isprescri bed. W hen medicinesaredirected
1 P au 1 ,-VI. 1e .
3 See foot-note 2, P . 1 55.
3 wmwm w w wmfi fik am n
Astanga H rdaya San'
ihitfi, I. xxv.
4 See foot-note 2, P . 1 55,
SALEKA OR RODS . 1 61
to be applied not only to the lids bu t also to the conjun ctiva, thefinger is recommended as it is a softer and safer instrument.Again the probes wou ld vary according to thenatu re of the collyriato be used. As for the application of lekhana collyrium , the probeshould be made of copper and should be ten angul i long .
The probe is advised to be made thinner at its middle to afford a
firm g rasp by the surgeon . The ends are shaped like buds. For
applying ropana collyr ium,a Simi lar probe is to be used, but it
should be made Of steel whi le for the application Of a collyri umfor th
eimprovement of the visual Strength, a probe made of
gold or si lver , and having the size and shape of a finger is
recommended by Cakradatta .
1
SuSruta2 likes a probe of steel, or bell -metal , or copper forlekhana collyrium and of gold, or si lver , or born , for ropap a and
snehana collyria . The probe should be eight anguli long , and theeye is to be kept open and fixed by the left hand, while the righthand is to hold the probe, and so the collyr ium is to be appliedto the eye.
1a uger m s : r em gamers in
aside Harden t rai n a new? 11
Cak radatta. Aschyotana Cik i tsa.
2 as?gramme Fami neanaemic: I
admit«as vari
antEsta—Rafi
smurfsa 5136151 m e: am I
SEN S—cim w e womanu
w ai st! eerie} sum “ fina l
fi j flfim fi with? at Fern fi e u
Suér uta Samhita. VI. xvi i i .
1 62 THE SURGICAL IN STR UMENTS or THE HINDUS.
sarr'
igadhara1
says :“The collyrium probe Shou ld be made
of stone or metal . It shoul d be eight angu li long and its ends
must be made smooth and rounded like a common pea . For
lekhana col lyrium, a. copper, or i ron , or stone probe is to be used,
whi le for ropap a collyrium the tip of the finger is recommendedfor i tssoftness.
O f the probes used by the H indus for a pplying collyrium tothe eyes, fortunately we possess a few specimens. Among theObjects of interest found in the excavations at B IJDOI', we find,“fourthly, one copper salai or instrument for applying antimonyto the eye, similar to those found in the Bihat excavations.
” 2
m mmean an ens W fis ism u
vests seas a rm asi i git: ll
Si rx’rgadhara Samgraha. III. xi i i .
Y ogaratnak ara . Eye D iseases. P . 823.
q m '
i
i fi fi a fm a i u’li flfi mfi
W as’
m e‘
h fiafi
sfim w fi msmw‘
sm m
wi fe am W m w as”
Cak radatta, Netraroga Cik itsa.
g “Vide P r incep’
s (Thomas’
) Indian Antiqu i ties, fig . 1 8. pl . iv
”
IX. 1 . 7.
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS .
side Of the bOwl and fitted with a spout, someeight or n ine incheslong and shaped like a goose’s bi ll . The sruva or dippingspoon , on the other hand, chiefly u sed for ladling the clarifiedbirtter (or m ilk ) from thebutter vessel into the Offering
-spoons,is Of the
‘ khadi ra wood (Accacia catechir) , a cubit long , with around bowl measuring a thumb’s joint across and W ithout aspout ” 1
SO we see that the' bowl of the karma-Sodhana was round in
shape.
Suéruta al so mentions a Salaka for the extracti on of cisrumen
or minute insects from the ears. ,2 Cakrapani
3 alludes to it.
In modern times, the ear - cleaner , as used commonly in India, is a
tala yantra . Ear specillum is frequently mentioned by
the Greeks and'
Itomans. It consisted of a Small narrow scoopat one end and a simple probe at the other . The use
'
of the
scoop is thus descr ibed by Ar chig enes4 “If a bean , stone, etc.
fall into the ear,remove it wi th the small narrow scoop of the
ear specillum”. Celsus? directs us to extract a scab or cerumen
by means of the ear specillum .
The ear scoop u sed by the modern surgeons is '
a narrowscoop, more like the H indu pu ja vessel known as . kusi.The car scoop is Often made in combination with a director .
1 rSatapatha B rz’
ihmana, Sacred B ook s O f the East, 1 . 3 . 1 . 1 . foot-note.
See foot note 1 , P . 149
3 Haw a iian Si c—2a HW ? I
was?! m u M m am "
Cakradatta , K arnaroga.
Galen . XII, 652.
.
5 Celsus.
‘
VI'
. vi i i .’
SALKKK O R RODS. 1 60
GARB HA-SANK U . F(ETUS O R TRACTIO N H OOK .
The end Of this instrument i s said to have been bent likeankuSa or elephant driver’ s goad. It is described to have the
same length as the other Sanku have i . e. ten to sixteen angu li ,and it is eight angu li in width .
1 It is recommended for extracting a dead foetus from the mother’ s womb, after perfora ting its
head by the mandalagra or mudrika kn ife. Suéruta recommendsus to perforate the head and then to extract the bones by the
Sanku or book, and lastly to apply traction by fixing it about thechest
'
or axilla . If the head can not be perforated, it is to be
applied to the eyes or checks.
2
Traction hook for extraction of a dead foetus was well knownto the ancients. H ippocrates3 bids us break up the head
of the foetus with a cephalotribe and remove the bones withbone forceps, or deliver it by a traction hook inserted near the
clavi cle. Celsus“ advises us to insert a smooth book witha short point and to fix it in the eye, or the ear, or the mouth
,
or the forehead, and so the foetus is to be drag ged down .
Soranus points out the best places for the insertion of the hookto be the eyes, the occiput, the mouth
, the clavicles, and the
1ass as? ! as?! mi W W W
m ean was}? W ei fi lial“: N '
Astanga H rdaya Samhi taI. xxv.
Ha Faumsm sem i-
sh aman stem ?
firt fi'qm gw“a.
afiét fem at“ vi sit? firtfii fl ffifi vré an i
9
SuSruta Sarfrhitzi .
~
IV. xv.
3§H ippocratea II. 70 .
Celsus. VII. xxix .
1 66 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H IND US .
ribs in head presentations ; and the pubes, r ibs,and clavicles in
footling cases.
l Soranus, Actins2 and P aul 3 direct us to
extract the fcetus in the Same way but they recommend us to
u se two books instead Of one, in order that the pu lling may bestraight down and not to One side.
Albucasis,
4 Rhases,5 H aly Abbas, 6 and Avi cenna 7 g ive
Similar di rections for open ing the child’s head and for deliveringthe foetus with hooks.
This pu rpose in modern times is served by the blunt hookand crotchet .
Y UJHA-SANK U OF M IDW IFER Y FORCEPS .
An instrument ‘
is thu s named and figured by modern wr iters
on H indu surgery , bearing some resemblance to the m odern
forceps, for extracting the chi ld al ive. W e have, however , no
mention of any such instrument in the works of Caraka , SuSru ta
Vagbhata and other ancient author ities. The Greeks and,
R omans were also ig norant of it ; and the Arabians fared no
better , though Adams,in his commentary on Pau l 8 asserts
that . Av icenna refers to forceps for the del ivery of livingchildern . M ulder, in his valuable work , 9 g ives an extract
from a translation from t he works Of Av icenna supporting
1 Soran u s. II. x ix .
2 Actins. IV . i v . 23.
3 P au l . VI. lxxix.
Al bucasis. Chirrug . II. 76 and 77 .
Rhases. Con t . xxi i .
O H aly Abb as. P ract . ix . 57 .
I Avi cenna. i i i . 21 , i ,
a P aulu s. ZEg in ita . III. lxxvi .
s H istor ia Forcipum et Vecticum. p,
1 68 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
duced into the vag ina for cutting upon the fietus. B ut on no
account such instruments are to be used so long as the child is
al ive.
1
SARrA-EANFI O R SNAK E’S H O OD .
It is also called agra-bakra' i . e. the end bent. It i s a Sanku
or hook similar to the above, the end being bent like the hoodOf a snake.
2 It is to be used for the purpose Of extracting stone
after Operation .
SuSruta , in the operation for extraction Of stone through theincision , directs us to u se the ag ra
-bakra to bring theentires tone out of the wound. B ut in the case of females,he recommends u s to u se a kn ife having a spoon like a scoop,to prevent the formation of a vescico-vaginal fistu la .
3 Is it
a spoon-shaped . knife, or is it a double instrument on a handlea knife at one end and a scoop at the other ? The Greeks useda kn ife having a at the end.
1 fi fi afii qafg ufi ué‘
a fiefi i
sue c im i a filfitmfi a Hi 11
are a mi Ufiim ii i—vitae m ite
fi afi q m a a m a waqn
Y og aratnékara, Muddhagar va Cik itsfi.
9 w a ists s immers are: u
Asténga H rday a San'
rhi tfi. I. xxv.
a m a a fiiaaa i ei i i mamm a j dm m fwfi fir swzvfisfsfifacameras?maf ia I Gi ana affim
’
mi’i w iser: ease : amen
m m'
m si m rfi Emm i
Suéruta . Sarirhita. IV. v n.
SALIIKTI OR RODS. 1 69
Celsus1 describes the extraction ofStone through a perinealsection by means Of the lithotomy scoop .
“The scoop is slender atthe end and flattened out in the shape of a semi-circle, smoothexternally where it comes in contact with the tissue, rough internally where it meets the calcu lus” . It was a long hook- likeinstrument .
Aetius2 mentions a special stone extractor, under the treat
ment'
of calculus in the female. Some understand by it the lithotomy forceps.
In modern times we use the lithotomy forceps and scoop forthe same purpose.
I take this Opportun ity of referring to the celebrated passagein the famous H ippocratic oath, which runs as follows : “I willnot cut persons labouring under the stone but will have thi s tobe done by men who are practitioners Of this art” . This sentencehas given a good deal of trouble to the commentators and they
have failed to understand the true reasons as to why H ippocratesspecially forbade the practi ce Of thi s operation .
“M . Littréfindssome difficu lty in accounting for the circumsta nce that the
noviciate in surgery is in terdi cted from the Operation of lithotomy .
”Adams,
3commenting on the sentence, says : “W hy this
operation was pI-OSCI'ibed, can not indeed be satisfactorily as
certained,”and he quotes the Arab Physician, Avenzoar“, who
“pronouncestheOperati on to beone, which no respectable physicianwou ld witness, and far less to perform .
”
CelSus. v u. xxvn .
9 Aetius. IV. iv. 94.
3 The Genu ine W orks of H ipprocrates. Vol . II. P . 777—8.
Avenzoar . II.
22
1 70 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
The explanation that this was proscribed because there were
men Who devoted themselves exclu sively to thi sk ind Of treatment,
and that if the qualified surgeons be allowed to practise theOperation , they would interfere in the sphere of action of the lay
li thotomists, cannot be considered satisfactory . For the questionstill remain s the open one, why shou ld H ippocrates proscribe thisoperation from the domains of scientific surgery, simply becausea few laymen happened to practise it .
The real explanation is that in H ippocrates’ time successin the Operati on was very di fficu lt to achieve, consequ en tly heinterdicted the operation mu ch in the same way as abdominalOperations were con sidered sacred before the days of antisepticsu rgery . It is curious to find that Susruta cal ls this operationthe worst of all surg ical operations, for he says 1 “Even experi
enced and able surgeons fail to attain success by operation for thestone. So the su rg ical treatment is the worst of all treatmenthere. B u t if you do not Operate, the patient will die and it is
doubtfu l whether he will live after the operation so g ive himthe chan ce of Operation in God’s name.
” I do not know whether
this passage of Susruta has any causal relation to the remarks of
H ippocrates, bu t there i s no doubt that the former serves as a
better commentary on the latter, than anythi ng hitherto
suggested.
Adams2 says that thi s Operation was practised by a class of men,
1azimu th 3em an: fiffsfisrafi a
m ai lM W : e qfiafifli a: n
wfinmfi 5751 mg: farm ? fir th 3137 1 I
m ust: fi wfir’si swan—1m u
Suéruta Sarfihiti . IV. v n.
Commentary on P au lus ZEg ineta . Vol . II. P . 363 .
1 72 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE HIND US.
cautery to the groin in bubonecele, to prevent the hern ia fromentering into the scrotum .
1
A crescent-shaped cautery was also used by the Greek and
Roman surgeons. So Pau l2 says that in cases of sloughing of
the prepuce we must cut it off and use lunated cauteries to stophaemorrhage and prevent the spreading of the wound. Againhe mentions a cautery shaped like the G reek letter I
‘
,in
the radi cal cure of hernia .
3
BO NE LEVER .
Instruments for levering fractured bones into their'
properpositi ons are mentioned several times by Suéru ta . In the treat
ment of fracture of the nasal bones, a salaka is recommended to
be used as a bone lever for raising and depressing the fracturedends.
4 Sometime a musala or pestle is advised to be used.
5
It is a thick wooden pestle the end of which is plai ted with iron .
It is still used to strike upon paddy to seperate the husk fromthe rice. Susruta mentions its u se to redu ce dislocations of the
joints Of the shou lder and neck .
6
1as an m tn: é aéfim l
w h im? M a sai?“Suéruta Sarnhi ta, IV. xix.
3 P au lus E gineta. VI. lv i i .
3 Ib i d . VI. lxi i .
4 ErGT uaT fisEi-
en azw‘ f a'mm m u
Suéruta Samhi ta, IV. 1 1 1 .
flfi i fi fisfiv am a n
sewn m an am an m as-( n
W fim fi fidfi i
S'
ALKKR OR RO DS . 1 73
Thepestle was also u sed by H ippocrates 1 t o reduce di slocationof the shoulder joint . H e says
“Those who accomplish the
reduction forcibly bending it round a pestle, operate in a manner
which is natu ral . B u t the pestle shou ld be wrapped in a softshawl (for thu s it wi ll be less slippery), and it shou ld be forcedbetween the ribs and the head of the humerus. And if the p’estlebe short, the patien t shou ld be seated upon something , so that hisarm can with diffi cu lty pass above the pestle. B u t for the mostpart the pestle shou ld be longer , so that the patien t when
standing may be almost suspended upon the piece of wood. And
then the arm and forearm shou ld be stretched along the pestle,whi lst some person secures the opposit e side of the body by
throwing his arms round the neck , near the clav icleThe bone lever used by theGreeks is thus described by Pau l : 2
It is an instrument of steel about seven or eight fingers’
breadth in length, of moderate thi ckness that it may not bendduring the operation , with i ts extrem ity sharp , broad and
somewhat curve(
DIRECTO R .
Susi -uta3 mentions the u se of esan i or metallic probes not on lyto ascertain the course of the fistu lous track but also to ra ise the
bridge of ski n cover ing the sinu ses, so that the su rgeon may
operate on it as a g uide. Cak radatta 4 also uses a probe to
The Gen u ine W ork s of H ippocr ates. Adams’Trans. p. 372 .
P au lus ZEg ineta , Vi . cvi .
ass adm it -ri 31mm? sfafismisfifi E fren m i audi t]
W W fififi fi fi ‘fid at as: nihmfiwfi gawemass'
t‘
siémSuéruta Samhita, IV. v i i i .
4 man? zi31 t mammal wiltcimCak radatta, Nadivrana Cik i tsa.
1 74 THE SURGICAL . INSTRUMENTS or THE HIND US .
l earn the di rection of the wound before operation . It is alsomentioned in the Y ogaratnakara .
l
In the treatment of fistu las,Celsus2 also says : “A director
being inserted into them down to their termination , the skin oughtto be in cised. It is not mentioned that the esani or probe was
groOved, but there is no doubt of its use like a grooved director,so common nowadays. The discovery of such a director , alongwith several other surg ical instruments, which are preserved in
the M usee de Cinquantenai re, Brussels, proves that it was knownto the Romans.
U RETH RAL PRO BE.
A var iety of salaka is descri bed by Sufiruta 3 to have
its end rounded like the stalk of a malati flower (Echi tescaryophyllata, Rox . ) It is to be used for clean ing the ur ethralcanal .
Caraka 4 mentions a probe for examin ing the direction of the
urethral canal and its patholog ical condition , before intr oducingthe tube of the urethral or bladder clysters into it.
1 W flfifi a fi m aa fi fiql
Y ogaratnakar a , p. 346.
2 Celsus, VII. iv .
e co-Roman Surg ical Instrum ents. p. 73.
3 m fifafiw ii us“
W m ufium fiafa u
Suér uta Samb i ti , I. vi i .
4 seat : mutat e: asas: surf-3am
arm f‘
aw are m uffl er fi rsu
as: fiwzwfiflawasfi sfi qn
Caraka. Samhita,vm . ix.
1 76 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
sodhana (Purifier) group . Cak ra datta l u ses caustic threads
in the treatment of piles by ligature.
2 . VENIKE OR TW INE.
The u se of twine as a ligatu re to be applied above the partbitten by a snake tr) arrest the circu lation of blood towards the
heart is mentioned by Susru ta .
2 Caraka 3 also advises u s to tie
ligatures above and below the bitten part,then to squeeze out
the poison towards the wound, whence it is to be drawn out
through incisions ma de by a kn ife.
3 . PATTA OR BANDAGES .
For the proper application of bandages, Si iéruta mentionsthe following mater ials to be necessary :
4viz. , cloth manufactured
m use: us‘
M um? m i u
Cak r adatta , Aréaroga Cik i tss‘
t.
2 m a W fififi rfl fi ssfirarfium u
Suér uta Sarhhita, V . v .
3 im am-
4m m afinmi fiwai asn
W W éu‘
gfi wfir 7 5511 “Carak a San
'
i hita, vr. xxv .
4as a s m am renew : 1 mm fi amw‘ierfi gfi fi nwhi ff
W éa finmiw m q um w fim fi st-
vhf?! first aura
mai afi fiflmfim m wfi m éuzt as W ue fafiqfil’ufiufififi
fist m fifimsrdu: fi r s-i ssuer ” sw i m-
af firm fi reman
r.\
W ain: radi i si n? W5 75“ a i msfifi gfig (fi rs t ! w as}?
fi gm e’
i si i nfirm firm ?I aqua? w fi fflfin i i“
an am ufit ass
gfifiu’
é’rsafeff am fi at-21mI
Su s'
u'uta swims,I. xvi i i .
THE UPAYANTRA on. ACCESSORY INSTRUMENTS . 1 77
from the fibres of plants, flax, cotton , wool, blankets, si lk , leather,Chinese cloth
,inner barks of trees, bark of bottle gou rd (Cucur
bita lagenaria) , tendrils of twin ing plants, cane or pieces of splitbamboo, rope, fr uits as those of Bombax M alabaricum,
bladesof kn ives, and plates of metals as gold, or lead, or i ron . Thesearticles should be used with due consideration as regards the
natu re of the disease, the time of thei r use and the purpose inhand. H e describes fourteen var ieties of bandages as follows
1 . Kosa a hollow cylinder or sheath to be applied to thejoints of the thumb and fingers. This form Of bandage isto be applied over the stumps after amputation of the
limbs.
2 . Dama (as. tai l of a quadruped it is a large bandageto be tied round a part for the rel ief of pain or cramps.
3 . Svastica or a circu lar cross-bandagez it is to be appliedround the joints, the space between the tendons of the great and
second toes, the intermammary reg ion , the g label la (spacebetween the eyebrows) , the plan tar surfaces of the feet
, the
palmer su rfaces of the hands, and the ears. It is also the formof bandage recommended in dislocations of the shou lder joint .
4. Anuvell ita or an en circling bandage —it is to be applied tothe l imbs. This form of bandage is recommended to be appliedto the limbs in cases of oblique, deep, and large cuts infli ctedby a kn ife. A leather bandage applied in the form of gophana
would also serve the purpose. The encircling bandage is alsoadvised in cases Of fracture of the ribs.
Fo . P rotol i a broad bandage for the neck and pen is.
6. M andala or a circular bandage it is to be applied to
1 78 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
the round parts of the body such as the arms, sides, abdomen ,
thighs, and back.
7 . Sthagika or a supporter a bandage enclosing a spl in tand pastes of medicaments to k eep the parts firm . It is to be
applied over the ends of the thumb, fingers, and pen is. Suéruta
directs us to u se this bandage round the scrotum after
tapping the hydrocele.
8. Yamaka or a double-bandage a pair of circu larbandag es applied to a couple of ul cers on a part .
9. K hatva or a fou r -ta iled bandage it is recommended forthe temples, cheeks and lower jaw .
1 0 . Chi na or a banner bandage a bandage for the innerangles of the eyes.
1 1 . Vivandhana or a circu lar chest-bandage it is the
bandage for the back , abdomen and chest.
1 2. Vitana or a canopy bandag e a large bandag e for thehead .
1 3 . Gophana'
.1 (l i t. a sling for throwing stones )
a concave bandage for the chin ,nose, lips, shou lders and pel
s'
té‘
ra m fifimu M afi a!
first am mafia
m m : wfi fi m f€ fi m n
Susi -umSan’ihi ta, . i i .
unit W e: W W i i fimfi u
313131 afl w as? areas: qr‘
n
Ib i d, IV. 1 1 .
1 80 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H IND US.
are loosely bandaged. The even bandage is for the extremi ties,face, ears, neck , pen is, scrotum ,
back , sides, and abdomen .
” 1
Sufiruta next deals with the alterations in the mode of
applying bandages according to the ru les laid down . H e
also advises the surgeon to be gu ided by the dictates of his
common sense. H e di rects u s to practise bandaging on the
various large and small limbs of a human fig ure made of
cloth or clay .
W ith regard to the mode of application of bandages,H ippocrates says : 3 “It shou ld be done quickly, withou t ga in , withease and with elegance, it shou ld fit well and neatly .
The forms of it are the simple, the Slightly w inding (calledascia), the sloping (sima) , the monocu lus, the rhombus, and
sem i- rhombu s” .
The whole chapter Of Suéruta is very interesting and willrepay perusal . If bodily transferred, it wi ll a dorn any moderntext book on surgery .
As it is very difficu lt to covey a correct idea of these bandagesin words, I have g iven figures of them from modern works on
surgery, from which their construction and uses will be readilyunderstood at a glance.
1as smmmfifimmu fidfiéfifi 1 fi fisma ewd i wn sfi i
as ffifi ; sfifl fimnflfic fiu zema l ummwa ai aefiamwnmdt
inqs swn smmz ufiqsfiufin sh u
Suéruta Sarirhita,I. xvi i i .
" wmm'
mwmf mwfifiwg auaww1ma 1 . a .
3 The Genu ineWorks of H ippocm tes,
'
Vol . II, P . 477 . Syd. Soc. Ed.
THE UP AYANTRA OR ACCESSORY INSTRUMENTS . 1 81
ABD OMINAL BINDER .
Caraka 1 mentions the u se Of abdom inal binder for the recentlydelivered woman to prevent derangement of ai r by its expan sion
in her abdomen .
D r . Barnes says : 2 “The sudden expu lsion of one- tenth of the
body-weight from the abdom inal cavity is attended by a sudden
removal of a force hitherto pressing upon the vessels and organ s
of the chest, abdomen , and pelvis. This en tai ls in some cases
a tendency to vacuum . H ence disturbance Of the ci rcul ation .
N ow.the binder , by suppor ting the abdom inal wall s, restores the
equ ilibrium of pressu re. The pressure exerted upon the uteru sworks as a gen tle continu ous stimu lus to con traction . The
woman is conscious Of the support and is greateful for it .
The figure, so preciou s, and r ightly so, to women ,is
better preserved So applied, the binder becomes one of
the most efficient agents in antiseptic m idwiferv it keeps thewalls of the u terus and vag ina in contact, thus preventing thecollection Of flu ids or clots, and Shu tting ou t ai r
”.
The use of cloth for other surg ical purposes is alsomentioned
FIELD H O SPITAL .
The Cloth is to be used for the manuf actu re of tents for the
doctors to live in . The wounded in war are to be treated in
such tents. The ten t of the surgeon -
general shou ld b e close tothat of the king in the battle-field.
3
1 m Hearmumam am am a? fiar’
agmzam ammqICarak a Samhita, IV. v i i i .
2 O bstetirc Medicine and‘
Sur gery , Vol . II. p . 87 .
3 w ar? a safe W i n
use 361 : W W W : u
1 82 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H IN D L‘
S .
Small tents are also recommended for apply ing vapour bathto patients.
DRESSINGS .
D i'dhavala 1 mention s the use of medi cated gauzes to be used
as sponge by the females and says In discharges from the
vag in a, pieces of Cloth soaked in decoction of bark s Of Vata (FicusB engalensis) and Lodha (Symplocos racem osa) and dr ied, shou ldbe put inside the can al .”
In the M ohavaggai’ we find the u se of itch-cloth
I allow ,0 Bhikkhu s, to whom soever has the itch
,or bails, or a
discharge, or scabs,the u se of an i tch- cloth
“According to the 90th P ak ittiya su ch cloth must not be
more than fou r spans in length and two in breadth .
I can not help quoting f rom M ohavagga,3another discou rse
Of Buddha as it shows clearly the su rg ical treatmen t of boils inancient times
N ow at that time a certain Bhikkhu ha dboi ls.
“I allow 0 B hikkhu s, the use of the lan cet” .
De'cocti on s of astr ingent herbs were requi red.
“I allow,0 Bhikkhusf decoctions of astringent herbs
Sesamum salve was requ i red .
a ssent : serfs anti—s t?
sqefimfifi a M afi a : uSuér u ta Sariihi ta
,I. xxxiv .
1 W arm mama urn fifi qi
3 116 1? titans an mfifiimantrasuCaraka Samhita, VI. xxx.
2 Mahavagga . VIII. 1 7 , 2.
3 Ib i d. v1 . 1 4, 4 5.
1 84 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF TH E H INDUS .
4. CARMA O R LEATHER .
The use of leather in ancient medical practice in India was
man ifold.
Leather bandage.
Straps or belts of leather were used as bandages. Suéruta 1
advises u s to apply the leather bandage in cases where
more than half the thickness Of the upper or lower extrem i tiesare cut by some sharp instruments in a slanting direction .
Then the parts of the wound shou ld be well adjusted, the boneand the soft parts kept i n apposition , and the wound closed bysu tures and well covered by dressings, over whi ch the leatherbandage is to be applied in the form Of a gophana or sling .
Leather bandage in the form of gophana is mentioned bySuSruta 2 to be applied over the anus to prevent recu rrence Of pro
cidentia of the rectum . The prolapsed bowl shou ld be well bathedwi th ghee and fomented and then redu ced by gentle pressure.
There shou ld be a hole in the bandage just in front of the an us to
allow flatu s to pass out. Vrnda3
alludes to it . Simi lar ly the
modern su rgeon s u se a pad supported by a bandage as an aid in
1 See foot-n ote 1,P . 1 78.
1
Rafi arefastasses? fi ni te
W W W w h i mswim n
Suéruta. Samh i ta, IV . xx .
1 113°
fi rw ss WHEW
“
é‘
zfimfii as” afiummm uafizw fifin fi zw w fi i wzu
ear fsz— ssrtfi vimwW m avian are: zfizmrram: ma sts u
Vrndam'
adhava or Sidhhayoga , Ch . 57
THE U PAr ANTRA OR ACCESSORY INSTRUMENTS. 1 85
preventing descent of the gut. It is mentioned also in the
Cak radatta ‘ and the Y ogaratnakara .
2
D rdhavala mentions the use of a piece of untanned leatherto be applied over a layer of ointment during the day, whileduring the night the leaf of Eranda (R icinus communis) isdirected to be used.
3
LEATHER LIGATURES .
In the treatment of snake-bite, a ligature is advised to be
used above the seat of injury to stop the circu lati on of
poisoned blood. This ligature is advised to be made of leather ,or braided fibres of trees, or soft cord of jute, etc .
4
YANTRA-SATAKA . LITHOTOM Y STRAP O R BINDING AP PARATUS.
This isthename of the leather shackle, which is recommended
to be used during the Operation for stone in the bladder . The
patient shou ld flex his knees and elbows and the parts are to be
m i l “W SW
use fi zfimfir as lfizmm sass uCakradatta, K endr aroga Cik itsa.
REEunassum in g swim a
Y ogar atnakara , P .
M'
aazfsm’
Hai dw fm l
Hasn’
t fzm‘ wfi s ufimfin uea n
Caraka Saxixhi ta, VI. xxvi i i .
i nfi rm: W W IIEH u
W W -fi fi fi i seem a
a r i ft! fir sti w fimfiifimfid aSufiruta Samhi tii , V. v
1 86 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H IN DUS.
tied together by this instrument. ‘ Similar ly, it is to be used
du ring the operation for piles ; but then , according to Suérutafi’
the neck and thighs are to be tied by the instrument which isto be held firm ly by the assistants. Va
gbhata 3 uses cloth
instead of leather .
Yan tra-sataka is also to be u sed during the operation of
phlebotomy . Suéruta says“ “If ven esection i s requi red to
be done, the patien t is to beseated on a stool, an aratn i high(fromthe elbow to the end Of the little finger) , facing towards the sun .
The thighs ar e to be flexed, the two elbows to be placedoverthe knees, and the hands (the fin gers being clenched into fists)
to be fixed on the two sides of the neck . The two ends of the
shackle which pass over the fists, are held up at his back by theleft hand of an assistant, who with his right hand steadily (neitherforcibly nor loosely) presses above the part selected, to make the
veins prom inent, and at the same time rubs on the back to
1
fi fafi m ‘ifi fi u m Em m i
Suéruta Sarnhi ta, IV . vu .
1W W
“
m ama? qfi fas h ea dqfifi éfir evfivzfi a
mww fl t‘
aa h
Ib i d , Iv . vi .
amRawm
W ] W Wfifi‘f‘a Hgf‘
ma'qn
Asténga H rdaya Saxfihi ti , IV. v i i i .
an awa rd m m fiw fim fi fafi W ane? W mfi aw m m m anneri sm s? m a : mafia! m um
Rafi i i i? awareness fefimqmii mmaafizfss‘
t M anama
aa‘
was“
: a cassa a i igms Rimes termites s smssm um jeataxia?farmwas flawfi fszI
Sufit uta Sardhiti , III. vi i i .
1 88 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS .
ABDOMINAL BINDER .
The u se of cloth binder has been described before l .
Leather binder is to be u sed after the operation of paracen
tesis abdomin is to apply pressure over the abdomen . After
drain ing the flu id of asci tes, the abdomen of the patient shou ldbe well wrapped with blankets
,or silk cloth, or leather binder , for
then the abdomen would not be flatulently distended by ai r .
2
LEATHER BAGS.
The u se of leather in the formation of bags of the vasti
yantra has been described before3
SIRO -
A
VASTI . LEATHER BAG FOR TH E H EAD .
For application of O i l on the head,Suéru ta 4 directs us to u se
a goat’s bladder filled w ith medicated O i l , just in the same way
as ice bags are used n owadays.
Sar i'
i gadhara5 describes another variety of Sim -vasti : “It is
1 See P . 1 81
1 fi za fia éfi m w ffi mfiaw m fi w m
Suér uta Samhi tR, IV . xiv .
See P . 1 29-30.
W e Tam afrrafiéafii efi n
Ib i d, v1 . xv i i i .
masts fafim a maxi Hans en
M aw : H irsute? w as : 11
fiztzxuwi East as? m fifi i n
efiafiufiamwfi fits:$16 : e H
mm aifiz m i an new u
Si rflgad hara Sari graha
THE UPAYANTRA OR ACCESSOR Y IN STRUMENTS . 1 89
made of leather , has a length of twelve angu li andhas two or ificesor months. The leather bag is to be well tied rou nd the head, thejunction of the circumference of the bag and the skin shouldbewell pasted w ith masa (Phaseolus Rox) g lue. Then the
cavity thus formed is to be filled wi th hot oi ly medicine.
This is to be retained un ti l the headache is relieved.
” Cakradatta ‘ also mentions it . The bag is descr ibed to be Sixteenangul i high in the Y ogaratnakara
2. Vai gbhata
3advises u s to
use leatlier Of a cow or buffalo, and it is said to have been twelveangu li broad.
LEATHER BAND .
In phlebotomy, a band is advised to be applied above the
spot where the vein is to be punctu red. This band is
recommended to be made of cloth, or jute, or leather , or barks Of
1EUR
-
fr same suit m i sgfir aqnEmits: faflsmmm fiw antra l
Cakr adatta , Si ro-r oga Ci k i tsa.
mfiri i infuses: m im l
Y ogaratn i kar a , P . 402 .
fi rm firms: asawaitwe”?
W EE-16111 1 W'
fi lm s“W 'W W Gran? W afsth
Sh am am mafi a than n
W EImi i t'
s-N i filmwi
’
3sw?r m assi'emai afl "
I
Astafiga H rdaya Samhi tii, xxu .
1 90 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E H IND US .
trees, or tendri ls of'
twin ing plants 1 and it shou ld not be appliedeither too tight or too loose. As for example
,in phlebotomy
in the foot, the yan tra -sataka or ligatu re shou ld be appliedbelow the knee- join t
,whi le the band is to be tied rou nd
,at a
distance of fou r angu li above the part selected for the Operation .
”
Vagbhata3
says“ In phlebotomy , a band is to be tied
round the upper extrem ity , fou r angu li above the spotselected for open ing the vein which is to be made prom inent bypressing i t upwards w i th the closed fist .
”Cak radatta 4 also
quotes it . Vagbhata5recommends u s to u se a cloth band to be
tied round the leg , fou r anguli above the spot selected for Open ingthe vein in the leg .
This band corresponds to the band of Anty llus used
by the Greeks. Antyllu s applies a ligatu re Of two fingers’
1 ms sti trfi as; (fi r G i an nin i
Asténga H rdaya Samhi ta, I. xxvi .
W W W m fzra i mféwrrémfiffszfix-i su‘
it m ature:
Suéru ta. Samhi ti , III. vi i i .
1as m a s ters qw
'
Haw ?! Hfiat‘
. s wam M afi afi
am mime“
m i tts : sum? miter nuts stern um }?
Ibi d.
1 fifi su fmfi m m W t
33 ! W e: HUM E-
s ufii‘
flq
as aw“
arti st ant s-
fin s
Astanga H rdaya Samh iti , I. xxv i i .
1 Cak r adatta , Si ra -vvadhadhi kéra .
5 me 3 m agm afi fiifii ftfi
farmers? sw an
am thi sfw fim qfiafii w as 11Astanga H rdaya Samb i ti , I. xxvn .
1 92 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS .
it is calleddrti ‘ . Leather masaka or inflated skins were in use asswimming bladders, and we have a representation of “figures
with garlands in thei r hapds, swimm ing and disporting them
selves, supported on masaks or inflated skins.
” 3 In the
B’
gveda, Agastya in his spell to neutralise poison, says :
3
I deposi t the poison in the solar orb, like a leather bottlein the house of a vendor of spirits.
” 4 D r . M itra points out
that “other smrtis ordain that oleagi nous articles preservedin leather bottles do not become impure by the contact of the
impure cowhide and in the present day, jars of that materialare in extensive use in Beng al and the N orth-W est P rdvinces
for the storage of oil and ghee. In the latter place, leatherbags are un iversally used for raising water from wells, and
m arerim: andE! flat?! wreath squats fi fuiw ai'ru
Rgveda , 9 M . 70 S. 7 A. 2 Ch . 7 v .
“ n ew games: Rfivmféfi w m fi l
w rs‘
t vfmfwgm nfi afi zfiqflzfl flsfi fim n
Mann Samhi ti , II. 99.
B ut when one among all hi s organs fai ls, by that single failure his
knowledge offi rod passes away , as water flows through one hole in a leather-n
bottle.
"
Ib id, Jones'Translation .
9 p], xxxi . fig . 1 . Fergu son’
s Tree and Serpent W orship, P . 1 27.
1 113: fawnwants arestem is?
Revede. 1 M . 1 91 s. 2 A. 5 Ch. 10 v .
Ib id . W ilson’sTran slation .
THE UPAYANTRA on ACCESSORY INSTRUMENTS. 1 93
according to the law books of Sankha and Likhita,
1 that
water is declared pure which is kept in old leather bottles” . Tothi s may be contrasted the prevaili ng H indu noti on that
water is defiled if touched by a Brahmana i n hi s shoes. Thoughthe leather is not allowed to be a material of dress of the
H indus, except his shoes whi ch are considered as unclean , leatherbelts formed one of the eight sacred utensils necessary for a
sramana of the Buddhist order and in the Mann Satb hita3
W e find the students of theology advised to wear for
their mantles,the hi des of black antelopes, of common deer ,
or of goats .
” 4
5 . ANTARVALKALA . THE INNER BARK S OF TREES.
Barks of trees are recommended to be used as splints forthe support of fractured bones. In fractures of bones of the foot,leg and thigh, Suéruta directs us to use splints made of barks of .
trees5 to surround the limbs. In the treatment of a simplefra cture, Bhava M isra advises us to use coldwater first
,then mud
is to be applied, and lastly the fractured bones should be secured
1 amt m m : ari as sfiwfiafiaw afisqw :
i ‘ ifi R E I fi zz:
Safikll a. and Likhita .
D r . R . C. M i tra’s Indo-Aryan s. vol . II.
whim s! W ? n
Mann San'
ihi ta, 1 1 . 41 .
Ib i d. Sir Wm . Jones’ Tran sla tion . II. 41 .
5 mm sfiismiz‘
aw a‘
W i n
sash sail-am summers uSuéruta Sarhhi ta, IV. i i i .
1 94 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E H INDUS.
by splints and bandages. 1 In the Y ogaratnakara2 we are
advi sed to treat fractures, by lowering the raised end and elevatingthe depressed end of the bone, and then by using spl ints andbandages to keep them in position . Bhava, M isras describesit Sim ilarly after Sufiruta . Suéruta di rects us to use
bark s of Vata (Ficu s Indica. B ox . ) and bamboo str ips. as splintsto support the neck after reducing its dislocati on by holdingat the temporo-maxi llary articu lations on the sides and the
occipital protuberan ce.
on the back , and raising him up in the
air . H e should lie down W ith his head raised for seven days4
. In
m odern times, the Sayre’s suspension apparatus and jury
'
mast
serve the same purpose.
The bark s of M adhuka Bassia latifolia ASvattha Fi cusrel
i
giosus K uk ubha Terminalia arju na Folaéa (Butea fron
dosa , Rox . U dumbara E on s glomerata, Rex . bamboo, Sala
(Shorea robusta Vata (Ficu s Indi ca . Rox . ) are mentioned as
1 fi w'
fifzai g fiaam l
B hava P r akasa,II. i i i . B hagnadhi kara .
Y ogaratnak ara, P . 345.
msézfifasmfivmémfi arias u
Suéruta Sarnhi ta, Iv . i i i .
Bhava P rakasa , II. i i i . B hagnadhikara .
m m W W I
amm warpm ai n 3q
arm? mafi a em anates: uSuél 'nta Samhita, Iv . i i i.
1 96 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF TH E H IN D US .
find “to the two (deities ) who preside over the gains above or
below one’s expectation (utku la and vi k u la) , a cripple, who
can not move even wi th the help of a crutch” is recommended
to be sacrificed. And again to the divin ity of land, a
cripple who moves about on a crutch .
” ll
The u se of the sound limb as a splint O f support for thefractu red bone of the Opposite side was well known . W oodensplints resembling in shape the inju red member are also recom
mended. Suér uta says2 that if the hand be fractured
,it is to be
tied wi th the opposite hand,but in fractu res of both the hands
,
G‘
rayadassa3recommends a wooden hand to be u sed as a splint
for both. After un ion of the fractured bones, the hands shou ldbe made to hold balls of cow-dung , mud and stones.
6. LATE OR CREEPERS TEN DR ILS O F
The tendri ls of creepers as materials of ligatu re m entioned
1 m afia nfl (sqafiafim ) fafem‘
n
fia tflzefiiamswa l
Tai tti r iya Brahm ana .
Quoted in M itr a ’
s IndO -Ar yan s. vol . II. P . 84— 85 .
Suér uta Sarhhi ta, IV . i ii .
S asha w sfi m fi aém ws m afafia zfiwwas, m am a
stews, mafi a anu s wfii“
SW wai t w i th ,m wm mw
Quoted in D allana’s Commen tary ,IV . i i i .
TH E U P AY ANTRA OR ACCESSO RY INSTR UMENTS . 1 97
by Suéru ta . H e recommends 1 to g ive up a patient, b it by a
snake, as hopeless when he does not respond to the application of
stimu li,su ch as cold water
,tendrils of creepers, etc. Vagbhata
Q '
advises u s to in troduce the Stalk of the lotus,wi th a thread tied
to it, inside the throat to extract any foreign body stuck there.
W hen the soft Stalk is tou ched by the Salya , it should be
extracted by the sudden w ithdrawal of the stalk and thread.
7 . VASTRA O R CLOTH .
(116th3 as a material of bandages, tents, gauze, etc. has been
described before4
8. A STHILISM I . STO NE O R PEBBLE.
It is a piece of stone —long and round. It is advised to be
used for moving arrows fixed in the bone“. Caraka 6 advises us
to strike two pieces of stone agai nst each other to resuscitate a
1afi ui fumes caressaratni?3mi Ufii ffig
Ess aW a fflesREES firm erareas it
W fi m s fi sfn ufi tsmfirs a m fim
ufi rfimfiw s W Edi fw fivafi qfiasifiéu
Suér u ta Samhita, V. i i i .
fafimfi as : use"
fits Fifi wi sh “
Astanga H rdaya Samhita, I. xxv i i i .
3aa
'
safes 1 6muafi fiiisaw n?Drama uVagb hatar tha K aumudi
,I. xxv .
4 See P . 1 76-83 .
5amm tw
'
ana themam issus gar-a nIb id.
9slum: Sassm aniaGM ? anm : l
Caraka Sarnhi ta, IV. vi i i .
1 98 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS .
still -born child. In bleeding from the veins of the neck,
Vagbha-ta 1 advises the patient to hold firmly two pieces of stones
in their hands.
A piece Of stone is to be used by a person , for holdi ng itwi th his hand
, after recovery from fractures of the carpaland metatarsal bones2
In ancient times,in India
,the k ings used to decorate them
selves with antidotary gems, as a safeguard against poisons.
3
Even now the snake charmers apply a black stone on' their
b odies where they are wou nded by the venomous reptile Thisstone is popularly known as the v i : a -pathara or poison - stone, andis supposed to have the property of extracting poison fromthe body .
9 . M UDGARA . H AMMER .
SuSruta directs u s to use a hammer or a piece of stone tostrike an arrow firmly fixed in the bone
,u ntil loosened, when .
it can be conven iently extracted by means of a pai r of forceps“.
It shou ld be pointed ou t that the tubular in stri imentr—éalya
1 mm was“
: m 315
W W fifisfi émAsti figa H rdaya Samhi ta, I. xxvn .
See foot-note. 2. P . 1 96.
3 fini t e"? Emil fim fimfim
fi fafim m fiwca: n
K amandak'
i ya N i tisara , vi i . v .
(Fi rs? new stasis: farm 1
W asfi m fiéfi féfi ai Sam4am Hfi sa mmm—cma RSI fifi fi flW e: I».
SuérutaSama ra, I. xxvi i .
200 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS or THE HINDUS .
upon it l . B ut again he m entions the hand and foot as accessoryto, or substitu tes for
,the in struments. Long -more2 says O f
all in struments for mak ing a complete examination O f a gun- shot
woun d as well as for explor ing for foreign bodies which may be
lodged in it, the finger of the surgeon is the most appropr iate,whenever a wou nd is large enough to admi t of its insertion .
”
There are many instances O f the use of hand and foot in the
treatment O f su rg ical diseases bu t I shall point out a few of
them .
1 . Both SuSruta 3 and Cak radatta. 4 say that “if a swellingbe hard b ut slightly painfu l , then it Shou ld be well fomen ted,
pressed and rubbed by a piece of bamboo, or palm of the hand
,
or thumb to cau se its subsidence. Bhava M isra also quotes thisverse
5. SuSru ta 6
and Vagbhata7
recommend a similartreatment for enl arged glands.
1 See foot n ote, P . 90 .
Lon gm or e, Gun -shot In jur ies, 1 877 , P . 31 9 .
3 amen fizfim a fim mfi : 35m
fawéfifisaSim s-r awan n
Suér uta Sarixh ita,IV. i .
4am mam a Sum : 561 : 1
Emm a?trims swa rm at u
Cak radatta , Vranaéotha Cik itsa.
5sum Rattan; 30mm! xii : fi r:
fi fléfififi m fimwm i n
B hava P r akaéa,II. i i i .
6Sat; ai rsw ere?! ma?w as Harm I
Few Emm a m am a s-«Teen
Sufiru ta Samhita, IV . xvi i i .
sea: arsfinfii fivflma gs : g m
Astanga H rdaya Sainhi ta, VI. xxx .
T HE UPAYANTRA OR ACCESSORY INSTRUMENTS. 201
2. SuSruta says1 that “when a morsel of food sticks in the
throat, a blow should be fearlessly struck with the fist on theShoulder of the patient without his knowledge” . Vagbhata
2
also describes it.
It is however curious to find that exactly the same procedurewas adopted by Alsaharav ius. Adams in his commentary 3 on
Pau l says that “when a morsel of food sticks to the
oesophagus, Alsaharaviu s di rects that the person shou ld be
struck on the back , which will facilitate the descent of it” .
3 In the reduction of dislocati on of the lower jaw,Caraka
used his fingers to do it exactly in the same way as recommendedby the modern surgeons. H e directs us to depress the lower
jaw by the thumbs and at the same time to raise the chin by theindex fingers
4.,The verses are quoted by Cak radatta .
5 The
descr iption Of the method, quoted from any modern text book,wou ld be a good commentary on the above p assage of Caraka .
Erichsen says6 “The reduction is best effected, by the surgeon,
1 mu sa-
g“awswa? fi r s
-
Ham Hfiemfiim i‘
rs‘
mi wwfiaq
SuSruta Samhi té,‘
I. xxv n.
Astanga H rdaya Smirhi tfi, I. xxvi i i .
3 Adam’s Commentary on P aul u s ZEgineta, VI. xxxi i .
arms? 33'
N e w?mm: a n
new fasfi awi n
ms?w as w efi rstFeet fiims-ii ?! u
useW m saw s u
Car ak a San'
i hi ti , VI. xxvi i i .
5 Cak radatta, Vi tabyfidhi Cik i tsé.
Surgery , Vol . II, p. 658.
26
202 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS.
standing before the patient, plac ing his thumbs, wellprotected by napkins, or a few turns of a narrow bandage, onthe molar teeth on each side, and then depressing the ang les ofthe jaw forcibly, at the same t ime that he raises the chin by
means of his,fingers Spread ou t and placed underneath i
4. Caraka says1 “After pair ing her nails and covering
the tip of her index finger with cotton , the nurse is to clean thepalate, lips and throat of the new -born chi ld” .
W ith this passage we may compare What Barnes says
on the point g .
“The attendant having then placed the chi ldclose to themother, so as to avoid any strain on the cord, shouldcleanse its mouth from any flu ids, such as blood and mucus,it may have partially swallowed dur ing its passage through the
vagi na . This shou ld be done at once, as such flu ids drawn intothe lun g vescicles may give rise to inflammation of the lungs,or even septicwmia.
”
5.
r”
uérutas recognises six modes of diagonosing di seases,
namely by the five senses al e. by hearing , smell, taste, sight andtouch, and by questions. Symptoms descem ible by the sense of
touch are coolness or heat, smoothess or roughness, softness orhardness, and other tang ible qualities of the skin in fever, dropsy,
Carak a Samhiti , Iv . vi i i .
Obstetr ic Medicine and Sur gery , Vol . II, p. 1 05 ,
°sfifi fi fimmi fisfi im z| Ham Refit fimfi fii z fi fl afin
a a W ERE M m fi m mfassfl fi a l flmwSuéruti . San
'
xhiti . I. x.
204 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E HIN DUS .
SuSruta ‘ : “Symptoms discerni ble by the sense of taste are
the variou s tastes noticeable in morbid secretions of u rine andother diseases
”. Cakrapani
“explains that
‘ inference ’is
necessary, because the sense of taste can not be exercised by thephysician on the patient directly;” 2 he mu st do it through someintermedi ate agents such as ants, whose attraction to sugar is
well-known and so the presence of sugar in ur inary diseases can
be inferred.
”
1 3. DANTA OR TO OTH .
Ivory as a material of surgical instru ments has beendescribed bofores . SuSruta 4 advi ses u s to use the ash Of ivorywith stibium as a stimu lant to the growth Of hair on a scar . It is
also recommended by Vagbhata 5 .
1 4. N AK H A OR NAILS .
SuSruta advises the surgeon to use his na ils6 for the OperationOf cutting , piercing and . extr action , if these can be possibly helpedby his nails.
In m odern times, nai ls Often help the surgeons in separating1(“
safe m ay wfi i fimAsténga H rdaya Samhi tfi, I. x.
2 e nle’s Commentary on the Suéruta Sarnhi tt
'
r, I. x . (B ib l iothecaIndi ca) .
3 See page 67.
1games? a ai mafi a Imam
fimfiafl snfi f"
awn mfiafisfiiSuéru ta San
'mi ti , IV . i .
5 361m “
SF-sane mi?inas m i NAsti nga H rdaya San
’
rhi ti , VI. xxiv .
6 Swatch“
afi g ms’
« i sscramSuér uta Samb iti , I. vi ii .
THE UPAY ANTRA O IL ACCESSO R Y INSTRUMENTS. 205
layers of tissues during operation ; as in the operation for theradical cure of hydrocele. W e often extract thorns, impacted inour body, with our nails.
1 5 . M UK HA OR MO UTH .
The u seof mouth as a su ction apparatus was well kn own tothe ancients. SuSruta advises u s to use are or panimantha
(awl) to perforate bone in diseases of the medullary Canal,caused by Obstructed and deranged ai r . H e next introducesone end of a tube, Open at both ends, into the canal throughthe perf
oration in the bone, while through the other end the
su rgeon su cks out air by his mouth". The u se of mouthfor sucking out air through the Sri
'
iga or horn has been describedbefore2 . Caraka says
8 that the poison of a snake-bite may
be sucked ou t by the'
surgeon ’s mouth, filled with flour or
ash. Even in modern times, it is common amongst Indians to
suck out blood, in accidental cuts by kn ives, by the mouth.
The practice of the su ckers in Europe has been noted before“.
1 6. VRLA OR HAIR .
H orse-hair is to be used for applying ligaturesround the pi les5 .
It is also a material Of suture for '
the Skin. Horse-hair is alsodescribed to have been used fer raising pterygium . Pau l6 alsoused horse-hair to raise a pterygium .
Sufi sm?! 7=fl Evi l vrfinfl i ia tafifi l
qu ilt?! flimsy-
an vsa‘
fi tuSuSr uta Sarhhitz
'
a , IV. iv .
2 See'P . 1 48-49.
3 éfimfififlrtfiami nimums
See P . 1 49-50 .
5 m avwfifl m fiui m fi w fi m fi‘
m u
Vi gbhatar tha K arimudi , I. xxv .
Caraka Samb i ti , VI. xxv .
PaulusE gineta, VI. xvi i i .
206 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
Suéruta. 1 says B undles of hairs or tents are to be used
in the treatment of wounds in the sku ll, formed by the
extraction - of an arrow from the brain . These wou ld prevent thehem ial protrusion of the cerebral subtances from passing out
through the wound. The hairs are to be removed one by one,
as the wound heals up gradua lly .
”Vi gbhata
”also approves this
treatment .
A bundle of hairs tied to a long thread is mentioned bySuSruta to have been used for the extraction of . fish-bonesfrom “
the throats. The patient is directed to swal low the
ball of hairs wi th some liqu id. N ext emeti cs are to be adin in istered to excite vomiting . During this act, the foreign body getsentangled in“
the meshes of the ball, which being then sudden lypu lled out by the thread ou tside, extracts the fish-bone satisfac
tori ly . Vagbhata“also describes it similarly .
’
For this purpose
M W'
N QW “
Suéruta San'
lhi ti , IV. 1 1 .
M ummi fifi m fizfifi fim l
W adi? am fii mai n
m mawwfi
fi mm i
fi m fi fi m‘
AStiinga H rday'
a Sariih iti , VI. xxvi .
1 m filth 35
61:m in
m Inni s m as seq u
Asti nga t aya San'
shi ti , I. xxvi ii .
208 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
women to push a braid of her hai r into her throat, tohelp the expu lsion of the placenta . So in theY og
'aratnsi kara l her throat is
advised to be rubbed by a finger surrounded by hairs. Thi spractice is sti ll prevalent among the women of Bengal to acertain extent.
SUTURE M ATERIAL.
‘
H orse-hair was the materi
al used by the H indus for sutures.
Besides it, they u sed? sutures of fine thread, er the fibres of thebark of ASmantaka (Caesalpina digyn ia), or threads made of hempor flax, or of the fibres of which bow-stri ngs were made, or of
the fibres of the M firvva (Sansevier ia zeylani ca ) or Gudfici
(Tinspora cordifolia Besides these, the Hi ndu surgeonsused the mouth parts of the ants as clasps to close incisionson the intestines. Susruta 3 describes the u se of living blackant/s to close the incisions on t he walls of the intestines, du ringthe
‘ operation for intestinal obstruction , after removing the
scyball i, stones, etc .
"
H e advi ses us to remove the bodies of
theants, leaving their heads fixed on the marg ins of the incision ,
“ata xi a: am : m’
ai rlift-qY ogaratnakara , P . 437.
Suér uta Samhita, I. xxv.
mar i i3m m i l: 1
fl int z? W m id =i axa? u
Ast'
ar'
i ga H rdaya Sarnhita, I. xxix .
ww w w a m fi fi i fi éfi rfi aflztfiaqéfi mSuéruta Serirhi ti , IV. xiv.
THE UPAYANTRA on ACCESSORY INITRUMENTS. 209
in the act of biting . Then the intestines shou ld be replacedwith the ants’ heads sticking to them . Caraka 1 also describesthe use of ants for obliteration of smal l perforations in the
intestin es, but he takes away the ants before replacing the gutinto the abdominal cavi ty . If by any accident, the abdominalmuscles be incised and the intestines come out of a gaping wound,Susruta recommends us to allow black ants to bite the exposedcoi ls of intestines before replacing them into the abdomen
? Thisis a curious practice of ancient surgery of the H indus. The
Greeks.and Arabs never mentioned it. Amongst some Indi an
tribes, it is customary to allow both edgesof a wound to be seized
by the sharp head-nippers of certain ants, whose bodies are then
rapidly cut oif one ant after another being used, the wound isclosed.
” 3
Susi -uta descri bes four sorts of sutures, via
1 . Vellitaka or winding .
2. Gophanika or like a sling .
3 . Tunna sevani or continued sutures.
4. Bjugranthi or interrupted sutures.
1 traumas: ami li t ias ! firfi‘rfirfi : i
great : W‘
are : ass sci as: n
Caraka Samh ita, VI. xvi i i .
Suéruta Samhi ta, IV. i i .
3 Neubu rger’
s H istory of Medi cine. P layfai r’s Translation , Vol . I., P . 9
27
21 0 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
These are advi sed to be so applied as they may su it the differentparts of the body ‘ . The needles mu st not be introdu ced eithertoo far from, or too close to the edges of the wound. In the
former case, the lips of the wound shall be inflamed and so causepain , whi le in the latter , the sutures will g ive way
The u se of horse-hair as a material for suturing woundswas unknown to the Greeks and Romans. They u sed sutures
of flax and woollen threads for wounds. Paul says : “Afterwards
we un ite the seperated parts wi th a needle contain ing a woollenthread, being satisfied with two sutures.
’ 2 Celsus3 advises usto u se sutures of soft thread ; and the apolinose of H ippocrates4
is di rected to be made of crude flax .
1 7 . A§VAKATAKA . THE R ING or A H ORSE’S BRIDLE.
SuSru ta says that when the arrow is firmly fixed in the boneand if it can not be extracted by forcible pu lling by hands or
instruments, it ‘
shou ld be tied to the ring of a horse’s bri dle.
Then the an imal is to be whipped, when by the sudden movementof the horse, the weapon wou ld be jerked out of the wound5 .
1 8. SKK H Z OR BRANCH or A TREE.
An other method is to tie su ch an arrow by means of a rope
fi fih’
fléfifi t I
seesaw 3 i GW EN 33W n
m a anti: M an n
Suéruta San'
ihi ta, I. xxv.
2 P aulus E gineta, VI. x n. Adam’s Translations.
Celsus, V . xxv i .
H i ppocrates, i i i . 1 32.
5 W marfim aa m awaflfiim finds-Ram :
Suéruta Sarhhitfi, I. xxvi i .
21 2 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
20. P ROVZ H ANA O R FLUXING THE PATIENT.
This comprises the acts of emesis, purgation and lacrymalsecretion . Thus the foreign bodies lodged in the alimentarycanal or eyes may be got r id of by causing discharges from the
bowels, the stomach, or the eyesl .
21 . H ARSA OR O BJECTS ExcITING HAPPINESS.
Persons suffering from vrana or wound are directed to havetheir minds in a state of cheerfu lness by the sight of Objectsexciting happiness”. A cheerful man is a better subject for asurgical operation than a morose and g loomy one. Vagbhata
3
adds fear as an accessory instrument. Joy and fear cause a
sudden Change in the temper of a man and so may be of
some help in curing diseases“. Suéruta regards, sorrow as a
Salya or foreign body which is to be removed by joy .
6
22. AY ASK Z NTA O R LOAD -STONE.
M agnet was known to the ancient H indus6 and they used it
m qy gfimfifizm W : vafin
W WIsnfifi taw fi n‘
m m ll
Suéruta Semhi ts, I. xix.
See foot-note l , P . 98.
‘ m sfi’
aflw m xmm wfi wmfi m rfin
Vagbhatartha K aumudi , I. xxv.
Suéruta San'
xhi ti , I. xxvn .
Vai semka Daréanam ,Ch . V Ahnika 15.
THE UPAYANTRA OR ACCESSO RY INSTRUMENTS. 21 3
to extract m inute foreign bodies such as iron particles from the
eyes and teeth. Suéruta l also men tions its use for extracti ng an
arrow from the wound, if it be withou t barbs.
In modern times, a magnet is still used for removing a
particle of iron from the eye.
“Indeed, cases have occu rred inwhi ch the appli cation of an inch bar -magnet connected withfour Grove’s cells to the outside Of the cornea has causedthe foreign body to retrace its course and emerge throughthe wound” . A fragment of iron lying in the vitreou s hasbeen removed by the Snell’s electro-magnet introduced throughthe scleral wound behind the Ci liary reg ion .
“The followingplan of ascertaini ng whether a portion of needle be really im
pacted has been suggested by M arshall, and successfu lly carr iedinto practice by Littlewood Of Leeds. A powerfu l magnet is to
be held upon the part for a quarter Of an hou r, so as to magnetise
the fragment ; a firmly hun g polar ised needle shoul d then besuspended over it, when, if any iron is present, deflection willensue.
” 3
O
23. K SZ RA . CAUSTICS O R POTENTIAL CAUTER Y.
Caustics were highly extolled by the ancient surgeonsas the external applications are better tolerated by the weak and
Wm fi m m '
m z m mit =l|=
Sankara Miéra, Upaskara.
Suéruta Sarhhitfi, I. xxvn .
Carter’s Ophthalmi c Surgery , zud ed P . 369.
3 Erichsen’s Surgery, Vol. I, P . 343.
21 4 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OP THE H INDUS.
O
timid personswho are afraid of the surgeon’s kn ife1 ; thoughSuéruta2 distinctly states The following persons shou ld notbe treated wi th causti cs weak people, children , Old and timidpeople, etc.
” They even g ive them preference to the knife forthey argue that surgical diseases are radically cured by the application of the caustics, without any possibility Of recu rrence.
Suéruta says3 Of all cutting instr uments and their substitutes,
caustics (or vegetable alkalis) are the most important, becauseby means Of them deep and superficial in cisions and scarifications
may be made, derangements Of the three humours may be
rectified and some di seases can be treated with specialadvantage.
4
For the preparati on and uses of caustics, see the SuSruta
Sarhhita, I . xi .
For the application of potential cauter ies, thr ee classes of instruments are recommended.
5
1 . D arvv i— i t is to bemade O f wood and should resemble aspoon in appearance.
1 w et-Triad are“
! ma sun ri ses :
Astanga H rdaya Sainhiti , I. xxix.
Suérnta Sarinhiti , I. xi .
Ib i d. H oernl e’
s Trans. B i b liothica Indica .
Suéruta Satirhi ti , IV. vi .
21 6 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE HINDUS .
25. AGNI. ACTUAL CAUTERY.
SuSruta says1 W ith regard to surgical treatment,
actual cautery is said to be super ior to caustics, in as much as
diseases treated with the actual cautery do not re-appear, andbecau se it can cure diseases which are incu rable by medicinesinstruments, and causti cs.
” 2 This partial ity for cauteries is one
of the reasons of the gradual decadence of H indu surgery and
its total extinction in the present time. TO thi s belief of
the H indus may be compared the following aphorism of
H ippocrates".
“Those diseases which medicine do not cure, the
kni fe cures ; those which iron can not cu re, fire cures ; andthose which fire can not cure, are to be reckoned whollyincu rable” .
For the application Of the actual cautery the foll owingarticles are considered necessary 4
l . P ippali or piper longum
2. Goat’s dung These are to be used for
3 . Teeth of a cow di seases Of the skin .
4. Sara or saccharum sara
5. Probes or Salaka see before5)
1N ew FameW W IIW fi mm ’
fimwm
Suéruta Sarnhi ti , I. xi i .
Ib id . H oernle’s Trans. B ibl io. Ind.
The W ork s Of H ippocrates. Syd. Soc. , vol . II. , p. 774.
See P . 1 59-60.
THE UP AYANTRA O R ACCESSORY INSTRUMENTS. 21 7
6 . Jamvavausthal
U sed for diseases of the7 . Different kinds O f ir on muscles.
8. H oney 2
9 . Treacle
1 0 . Ghee
1 1 . O il
Both Actins and O ribasius represent goat’s dung , poundedwith vinegar , as being equally efficacious as the sinapism
,and
applyi ng particu larly to ischiatic diseases.
” 3 H ippocrates says
that cauterisation may be performed with boxwood spindlesdipped in boi ling O il . 4 In K ordofan , are used El l amai a .
primitive instruments u sed for cauterisation consisting of a pieceOf camel’s or sheep’s dung dried and impaled on a long thorn .
” 5
1 2. Cautery kni fe.— This is to be used in the treatment of
prolapse of the omentum in cases Of ad minal inju r ies. The
m e fleas awaits vi si t-551 : u
Astéfiga B ydeya Sari ihi ti , I. xxx .
Carak a Sarirhi tfi, VI. xi ii .
3 Adams’Commentary On Paul . vol . i i i . bk . v n. sec. xix.
H ippocrates, n . 482.
3 Medi cal P ractices in KordOnfan. Thi rd RepOrt . Wellcome Research
Deboratory , Khar toum .
28
l.
IU sed for diseases of
vessels, jointslrgaments.
J
21 8 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS O F TH E HINDUS.
prolapsed part is to be ligatu red wel l and the cautery knifeused to remove the prolapse below the ligature1
Cautery knife was also known to the Greeks and Romans.
Galen“, speaking Of cancer, says that“some u se heated razor
blades, at once cutting and burn ing ”. Pau l 3 also mentions
a sword shaped cautery in ‘
the radical cu re of hydrocele.
1 3. Plates of copper, lead or i ro n .—In the application of
both ki nds Of cau teries, plates of these metals are to be used to
surround a tumour to prevent inju rv to the adjacent Structures
(Suéruta ) .4
H ippocratesls in the treatment of nasal polypus, says that
when that occu rs we mu st insert a tube and cauterise wi th threeor four irons” . Celsus? says that this tube may be .a calamusor a tube of pottery .
1 4. Cakradatta mentions a probe of gold for applyingactual cautery to the hair follicles after the removal of the
eyelashes, to prevent a recurrence of tr ichiasis.
7
Albucasis similar ly recommends burning the roots of hairs
Snfirnta Satirhiti , IV. i i .
Galen ,xiv . 786.
‘ 3 P au l , vi . lxu .
W M ai zm azr estate'
s :
Suérnta Samb i ti , IV. xi i i .
H ippocrates, u . 244.
Celsu s, vi i . x .
See foot-note 2, p . 66.
220 m s SURGICAL msm uunms or THE H INDUS.
Jeodam)} decoctions or cold inf usions of astringent and unirr itat-T
ing barks should be used as washes for promoti ng g ranulationsin u lcer . Tents for promoting g ranulations should be made of
some (Sareostemna trevz'
stziqma) , arm/
rim (Cocculws
aévayandfifi (Wi t/am i d, sommf em ) , the plants included under the
class of kaikq édi , and the buds of (Ficu s
In treati ng inflammation , the H indu surgeon s Used pastesto g ive relief to the pain and tension ; warm pou lticesto promotesuppuraticm ; medi cinal applications and in cisions by knifeforopening a bscesses ; demulcent articles to promote discharges ;decoctions of drugs as corrective washes ; tents of dr ug s
'
and
lints for introducing them i nto the cavities of the abscesses
decoctions in oi ls and clarified butter to improve the character
of u lcers ; pasti ls for fumiga ting sores ; tents, pastes, powders
and lotions for promoting g ranu lations drugs to repress,
hi gh
granulations ; drainage to preven t infection , and bandages to
give the part rest. This shows that the H indus were . not
wholly ignorant of the antiseptic methods of treating wounds(1 Susruta en joins that a’
cer tain incense should be kept burningin the Operation room .
O f the additions to the l ist of Susru‘ta by Vag bhata, we
need consider the goat’s gut on ly .
Gou’s GUT.
The intestines of the goats, etc. are to be dried and preparedas
’
nIaterials of ligature1 . They should be used in l igaturingfine Vessels after inci sion by kn ife, evidently2t0 check Immora
See foot note 1 , P . 223.
THE URAYANTRA on accessor y INSTRUMENTS. 221
The. use of goat’s . gu t in surgery is generally considered to
have been unknown to the Greeks and Romans, as it is'
notmentioned in their works. B ut Adams poi nts out 1 “that the
strings. of ancient harp were made of the guts of a sheep,” and
this he clearly proves from a passage in the O dyssey of H omer .
H ippocrates2 used apolinose made of crude flax, whichis also mentioned by P aul for the delegation of arteries.Rhases however describes the use of strings of harp
”as a
material for sutu re in the operation called gastrm'aphé.
Anans'r or HEMO RRHAGE.
It is generally believed and often stated in modern works onsurgery that the ancients were u nacquainted'
wi th the propertreatment of héerhorrhage. Susruta however enumerates fou rdifferent ways of arresting hemorrhage after venesection; namely :
1 . Sandhana —Contraction of thewound by astringentdecoctions of Chebu lic Myrobolan and the rootbarks of the panchavalkala trees(five barks) .
2. Skandana —o r thi ck en ing of the blood by the application of severe cold.
3; Pachana —or descicating or drying up the wound
4.Dahana z—or cauterising the veins to make them
1 See Commentary on P-au l , VI. Iii. vol . II, P . 345 . Syd. Soc. Ed.
H i ppocrates, i i i . 1 32.
Rhases. Cont. xxvi i i .
wfésaéafsnfsw fim tfi l
W m fi am ssfi w u
222 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or Tun'
n i NDus.
If the blood does not'
thicken by the application of cold,
astr ingents shou ld be applied if these fai l ashes shou ld be used.
B y means of these three modes, the physician shou ld endeavourto the
'
best'
of his abilities t o stop the bleeding , but if successbe not still obtained, cautery may be resorted to as the
absolute effective means‘
. To stop bleeding f rom an ar tery , he
advi ses us to apply astr ingents and pressure with the fingers.
Vagbhata2also describes these methods of arresting hazmorrhage,
and advisesu s that i f the ordinary means do not check the
bleeding , the vessel must be again opened at a poin t in i ts coursebeyond the bleeding l
area, or actual cautery applied. Cak radatta
also repeats these direction s”.
Vagbhata however mentions the sheep’s gut amongst theaccessory instruments. H is com '
nentator explains i ts use for
m : m : w n m'
m fi firfi u
Susru ta Sazhh i ti , I. xiv .
1n ew ? uteri m e vi talaqu
can? W e visit : 13W ?! u
fi fi fa fifi‘
izn was amfi f‘
s
wi‘
ef‘
swqe525 i n: ar e m i l u
9(i f afirsfii Fi m
‘
m afimaiqfame
i n: fins; nus m eme aim-i : u
m wi t m 3 : 1
far-”
gi ftsw as w ai tsfat rai nn
m at inFai r fsé‘
xm qamfimgn
’
an a fta'
et am m H
Astdnga H rdaya Sa inh iti , I. xxvrn
See Cak radatta, Si ravyadhadhi kara .
224: THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE‘
: HINDUS.
for arresting haemorrhage. Thus it becomes apparent. that the
use of ligature for Stopping bleeding was well known tothe:ancient surgeons and the present methods of arresting bleedingare only the revival of the old practice. Adams l concludes It
appears, therefore, that the use of the ligature for stoppinghemorrhages was well understood by the ancients, and had
never been lost sight of even in the darkest ages.
”
Adam’s Coni men tary on P aul , vol . II. p. 1 82.
CHAP TER VI.
THE SASTRA on THE SHARP INSTRUMENTS.
I. THE MANDALZ GRA O R. RO U ND B EADED K NIFE.
It is descr ibed as a round or circu lar headed cutting instrumen t, having a length of six angul i. Two sub -varietiesare noted
- one with a circu lar edge and the other shaped like a razor
(Dallana) .l Vagbhata
fl, however, describes the blade to be
shaped lik e the index finger when its nail points towards the
palm of the hand. This would then resemble the decapitatinghook of Ramsbotham .
It is said to have been principally used for the operation of
cutting through and scraping 3 so it is recommended to .be used
W‘
m mm‘
as fifimlmnfs
as?! w e an at sw iman
W e: atri ummm ReaganN ivandha Samgraha , vii i .
aw n as? as? m e ta”
n
Astanga H rdaya Baren ts, I. xxvi .
g a 0
ti n-
m , menu! ma ma, ma, we fi t , asm wes fi sun, was,
mafi a w z, W i re ; mien swig : seismic ; afimfit (mu as:
sq mim ic ; ne w m fismfss; file-
3, flew wi th ,
Vi gbhati rtha K aumudi , I. xxvi .
mani a calm sfi fim fisfi m m eia seamSarvanga Sundar i
'
,I. xxvi .
3as sw eaters? emu333 its? s l
Susruta . Samhita, I. vi i i .
226 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
in the operative treatment of enlarged tonsil 1 It is also advisedto be used for piercing the skul l of a dead foetus in utero tohelp its easy extraction by other in struments. So any otherpresenting part causing difficu lty in the delivery of thedead
foetus, is to be cut wi th it . It is claimed that there is lesslikelihood of damag ing the soft parts of the mother by thisinstrument than by the sharp pointed vrddhipatra.
2
W e find that Susruta recommends a mandalagra knife in oph
thalmi c practi ce for scraping away the membranous expansion inthe operation of ptery gium 3
and other ophthalmi c operations,
W e fiffi fi nem ai l
Susru ta Saxhhiti , IV. xxu .
as remnants new firfi fiafi fixzm m usj n
cam-(fa new? siss‘
tsfifi firtfe sirens? are an
ars'
teat stormednew an fir st foam s: infestedm i m e
“W W I
fla i rss'
ft 'rfimm aafi afifi
Ufimm fi mm fisfirsfim i
M adam e?“
fififiami ufi qsnhfi vfisnz
W u nn’
ai fim fo—Erm l
Ib id, Iv. xv.
5 wt as avatars adm in Ewa n
wars? f amine: sfsfia emits : 1
seem s: we 11351 151 1: si gn: u
new fan"
envisag eaa?“
228 TRE sURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
A small instrument with a broad blade and a roundedcutting tip is figured by Albucasis 1 in connection withOphthalmic work . This was the scalpel for the plasti c operationon the eyelid as for trichiasis. Incisi ons were made by thisknife on the eyelids in such a way as to enclose a leaf-shapedarea whi ch was then di ssected off . The lips of the incisionswere then united with three or four sutures”. Pau l s
,
‘ quotingActins4
,describes the operati on for pterygia H aving
separated the eyelids, and seized upon the pteryg ia wi th a hooklike instrument, having a small curvature, we stretch it, and
taking a needle having a horse-hair and a strong flaxen thr ead
in i ts ear (eye 7) and a little bent at the extremity, we tran sfix
it through the middle of the pteryg ium, and with the thread
we bind the pteryg ium and raise it upwards, whi le with thehair we separateandsaw as it were thepart at thepupi l away u ntoits extremity but the remainder of it at the great canthus we
cut ofi from the base with the scalpel used for the operati on bysuture, but leaving the natural flesh of the canthus
,lest there
be a runn ing of the eye when it is taken away . Some stretchingas aforesaid with a thread, dissect away the whole pteryg iumwith the instrument called pterygotomos, taking care not
to touch “
the corner .
”
Cakradatta mentions the use of the mandalagra for scarifying
saw -163 m ? HWZ W I I
N
Cakradatta , Netraroga Cik i tsa.
1 M i lne. Grmoo-B oman Surgical Instruments, P 1. ix. fig . 3 .
9 P au lus ZEgineta, VI. vi i i .
3 Ib id, VI. xvi i i .
Actins, II. i i i . 60 .
THE §ASTRA OR TH E SHARP INSTRUMENTS. 229
the tongue for bleeding in the disease called Jihvakantaka
(prickly tongue) 1 . H e also u ses it in adhijihva'
or ranu la and
says : The tongue is to be raised, the ran ula is to be drawn up
and fixed by a sharp hook , and then excised by the mandalag ra .
Af terwards a strong gargle is to be prescribed” .
2 Palakapyas
'
also describes it to have a length of nine angu li, the handle beingSix, and the blade thr ee angu li long . The end is fu ll-moonshaped and it is directed to be used for scarification on the
eyeball .
It.
seems that mandalagra of di iferent sizes and shapes wereused. For the instrument u sed for perforating the foetalcran ium in u terus would scarcely be thought fit for a delicateoperation on the eyeball .
Soranus 4 mentions a special instrument for perforatingthe fe tal head. Rhases5 di rects u s to open the head when the
child’s cranium is large and cannot be brought down . H aly
swag fim‘ lfi a h it-raises: sfi l
fiwsztfifigga: w as; afiq u
Cakradatta , J ihvaroga O iki tss.
assess m u ffi n
Tattva Candr iki , Ib id.
W W M i ri amfifis: u
Cakradatta. Mukharoga Cik itss.
6137?3113 6111?111 art's!
“
atria?“sax
P i lak i pya, III. i .
{di am sw amPalakapya, III. i i i .
Soranus, II. vi i i ., P . 366.
Khassa, Cont.-xxii .
230 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
Abbas1 also advi ses us to open the head when it is preternaturally large. Aetius2 also gives a simi lar discription .
Some authors recommend the polypu s-scalpel or the phlebotomein embryotomy . The embrvotome figured by Albucasis3is a straight two-edged blade, and we may conjecture that themandalagra u sed by the H indus for perforating the faetal
cranium was a similar instrument .
2. K ARAPATRA on SAW .
It literally means, “an instrument having the blade in the
form of a hand”
, the fingers being represented by the ‘
teeth
of the saw . O thers expla in , as B allana4 points out, the name
from its resemblance to a carpenter’s saw . It seems that
saws of variou s sizes were u sed. SuSruta mentions its lengthto be six angul i, V5gbhata
5 descr ibes it to be ten anguli
H aly Ab b as, Fract. ix . 57.
Aeti us, XVI. 23.
a Gram -Roman Surg ical Instrumen ts, P l . vi i i . fig . 7.
w as W\W
'
W'
am a i tssfi tfimfsfii flafd asqaqmnfsd mrrq w as ?“ $3 6 w and m amma as mmjs
m as-
(m l fi afi m m w w as ? flfi; and firm:
mzm m fifim fimfi a m ufi mfiwms‘
a W W
N ivandha Samgraha, I. vi i i .
33mg? m mart sunfish
Astangi H rdaya Sambi ti , I. xxvi .
W m fia rants m mqa m aa‘
« sa rcasm
232 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H l NDUS.
Annecdotes of King Bhoja, a surgical opera tion performed on the
king . _ H e was snfiering from a severe pain in the head.
M edicines did him no good, and so to g ive relief, surg icalinterferen ce was thought necessary by two brother su rgeonswho happened to arrive in Dhar at that time. They are saidto have adm ini stered a drug cal led sammohin i to render him
insensible. They then trepanned the skull and removed the realcause of his complaint. They closed the open ing , stitched thewound and applied a healing balm . They are then said to have
admini stered to the king another drug called safi jibani to
accelerate the return of consciou sness.
Trephine was well known to the an cient Greeks and R omans.
H ippocrates ‘ mentions a trephine or a saw having a circularmotion , in the treatment of in ju ries to the head. Pau l alsomentions trephine, the u se of which is, he says, condemned
by the modem s. Sprengel 2 remarks, that Galen was averseto the use of the trepan, though he performed the operation on
” 3the head occasionally.
3. VRDDH IPATRA.
Thi s sharp cutting instrument is cal led vrddhipatra from itsresemblance to the leaf of a medicinal plant called vrddhi . Two
varieti es of this kn ife ar e described by Vagbhata 4 —one is
1 H ippocrates, 374.
H i st. de la Med., 1 8.
Adam’s Commentary on P au l ,
‘
VI, xc. Vol . u ., p. 436.
4SW W 33 i n ms? l
w as i ts and? 6 m ma
m'
su i t i s sass? amu‘
n
Asti figa H rdaya Saxi ihita, I. xxv i
THE s'
ASTRA OR THE SHAR P INSTRUMENTS. 233
straight throughou t‘
and it is to be u sed for o pen ing pointedsuperficial abscesses ; and the other has the end bent or curved .
Again amongst the second class of curved knives, some havetheir ends long and therefore called di rgha-vaktra or longmou thed, and these are to be u sed for open ing the deep seated
abscesses,while others have thei r ends short and therefore called
hrasva -vak tra or short-mou thed, and these are to be used for
superficial abscesses that wou ld not point. Suéru ta descr ibes themto be six angu li long . B allana in his commentary 1 says
Both the varieties, one with a curved,—and this i s called a
k surai or razor , -and the other wi th a resected point, should beseven angu li long ; the handles and the blades shou ld measure
five and a half and one and a half anguli respectively . Theseare to be u sed for cu tting through a part
,partially or completely,
and also for punctur ing it .
sfsvausr'
r mains sfsqafifi rfz afifl a'
r am m i, m i, W ,
W fidfi fi : ua f‘
ai‘
l s'
fl w ith as sfifi m’
iw sue: mesa
11511 31 .a sf‘
sqai sz'
star?“ as mm '
are ma"
3? 1“
:s m as t it is:
W EEfi sfimfim Fatwa fafifi‘
asmen u as as]? a sfsus'
W
W W , mm af‘
smizl as, sara, v ista, 9113 , i ras'
l
as wi fe: was? shit, w asw , s §sfl a as, as am , W ei? 7mm
afiuamw’
r, sfsamfasrii : u as sfsqéset w as as“ as, ari se}
$6 315“
an am I am fsfa nah? xii i ai m“
, was? a asw as?”
as fsféru'
afawa sa ga-
q, Ea fii sins-
s unfit}, saintsW as sa‘
“ if
sléfifi szi Graffiti? ! 3133 1, 21 3 , mm mar i a"
! m m W fiat!
m fiwfi fiafi l waft, Fwd W sfii sfimVagbhatar thr
a K aumndi,I. xxvi .
1 W ilda, s3i z tra ins s qa‘
as fifaa'
w’
a im s, Fsrhzi Imam
é" wfizs ins-s unfit} stiltfii “asN W: (31 sfi
’
andmidi-
311 m sisw asta f
‘
am'
sfswai st ars:
30
N ivandha San'
i graha, I. vi i i .
234 THE SuRGi CAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
O ne form of the vrddhipatra resembles in shape the razoru sed by the barbers, —not the English razor that has now becomecommon in Bengal, but the coun try -made razors which are stil lused by the barbers in the N orth-W est Provinces.
Sufiruta recommends the use of razor , scissors and pin chersfor shavi ng the parts before operation ; for “the hairs” , he says,prevent the healing up of the wound rapidl H e again u ses
vrddhipatra as a knife and observes —“If bitten by spiderswhose bites are amenable to treatment
, the area of the woundshould at once he excised out by the v jrddhipatra, and then actualcautery applied by the red—hot jamvavau stha probe till thepatient requests for its wi thdrawal” a
Suéruta u ses the vrddhipatra kn ife for theremoval of the scrotaltumour and says
”:
“The scrotal tumou r is to be well fomentedand bandaged. The patient shou ld then be cheeredup, and leavingthemsticles intact, underneath themedian raphe, thetum our shouldbe excised by vrddhipatra kn ife. The fatty tisnes being
W T ssh as a m 1?“
w i fim'
s‘
r umfimfin firéi qnSuéruta sa lam i , Iv . i .
sm fimfii fgmfivim w aff i rm
stasi s «fawn S amaram u
em issifit ai rs sew m l
Ib id, v. vi i i .
‘ fsa’
r vfiq a m m m él
Ib id,Iv. x ix
236 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
directs us to scarify a part with a razor and'
then apply an
ointment of gunja (Abr us precator iu s) in sciatica, scrofulou s
glands of the n eck , etc. For treating a person in the state of
u ncon sciousness caused by the derangemen t of all the humours,he directs u s to scar ify the anterior fontanelle with a razor , thento apply as mu ch medici ne as can be car r ied on the point of an eedle to the part and rub it with fingers
1 The medicine i s to beprepared thu s —take acon ite l pala , qu icksi lver 1 sana ; m ix , and
pu t inside two sorabas or earthen basins smeared wi th powdered
glass and placed face to face. Apply some external applicationover this and pu t it on fire for six hou rs. Then open the basins,take the soot collected on the upper basin and deposit it in a
g lass vessel qu ickly to prevent exposure. Carak a 2 also advisesu s to apply a medicinal paste on a cr an ial incision , shaped like
1 fits safari aat ai f‘
uai suiasaa
a'
sur'
am? a as ! m f‘
aaatrsz‘
rizn
W are“a aims aasai i Fai saa
aria? ad: as”. awia m a alarm“
aa m masti ti s?! smash
as : fi gfiaw m faai fa am II
mm a’
i xfiré‘
tfi fits—6 a afamfirfin
s i s! was affj aasan a a iaa u
(a?{ma M i safsiifiisfii fa aflafa t
ai ls vist a; saras’
fisfa afiafa u
save-
rm wasammi l”
as as? It
sarngadhara Sarfigr aha ,
fiasfisra await} Emm a u
aaaa sh af t m isri faaaa u
THE §ASTRA on THE SH ARP INSTRUMENTS. 237
the foot of a crow, in case of snake-bite when he becomesunconscious but his l ife is not completely despaired of .
4. N AxHA SASTRA O R NAIL PARER .
Suéruta 1 mentions i ts length to be eight anguli. Dallana"Y
says that its blade is two angul i long and one angul i broad.
Vagbhatas, on the other hand, descr ibes the length to be n ine
anguli. Arunadatta 4 thinks it to be a double instrument, one
end havi ng a straight edge and the other an oblique one. Some
explain ‘ that two different ki nds of nakha sastra—one with a
straight and the other with an oblique edge—are directed to be
Used.
v itamin: asst faai aa‘
gram s: n
Carak a Sarhhiti , VI. xxv .
Suérnta Samhiti , I. vi i i .
am fara amsi tam ma’
m ad am aa‘
manna tw igs
W W afia w as? “
Astanga. H rdaya Satinhiti , I. xxvi .
4 m'
aa fi7aa’af
‘
aa i aa aai asslaam as: aéaql aa’zai
g ram m l
Sax-vangasundar i , I. xxvi .
5 m am a assimt f‘
aaifi: sa ra? seam-ma ama aafaaa fi f‘
é
mm'
at? as: a a'la am aa i a fi Q
'
s? sai‘
s um m anaJ am
asias'
i W is saw amsmfifiia as m infirm zi’
ras'
m m f‘
s W 0! W zm a'sn i f
‘
a m sfsfi z aaa
vi ta-
1 i ts aha l
V—agbhatartha K aumudi , I. xxvi .
238 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H i Nnus.
They are principally recommended for cutting , puncturin gand scarifying ‘ and also for the extraction of needles and minu teforeign bodi es from the soft parts.
There is no mention of a m any-bladed scarificator in the
surg ical books of theH indus, bu t i ts officewas performed by the
nakha Sastra, in wet cupping , by making parallel incisions closeto one another .
Pau l? alludes to an instrument compounded of three
b lades joined in such a way that at one stroke, three scarifica
tions were made ; but he prefers a sing le scalpel for the purpose.
Palakapya mentions an instrument called rampakas,having
the handle ten angu li and the blade three anguli long . It is to
beu sedfor paring the nails and clean ing the feet of the elephants.
5. M UDRIK K .
It is described to be a cu tting instrument of the size of the
last phalanx of the index finger-4 it is also called angu li-Sash a or
finger-knife. V i gbhatadescribes this instrument but not Clear ly .
H e says that the mouth of theangu li—sastra looks as if com ingout of a ring , and the blade ishalf an angul i wide. A ring , havi ngthe
'
size sufficient to admit the terminal phalanx of the index
sfawa m afifi sawamf amfir M itzi :
Susi-m Sathhiti , 1 . vi ii .
P au lus E g ineta, VI. xl i .
m amamam martini m a“
Qfir l
P i lokfipya, III, 1 11 1 .
‘EQW WQHW W I
Sni ruti Sambi ti , I. v i i i .
240 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS .
and from which protrudes a sharp pointed blade about an inchlong , by which the cran ium was pierced ‘ .
In the pseudo-H ippocratic treatise5a a knife to fix on the
thumb and dismember a foetus in u tero is mentioned. Thisknife is called by Tur tul lian 3 the “
r ing knife” , whereby the limbsare advised to be cut off in the womb . It is intersting to pointout that mudri ka al so means a r ing .
The veter inary surgeons stil l use a scalpel blade mounted on a
r ing“, through which a forefinger is passed to dismember foalsand calves in exactly the same way .
6. U TP ALAPATRA .
This kn ife is described to have the shape of a petal of the bluelotus. The end is long , sharp
’
and poin ted. The utpalapatra is
di rgha-vaktra or long bladed, whi le the arddhadhara is the hrasva
vaktra or short bladed kn ife5 . It is to he used for cuttingthrough and pu nctu ring the parts.
Ed. Med. Essays, vol . V, P ar t I, P . 445 .
H ippocrates, I. 463 .
3 De An ima , 26.
Gresco-Roman Surg ical Instruments, P 1 . v 1 1 . fig . 1 .
ai m Emmi
W W W 335? am 11
Astat'
iga H rdaya Samhi té, I. xxvi .
W W ma sti r sa im k w e swim-w it sum“
aah: m azé‘
t swmeti muss? first? am, amm‘
éri sst aa‘
man as
mm’
ifimfi‘
, swimm'
s is-
same?” B assi st amunam'
w’
stat-
21 stam i n a as] m ] emm sfiafimm fi fit 613mmstfifi ‘
fli‘ m am as swim
’
t fi fi é’ffitfimfifi fi ffizfifi 55 W
«is I asm agma“
fi fe sis-fittai nt I
Vi gbhatartha K aumudi , I. xxvi .
THE éASTRA on TH E SHAR P INSTRUMENTS. 241
In the Asvavaidyaka, theu tpalapatra and vrihipatra knivesa rerecommended to be used in puncturing the veins i n phlebotomy ’ .“The su rgeon who is practically acquainted with the methodsof pun ctur ing the veins, should use the utpalapatra and vr ihipatra.
kn ives for the purpose.
”
W hen used for punctu ring the large veins the knife is recom
mended to be encircled with thread at a short di stance from the
end to prevent unnecessary inju ry to the vessels by plung ing thethe kni fe deeply ”.
H ippocrates similarly gau rds his phlebotome in the surg icaltreatment of empyema, by havin g it wound round with a rag,
leaving the breadth of the thumb nail at the point.” 3 ‘
Both theutpalapatra and vr i himukha knivesare thus describedin theAs
‘
vavaidyaka4: The “vr ihimukha knifeshouldbe six anguli
long and half an angu li wide. The utpalapatra shou ld also beS
The u tpalapatra kn ife is recommended to be used for incising
316W si ren—2m at firsts“
Afivavaidyaka, XIV. v. 23.
9 m i ni m313°
W et si gm a
sm urfw e: aah fiefi aqfil‘
fl ‘ i ll
Ibid, XV. v. 35.
Hi ppocrates, H . 258 K uhn’
s Ed . and 1 . 88 Syd. 80 0. Ed.
vi i -gates fit-
shit i m’
W W I
may afifiafi'
m amfim qm u
M vavaidyaka, XIV. v. 21 .
242 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
the abdominal parietis of the horse ; then a tube is to be pushedthrough the wound in the operation of paracentesis abdom in is l .
The phlebotome used by the Greeks is n owhere described intheir books but f rom considerations of all the various operationsto which the i nstrument was pu t bears ou t the fact of its beinga sharp pointed
,double-edged and straight lancet . The
phlebotome of the Greeks m ight have then resembled in shape theu tpalapatra of the H indus. It was used by the Greeks for
various operations besides phlebotomy, as for the open ing of
abscesses su ch as the parulis or gum boi l 2 , pun ctu re of
cavities contain ing flu id as in open ing the abdomen for ascitess,
incising the tun ica vag inalis as in excision of hydrocele sac4and
for dissecting ou t warts5 and sebaceous cysts“.
It is interesting to note that Palakapya 7 mention s utpalapatra and describes it to beeight angu li long , one and a half
angu li broad and double edged . H e u ses it for pun ctur ing vessels
w nfi mfi stimii st ai rs—cm
u
afew m i sfit msi w’
lssnm u
A§vavaidyak a , LII. vs. 25, 26 and 27
P aul , VI. xxvn .
Ib id, VI. L .
Ib i d, VI. lxi i .
5 Ib id,VI. lxxxv i i i .
3° Ib id
,VI. xi v .
firm s? warmi tPalak fipya, III. xxx .
244 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDU S .
shaped like a paddy .-In thickn ess, these needles are described
to beequal to the stal k of the flower of -malati (Jasm inum grandiflorum ) . They shou ld have sharp fine points and good shape
l.
The needles are also recommended to be u sed for extraction of
foreign bodies from the soft structures and also for evacuatingabscesses2
1i t its? m ai d :
swat al i en senw e atfv 116m "
s‘
fi tfi i fem HW Z‘
QWFU
{saf a ri-at : W arm : gazetteer: I
Su§r u ta Samhi ta, I. xxv .
sw eat: mi fi s zris'
flsa sh i n
steam sawmi m s i s umm t
quanti fier stifle: m at ers t-twat :
f ittes t assist W t
131 rui n s i t Usfi fi w ‘
s’
fi fl u
Astanga H rdaya Samhita, 1 .
Items? dim ? si t,‘aim’
fas’
imfi fim am a i sfi trtwat,
sum mi t maturitie s a sta in-
sui t as“: si n
sa'atei FE summi t am m fi i utfizfitm
’
t scan stfit us i s must
M am stem-
as W WW stew ed, smi te! s’
fsursr‘
rs must
as? riser-tat, st-
s fim t eat, m am, assist, w e mm‘
W’
m i tes stalwarts? W WII first, fi fe sat, meant: ami s ‘ssim
’
uqi i m mmufi mi i rs m,sti rs r ttfits srsfi t i tgj inatfit sitar smfit
{s ea ms sta i rs Imi st-
r m em I eéatrfizm sfi wa n
Vagbhatar tha K aum udi , I. xxvi .
W W W fi fi rfi W t
Suéruta Satinhi ti , I. viii“
.
“
THE IASTRA on THE SHARP IN STRUMENTS. 245
In modern times, the su rgeon s u se fu lly curved, half-curvedand straight surg ical needles. W ar ing 1 remarks : The shapeof the needle which ought to be u sed for closing an incisiondepends upon the depth and accessibility of the wound. In deepwounds, or wounds which are not readi ly accessible, curvedneedles will be found to be most usefu l, while for shallow cutsstraight needles will be most convenient.”
Suéruta makes menti on of a javamukhi needle2 (l i t. havingthe sharp end shaped l ike a bar ley corn ) for passing a doubleligature smeared with escharotic ointment, across the base of atumohr in opposite di rections. Then by cutting through the
nooses, and tying togeher the contig uou s ends of the ligatures,the whole of the growth is encircled and strang led by them ,
exactly in the same way as in modern times a naevus is ligaturedby means of a na vu s needle. Cak radatta also quotes thisdescription
'of the method of extirpating tumours by digatures.
Erichsen says3 ~ W hen the tumou r is small, an ordi nary
double l igatu re may be pa ssed across its base, by means of acommon suture needle ; and the noose being cut and the thread
tied on each. side, strangu lati on wi ll be effected. When it is of
larger size, and of round shape, the most conven ient method isthat recommended by Liston . It consists in passing, by means
Manual of Operative Surgery . B y H . J. War i ng, M .S. , M .B . , Thi rd
edi tion , P . 42.
“531k ?! mafi a: 1 3 ea'
firm i ng
fi tfii si asai fimfi a'
at w a rm
as“
! with arthr i tis? sim i an -
q u
Suéru ta Sarhhi ta,IV. xvu .
Cak radatta, Nadivrauacik itsa.Erichsen
’s Surgery, Vol . II, P . 73.
246 TH E SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS.
of long naevus needles, fixed in wooden handles, and havingtheir eyes near their points, double whipcord ligatures in oppositedi rections beneath the tumour then cu tting through the nooses,and tying together the contiguou s ends of the l igatures untilthe whole of the g rowth is enci rcled and strangled by them .
”
There are many instances of the use of su rg ical needle by theGreek and Roman Su rgeons. N eedles of different sizes are
recommended. Celsu s mentions a large needle in describing the
operation of su turi ng the abdom inal par ietis 1 and another,
evi dently a small needle, which i s sai d to have been u sed in the
treatment of staphyloma of the cornea ? The needles were
either round or three- cornered.
“A few three- cornered needles
of Roman or ig in have been fou nd, although they are rare”
(M ilne3 ) . Pau l u ses a needle in su ture of the upper eyelid, andother modes of operating for tri chiasis ‘t
,for the repair of wounds
of the peritoneum 5,
and recommends a large sized needlecon tain ing a double thread to close the peritoneum i n the operation for en tcrocele“.
P alakapya mentions sfici or needles for stitching wounds".
They are eight angul i long , shaped like the t-u sk of an elephantand are either thr ee r ibbed, or fou r ribbed, or round, smooth and
1 Celsu s, VIII, xvi .Ib i d ,
VII. vi i .
3 Greeco-R oman Sur gical Instrum en ts, P . 75.
P a Ilu s E gn eita , VI. v i i i .
6 Ib id, v1 . Ii i .
Ib id,vi . lxv .
7Efi fiamw
°
t stvtsfi m fi t m m m m m mm m an it? smfimm
°
¢u
248 TH E SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or TH E H INDUS .
and the handle four angu li , bu t according to Bhoja, the handleis . three angul i long . It i s to b e used for drain ing pu s fromabscess. T he handle has a ring li ke ornamentation , about one
angu li in di ameter . Another var iant readi ng descr ibes the blade,the ring , and the handle to have the leng ths of two, three, and
two angul i respectively . This wou ld make the total length of
the instrument to be seven ang ul i ; so evidently there is somelapsu s calami in the second reading .
Cak radatta u ses kuSapatra as a bleeding lancet and says1
O ut of the twelve vessels that lieon the sides and underneath the
tongue, select the two large blui sh vessels on either sides bf thetongue, raise them up by vadiéa or hook and pun ctur e them by the
kuSapatra kni fe and then , after bleeding , apply a paste of treacleand g inger to the wound” . In the Y ogaratnakara
2, the author
advises u s to adopt thi s method of bleeding , in the treatment oftumours in the neck .
Palakapya menti ons kus'apatra and descr ibes it as beingshaped like a k usa grasss . It isn ineangul i long— thehandlebeing
1 fi t-
mm: mi i tsuui film W afififai zt
are? erogfifi as]?m a g sfi : stir "
Cakradatta, Galaganda Ciki tsi .
fai rs: mi sinignfism i 133! fi fii at: l
mermj ffi i s ta i ns? s ai m -3m
g i t Iii ai r afoul zi nesm n
Y ogaratni k ara , P . 321 .
W I W fi l EU’
I Hersfl q va‘t m ew .
estimateM i ami sesam umfisewi t
P i lak i pya, III. xxx.
THE SASTR-A OR. THE SHAR P INSTRUMENTS . 249
five or six angul i and the blade four angu li long .
‘
The/b lade is
one and a half anguli wide and is sharp-edged on botlr
’
Sides
double-edged) . It isu sed for incising deep abscesses.
1 0 . ATIM UK HA .
This instrument is described to have the shape li ke the beakof the jalavardhan i bird or (Tu rdus ging in iamus),—a bi rdliving in the marshes. It is six angu li long the blademeasuringtwo and the handle four angul i .
'
se it is of the same sizeas the k uéapatra to which it also resembles in function . Bhoja isof opin ion that i ts blade is one and the handle seven anguli
1 1 . SARKRIMUK HA .
This instrument is a pair of scissors resembling the face of the
long beaked b ird called s’ arar i . D allana descr ibes two varieti esof the b ird, one with white shou lders, and theo ther with a red
head . It is the former kind which is r efer red to here ‘l. Suéri ita
describes its length to be ten angu l is, while Dallana mentions the
length to be twelve angu li .
‘Hfl fifi fflfit, stif f assist} 71W! starfish : “W i lla
“am asm
stti’tge m i is “ HEW !
N i vandha Samgraha , I. v i i i .
2 m i tesfitfa, iri s? statistics: U fi tter: wai ter-s: (artists W W W
amfifit Um assumes am w e: shi t m i sfits Si n ins i tems-Jet
seasumswirl !
3 m ay!“smi les? at fi’
fifit fi W‘
d-I‘
Suéruta Samhita, 1 . vi i i .
THE SURG ICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E HINDUS.
It is recommended to be u sed for evacuating abscess‘ , etc.
Su§ruta mentions karttar i as a synonym but Vagbhata counts itas a separate instrument. H e descr ibes karttar i as a pair of
scissors used by the barbers for clipping hai r and is said to have
been necessary for div iding the nerves, ligaments and fine hairs”.
1 2. ANTARM UK HA.
‘
SuSruta describes another var iety of scissors, used p rincipallyfor evacuating abscesses. It
.
is so named, for its straight cuttingedges are within its cur ved claws3 . It is said to be six anguli longand one and a half angu li broad“. It seems that the curvatIire ofthe blade varied widely ; and Vagbhata describes a variety called
Asti nga H rdaya Sari lhi ta, I. xxvi .
at? fastest“? i nitial m ien fass'a
'
i w that” ai m
Végbhatar tha K aum l'
i di , I. xxvi.
my Hut fi fi? atr i a fi ftfim I
Asti uga H rdaya Samhita, I. xxvi .
W W i nfiganfi: fi fiamm'
seem as ewe? W 3 1 1
fi zfi a fiw’
l sdfi smfl sfitw nfefi zt
Vfigbhati rtha K aumfidi , I. xxvi .
3W fifi fiifit Haw m ums
name an m i ea Shari I
N ivandha Samgraha, I. vi i i .
W ES as: W inni ngs n
Asti flga H rdaya Samb iti , I. xxvi .
TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H IN D US.
u
wooden handle ‘ . According to Sus'
ruta,'
the length of'
the instru
ment is six angu l i ; B u t others descr ibe it as eight angu li long, theblade and the handl e measu ring three and five angul i respecti vely?
The distan ce between the edges is the breadth of a g rain of rice.
The endo f the handle is ornamented w ith a ci rcu lar metallic plateas a r ing .
It i s recommended to be u sed for evacuating abscesses and fordrain ing blood from the nasal polypus.
Caraka 3 menti on s an instrument called kfi rcca and says
“After fomenting and thus soft en ing the rounded nodules (ofleprosy) which are fixed and hard
,by heated stones and
fumigations through tubes,they are to be in ju red by the kfircca
and the blood that oozes ou t, should be w iped away .
Two other instruments are descr ibed by Vagbhata as beingconstru cted on a sim il ar principle. O ne is named kfircca and the
1 fi i éa fii fa ea : aei are an{enemy i i : i s? i fs eta :
vagbhatértha K aum fici i , I. xxvi .
2 fafi efii fa as : i i i are sqfai n?“ na Her-ate
eemfii aewfi e m'
fi re'
fefi'
fi wfiem i aeérfeéFafii : I
li ai se n ew filman m am are
N i vandha Samgraha , 1 . vi i i .
3 fe r-
«1mm fem ? aetumtefi : I
fi fi efsam m afimsqfiae : uCaraka San
’
nhi té, VI. VII.
THE SASTRA OR THE si -lAR P i NE’
I‘R UMENTS . 253
other , khaja . The kfircca ‘ he describes as an instrumen t“consist
ing of seven or eight rounded Sharp needles, fou r angu li long , n icclybound together by a cord and tightly fixed on a ci rcu lar W oodenhandle.
” H ementions its u se in the operation’
of scratching to cu rebaldness and the brown and black spots on the face. For scar ifying a bald spot, Cak radatta 2 uses needles, rough leaves, etc.
“The
khaja 3 ,” Vagbhata continues, “consists of eight rou nded needles
havi ng the sharp ends half an anguli long . It is to be introdu ced
1 W m M : eerie? En gee—vim
rifl e : fi fean si s ai l—R5 aria-n,
Astanga H rday'
a San’
rhita, I. xxvi .
sul fa {aid and eat-i sms new? in : 113 1 : eéqe ant: ai m: sin
s imian: eat-
seam: as :mafi a HT: 116 1 : Us: Eileen ? M imi er?
a ria new air} riferc‘
flz, (a? fi rs t? aim affirm Fem W e”
mu sexier-
«in sm iezm en, am semi (speed ae a'
are? m m :
em u e i nf: fi femfizg flfig s‘
ifi em e di m : aim seen 33 7 i
951335177 ah at? fi res
—1351 fireman 3mm : aim?was I
Vagbhatartha K aum fidi , I. xxvi .
2 eminence-
i germ as: a m
Cak radatta,K sudraroga Cik i tsé.
wamzqzfiar’
a mime sw amt m fii zsewerTattva Candr i ka, i b id .
3 fi ifiélfifi i fim fii z W ei : ear l
tnfimf sw im m e w fl aw "
Astanga.H rdaya Samhi ta, I. xxvi .
agreem ents wei 'i fiafi fte lfiz sadism fie as?a whimm i me: 35: 3173
—31 ; ea rn: m ee fiz sized : an m'
ea earn .
as esters are? infirm? sewn sw im W W mm mfearm0_
Q
slam s i s, fi st fzee . I
vagbhatfir tha K aumfidi , Ir xxvi
.
254 TH E SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE H IN D US .
into the nostri ls and turned to and fro wi th both hands to bleedthe nasal polypi .”
The Greek s and R omans u sed a sim i lar instrument for
identical pu rpose. It was cal led katiadion , measu r ing a blade of
g rass, and was u sed for open ing abscesses of the womb and
tonsils,drawing blood from the in side of the n ose and perforating
the foetal crani um .
In India, the practice of drawing blood from the nasal
polypus by blades of grass is still in vogue ; and Araeteu s
mentions it as a common mode of scarification in ancientGreece also l .
“O n the next day we are to abstract blood fromthe inside of the nostrils
,and for this purpose push into them
the long instrument named K atiadion, or the one n amed Toryne,
or in want of these we must take the thick qu i ll of a goose,and having scraped the nervou s part of it into teeth like a saw
,
we are to push i t down the n ostr i ls as far as the ethmoid cells,
then shake it with both hands,so that the part may be scarified
by its teeth . Thu swe shall have a ready and 0 0pious flow of bloodfor slender veins term inate there and the parts are soft and easi ly
cut . The common people have many modes of scarification, by
rougher herbs and dr ied leaves of the bay, which they introducew ith the fingers and move strongly .
” Pau l 2 opens the vessels inthe nostril s with the reed called typha .
1 4. K UTHKRIK K .
It is a small instrument shaped like an axe, so called from
its resemblan ce to kuthara, an axe whi ch is still u sed in India1 Extan t work s of Araateus, P . 460 .
2 Pau l , vol . II. Sec. 1x.
256 TH E SURGICAL IN STR UMENTS or TH E H INDUS .
forcibly from the under sur face of the thumb” . Cak ra datta.1 alsoadvises u s to u se i t in a sim ilar manner . To open the veins infleshy parts, Vagbhata recommends the v r i himukha kn i fe, while theku thar i ka is advised to be used in venesection on bony structures.
2
P alakapya3 mentions the ku thara and describes its shape to be
l ike an axe. It i s to be u sed for excision and scarification .
H e describes another sastra called vatsadanta. (l i t , the calf’stooth) i t is ten angu l i long ; and the mou th of the instrument is
one and a half angu li broad . It is also to be u sed for excision .
Bleeding from the jugu lar vein , he (Albu cas is) describesmu ch in the same way that i t is now practised by veterinarv
su rgeons, namely, by placing a sort of scalpel bent at the point,which he calls fissor ium ,
upon the vein , and stri king the instrument wi th a hammer or some su ch body . H e g ives drawingsof var iously Shaped lan cets for open ing the veins of the arm .
” 4
Ferriers bleed w ith a fieam , whi ch, though apparently a
clum sy method of operating , is certain ly safer thanthe lancet in
Cak radatta Si rsvyadhsdhiksra .
9time fi fe
’
fié‘
fi aims“
: seam
usrémemufi fiRTfain senti e nt nAstanga H rdaya Samhita, I. xxvi i .
3 m fii fim‘
i fl l W w fim '
Im m m'
W W I
m assages I W anna a h is em f: Heme“
;
a: as i s a: a:
m ime mwas? Hee'
a‘
FsfleJ
mfimz: 3! e ee‘
a—efi fi-R s
‘
i a a n
P alakapya , III. i i i .
A lbucasis Chi r rng . "297; 3390 see Adam’s Comm en tary on P au l , VI. lx . 323.
THE §ASTRA O R THE SH ARP INSTRUMENTS. 257
unknown hands. In bleeding with a fieam, the near side ismost convenient. In skilfu l hands, there is no occasion for ablood stick, as the fieam may be stru ck with the right hand if itis made broad and round at the back. It also may bemademuch smaller and neater than that general ly employedThere is a drawing of such an improved fleam whichmuch resembles in appearance the ku thari of the H indus. A
fieam is rather more conven ient instrument in bleeding, eitherfrom the arm or thigh, as the vein is somewhat apt to roll whena lancet is used.
”
1 5. VRi H IMUK HA .
It is descri bed as a kind of trocar”, the sharp end beingpointed and shaped like a grain of paddy . It is six angulileng, the handle being two a nd the blade four anguli (Bhoja) .B ut Vi
'
igbhatga3 describes the length of the blade to be one
and a half anguli .
It is advised to be used for paracentesis abdomin is in abdomi
nal dropsy . Suéruta says4 “The friends of the patient shou ld
W hite’s Compendium of the Veter inary Art, 1 851 , 1 8th ed. P . 34-2.
W efi fii i tem w e i ifige'
as file :
me’
sex as m sane esteem
N ivandha Sariigraha, I. vi i i .
seasAstanga H rday Sarinhita, I. xxvi ,
eea’
T-zfiwe am use-
em Fe ae i’
ii :m mmem e w e issm em a {im am fi fteese fizt m m
Suér uta Sari ihi tfi," IV. xiv ,
258 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
h old him under the ax i lla . Then the abdomen is to betapped bythe vr ihimukha kn ife at a point, four angu li distant on the leftside from the median line, underneath the navel .
” Vaigbhata1
advi ses us to su rround a broad bandage round the abdomenbefore tapping it by the instrument , which he recommends to be
introduced up to one angu li . Cak radatta 2 refers to works onsurgery for the surg ical treatment of ascites. A small incisionis di rected to be made before the puncture.
In the Asvavaidyaka, for this operation , the utpalapatra knifeis recommended ; an in cision fou r angu l i long is directed to be
made above or below the navel of the horse, and then the end ofthe kn ife is to be plunged into the abdom inal cavity up to one
angul i . 3 The vr ihimukha is also advised to be sim ilarly used.
4
H ippocrates speak s of evacuating the flu id in paracentesisabdom in is with an in strument whi ch Camper thinks must
have been a ki nd of trocar .
5
eat? as? m amas: I
feafimmm areas? qfififizfi uasfeaefl
‘
re ifi fi fi‘ffi m l
farm sFeaIefie ee i‘
réw ez11
wi ne em s: i167? eerie a l
w ere : as e se izeW 1 !
Astanga H rdaya Sarhhita, IV.
as? zinc-
J m ‘
w ere e I
Ca in'adatta, Udaraci k i tsa.
3 See foot-n ote, 1 . p . 242.
4 See foot-n ote. 4 . p . 241 .
5 See the Commen tary on P au l . B y Adams, vol . II, P . 338.
260 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF TH E H INEUS .
Pau l describes the operation but he recommends a sharppointed knife or lancet instead of a trocar . H e says :
“W here
fore we must make the patient stand erect ; or if this can not
be done, we must cause him to be seated ; W e giveorders to the assistants standing behind to press with theirhands and push downwards the swelling to the pubes. Thentaking a sharp-pointed kn ife or lancet, if dropsy be among theintestines, in the perpendicu la r line of the nave], and aboutthree fing ers
’ breadth distance from it we divide the hypogastrium as far as the peritoneum .
” 1 Celsus mentions that
some perform it at a spot four fingers’ breadth below the navel
in the left side, and recommends us to u se a perforator , the pointof which shou ld be about the size of the thi rd part of a
fingers’ breadth.
2 Vegetius, the veteri nary surgeon , recom
mends paracentesis for the dropsy of cattle.
3 The Arabicauthors Avicenna, 4 Serapion, 5 A lbu casis, 6 H aly Abbas, 7
and Rhases,8give sim i lar descr iptions.
In modern times, we perform the operation in the same way .
It is necessary in certa in conditions to tap the abdomen in
order to w ithdraw flu id which has accumu lated there and thisis usually done by means of a special trocar and canu la .
The site for tapping is selected, the usual spot being in the
middle l ine, half-way between the umbilicus and the pubes. A
P au lus JEgin eta , B k . VI. 1 . Syd. Soc. Ed .
Cel su s. vi i . 1 5 ; i i . 1 0 .
Vegetiu s. Mu lom . i i i . 25 .
Avicenna , i i i . 14 ; iv . 1 3 .
Serapion . iv . 7 .
Albuca is : Chi rr ug . u . 54 .
7 H a ly Abbas, Fract . ix . 41 .
Rhases, Cont. xi x .
THE SASTRA oR THE SHARP INSTRUMENTS . 261 ?
small punctu re about one- third of an inch long is made with
the kn ife at the spot selected. The trocar and canu la to which
the rubber tubing is attached, are then thrust through the
abdominal wall into the peritoneal cavity .
” 1
The Greeks did not describe the operation of tapping thehydr
ocele.They always preferred the Open incision to puncture.
Paul uses a knife for making the Sk in incision , but when 'the tun icavag inalis is laid bare, he divides it through the m iddle with a
lancet for bleeding .
2 Some of the Arab authors mentionthe operation of puncturing the scrotum for hydrocele. If
the patient be tim id, and do not choose to submit to openincisions, Albucasis advi ses the surgeon to let ou t the water
either with a scalpel or the instrument used for tapping indropsy . H e states, however , that the water wi ll collect againafter this operation .
3 Rhases also describes this operation .
4
In modern times, trapping for hydrocele is still practised.
“W hen trapping a hydrocele the patient Shou ld be sitting up
in a chair The scrotum , having been cleansed,is g rasped from behind by the left hand A spot,free from any large veins, is selected on the anterior and lowerpart of the swelling , and the trocar and canula introduced withsharp stabbing movement .
” 5
Palakz‘
i pya6 describes vr ihimukha as shaped like a grain of
paddy and recommends it for scission and excision of mufi ja .
Operai tions of Gen eral P ractice . By Corner and P inches. P . 1 09, 2nd ed .
3 P aul u s E gineta , VI. lxi i .
3 Albucasis. Chrug . i i . 62 .
Rhases. Con t . xxiv .
5 Operations of General P ractice, P . 1 45 .
easi'
was i re! s :Palakapya , III.
262 . THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE HINDUS.
1 6. ARE OR AW L .
It is a long sharp needle in handle, so called from its
resemblance to the shoe-maker’s instrument known as awl . “It
has a total length of sixteen angu li, with a Sharp end of the size ofa sesamum seed. The handle is tapering like a cow’
s tai l and isequal in circumference to the young stem of Durv a. (UnodonDactylon )” SuSru ta mentions its length to be six
anguli. Vagbhata describes the leng th to be one angu li, thebasal half being round, and the term inal half, fou r corneredand Sharp pointed. The term in al part is in troduced into theinflammatory swell ings to confirm the diagonosis of suppuration . It is also to be used to drain the congested blood vessels
in the matrix of the nai ls as a result of traumatism 2.
wi fe, Effie i nn fi fe : em m'
l as i tem
are amen a firmthem es ma
‘
sen : ans?w ere 1
W W'
fi'
M em'
l
N ivandha Sarii graha , 1 . vii i .
m am fiéifi ie'
were H’
s?”
set fewwmffifl are er s i ll-27W?!Astanga H f dya Sarinhi ti . I. xxvi .
srtmuf‘
sie
was {math m fin sa me we? emf? ari se-int
sesa m e afim steer! are se’
é’fiu
’
i fl esh ?
264 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
both ends into the canal through the hole in the bone, whilethrough the other end the surgeon su cks out the ai r by his
month.
For perforating the ears of the elephants, a similar needle isrecommended by Palakapya . It is known as karmara or nali .
1 7 VETASAPATRAK A .
It is a long sharp cutting instrument shaped like the leaf ofthe rattan (Calamus R otang) . Its . edge is finely serrated and
very sharp. The blade and handle are equal in length, measuring four angu li . Bhoja says :
“The blade is one anguliwide” 1 . It is said to have been u sed for pu ncturi ng vessels inphlebotomy 2
1 8. VAnISA CR SHARP H oox .
In shape it is descri bed to resemble the ordinary fish-hook.
Bhoja descr ibes the total length to be six angu li, its hook beinghalf an angu li and itshandle five and a half angul i long . The end
is bent ; the curvature var iesandmay be shaped like a half-moon".
w as, fiaseafee easement afresh
sfieresge Fem-
ii i erg—(semen
N ivandha Sari igraha , I. vi i i .
Astanga H fdaya Samh ita, I. xxvi .
W age-
ra i se aw eases l ist
Vi gbhatfir tha K aumfidi , I. xxv i .
a sfiifi situ ate afei eqefi tfi ree : I sem i .
area erfi i emf-31 w it”
! a Hess“
!
e rase am w as use;
THE S'
ASTRA OR THE SHARP INSTRUMENTS. 265
Suéru ta says1 The end of the hook is sharply edged and is said
to have resembled the new leaf of Java (H ordeum vulgare) .
It is recommended by Suéiruta 2 to be used”
for extraction of
foreign bodi es, the extraction of stone from the u rethra.
Its u se is also mentioned for transfixing the membranousexpansion in the operation for pterygi um8
and for fixing and
dragg ing the uvu la and tonsi l before the performance of any
Operation on these parts4 . Cak radatta 5 mentions its -
use"
for
fixi ng a‘
. growth, before its excision by the kn ife.
shi
rtle ss err? i i a re ee'
Hair:
vi ewer'
s asi‘
are mem e: a ;
e fi a'
swimea afew fimat zi
N ivandha Sarirgraha, I. vi i i .
sfei tzeessmmiush im W I
Snéru ta Sarnhi ti , I, vi i i .
seem an geei imfiiwm-‘
flueat w e ft visit? erelsersvei q
Ha‘
ewe?3m in are} main sisfifi e’
tqSuéru ti Sarirhi ti , IV. vii .
W M W i fsw Hi ram : n
Astanga H rdaya Sarirhiti , I. xxvi
3m m M etr es ssm m s emfi ge‘
ae e
surfers : swam : atesW ei ss-
sqafew are em I e eW e?)
Vi gbhatértha K aumfidi , I. xxvi .
esp asses? svfimfifis uSuéru ta. Sarirh ita, IV. xxi .
sm ile s? U‘
femW u
Cak radatta,suk radosa. Cik i tsi .
R;
C;
c:
T HE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS O F TH E H IN D US.
It was also used for fixing any growth in tl e eye, prev iousto i ts excision by the mandalagra
i. For this purpose the Greeks
used the vulsellum (myzon ) . Actins says :“If there is a large
and malignant excrescen ce in the ang le of the orbi t, the enlarged
part m ust be seized wi th vulsella and cut OE” ?
Evidently vadis’
a was used on many occasions when in
modern times we use the dissection forceps to steady a partbefore excision .
Vadis'
a is described in the As'
vavaidyaka3 to have been
sim i larly used du r ing the operation of pteryg ium in horses.
Palakapya4 mentions vadi éa which is descri bed as eight anguli
long , the end being rounded like a wheel . It is to be used for
raising the membranes of the eye g lobe.
Sharp b ooks were used by the G reeks and Romans, for
sim i lar pu rposes . The u se of the sha rp hook for fix ing the
pteryg ium is men tioned by Celsus5 , AetiusG, Pau l 7 and
Albucasiss .
Its use i n the excision of the tonsil i s mentioned by Paul“.
After the patient being placed in the proper position, he
narrates :“W e tak e a hook (tenacul um) and perforate the
See foot notes_
l,2 and 3, P . 227 .
Aeti us . vi . 74.
3
fifi fiwm e‘
i i mhaa'
m ifi ql
m i l fiw’
fissri afsfimfiraraf fii n
Aévavaidyka , XXX . v . 32.
afiei m am : Ti tsP alakapya , III. xxx
Celsus. VII. v i i .5
6 Actins . Tet . i i , i i i , 60 .
7 P au l . VI. xvi i i .
3 Al bucasi s. Chir rug . i i , 1 6 .
9 Pau l . VI. xxx.
268‘
THE SURGICAL INSTRUM ENTS OF THE H INDUS.
recommended to be used for the extraction of sordes and tartar
from the teeth 1
The procedure of the operation of tooth-extraction is not
descri bed in detail in the medical books of the H indus. B ut the
operation seems to have been well known , for Susruta distin ctlyadvises the students to practise the operation of extraction on the
frui ts of Panas (Atrocarpus Integri folia) , Vimb i (CephalandraIndica) , Vilva (E g le M armelos) and on the teeth of the dead
an imals 2. H e also advi ses u s to extract the wisdom teeth and to
apply cautery to their sockets 3. Also when a tooth becomes loose
he directs us to extract it and apply cautery to the socket In
the treatment of sinus cau sed by car ious tooth, he adv ises u s
to extract the tooth, otherwise the sinus woul d extend down to
the inferior maxillary bone 5.
a A
man! w as fi m fir same1:u: a: =K<
n Q
«arm m firw ere fulfi l
Suérnta Satbhi ta, IV. xxi i .
See foot note 2 . P . 280 .
W afi sfiww xfiqu
Suéruta Samhi tfi, IV. xxi i,
sages: a W'
fizfifi fflt fll a l
s fifl fi fi fiwmfi
a m l
mvfifi fi zfi m fw flfi ga
'
n
seem-ai fi twas farms
THE éASTRA O R THE SHARP INSTRUMENTS . 269
Palakapyal men tions the extraction of tooth of the elephant
by means of en ipada which is an i ron bar, thirty-two angu li
long and equal to the tooth in ci rcumferen ce.
Pau l says “The laminae which un ite to them (the teeth)
we may remove as may appear proper , with the concave partof a specillum,
a raspatory , or a file.
”The operation of tooth
extraction was however , not li ked by the an cient Greek s as casesin which the operati on proved fatal
,occurred in thei r practice.
Caelius Au relianus, H erophi lu s, and Galen disapprove in general
of the operation , except in extreme cases.
It wou ld, no doubt, be interesting to know that in ancientIndia, the H indus knew howto make false1teeth to beused
by men who have lost them eitherby accident or by extractionBy the dentists. In 1 1 94 A .D .
, Sahabuddin defeated Jaya’
cand'
ra
in battle, “and the incident of the body of the raja being
recognised by his false teeth3— a ci rcumstance which thro‘
Ws
some light on the state of mann ers” is well known .
20 . Esau? OR SHAR P PROBES .
The probes says Caraka4,
“are of two k inds, the hard or
mfa'
azi mam wfiaéfl M e
sexiest“m?“W W“.
ahf‘
sgfia a qfi‘fz’rw Hi ram 33 1163 I
sw ag ugmfii :m‘
w eu2 P aul . VI. xxvi i i .
3 Elphin ston e’
s H istory of In di a,P . 365 , 5th Ed .
fafamfiw i fam fiz artsmufi:
fi eli
gfifi fi s'
fsmi an vw 1 u
“W ei?fi t? in? sham an—m 1
ad firms as?afifiqfi aflfit fiwwu‘
Carak a Samhita, VI. xi i i ,
Palakapya , III. xvi i i .
270 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS .
metal li c probes, and the soft probes such as the young stems of
plants. The hard probes are requ ired for deep sinuses in thefleshy parts and the sides of the body , while the softer varietiesare used for probing the superficial sinuses The ends of the
probes are generally shaped l ike the head of the earth-worm“.
Suéruta 2 describes'
them to be eight angu li long. They are to be
used as probes to ascertain the di rection of sinuses.
3 The bluntprobes have been described before under the salakas.
4
The sharp probes have the shape of a needle and are six angulilong . The other end carr ies an eye through which is put oneend of a caustic thread thread soaked i n caustic lotionandthen dried) . The probe is to be u sed for piercing the tissuesthrough the blind end of the sinus. The end of the thread is
next to be withdrawn from the eye’
of the probe and a tight knotapplied with the other end. The interven ing bridge of tissuesis thu s gradually cu t and the si nu s opened. If the cord be foundinefficient for the pu rpose, a second thread is to be tied sim ilarly .
5
m m fi l
Suér nta Samhi ta, I. vi i i .
aa w w im fi u
{W in m afi a-«in
Asti nga H fdya Samb i ti , I. xxvi .
mm : {mmmafia éTw
'
n 131 $173 slu mafim ui , am “g naw , new
m in i em a water 1
Végbhafartha K anmfidi , I. xxvi .
See page 1 55-7 .
sm ut W finm mu
W fl fim g w u gfsm n
272 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E H INDUS .
consisting of five pieces, through the fistu la by means of
a probe having a perforation , or a double headed specillumand to tie the ends of the thread andjtighten i t every day untilthe whole in termediate substance between the orifices be dividedand the ligatute fall out” . H ippocrates 1 describes minutely theapolinose and recommends it for those who from timidity avoid a
surg ical operation . Celsus recommends the thread to .be
smeared with some escharotic -oi ntment . The process, he says,
is slow bu t free from pain g , Albucasis 3a lso approves of the
operation according to circumstances. The operation calledapolinose by the lig atu re, is very celebrated. Ambrose Pare,Foubert, Camper , G iudo de Cau liaco and Rogerius approve of
the ligatu re. It has been recommended by some of the
modern surgeons“. The operation is still practised in Indiaby the M adrasi specialists for fistu la - i n- ano .
Vagbhata9 describes copper probes having the sharp ends
shaped like the buds of K u ravaka (B aleria Cristata) to be used in
H ippocrates.
‘De Fistu l is
’
.
Celsus. v i i . 4.
3 Albucasis. Chi rrug . n . 80 .
Lancet . vol . 1 . 1 845, n ew ser ies.
are?(rum resist 613w an-
rah :
Fus m‘
um faé‘
iqu
Astanga H rdaya Samhi ti . I. xxvi .
2mmm'151n masts animus Hum, team, as, W it m
afaz, i n flame: gam u t, Huff, m uf f, mm , mm m'
emu am
m m y Ema“
m tha t sum fails Feni an Faé‘
ifiwi‘
ar
we:
Vagbhatar tha K aum t‘
i di I. xxvi .
THE SASTRA OR THE SHAR P INSTRUMENTS . 273
the operation of cataract. Susruta 1 descr ibes such a probe to beeight anguli long , made of copper
,or iron
, or gold, the ends beingshaped like buds. A thread is spirally twisted round the middleof the instrument for a length of a thumb’s breadth, to afforda firm g rasp by the su rgeon ’
s fingers. This instrument mu st
not be rough, thick or very Sharp,for then there wou ld be a
greater chance of the eye being injured more than is necessaryand at many places. So also in couching of cataract, Celsu ssays :
“Then a needle is to be applied, sharp so as to penetrate,bu t not too fine.
” 9
Palakapya3 mentions esan i in the surgical treatment of
diseases of the elephants. H e describes threeprobes,— smooth andshaped li ke the collyr ium rods. They are recommended to be
ten , twenty and thirty anguli long respectively .
xterm animus era w as i
W eHal—cuW m wasu
vet-
33mm m3: W u
w e wé'
efim Era—61W sfa: u
mmmfimafi fi m rm fi h u
Suéruta Sarhhiti , xv u.
2 Celsus. VIIIv i i i .m ea a fi mm ufiql
m mwefi m fi fim gsfi n
fi sa sfir m
m M m im u
Palakapya , III. i .
w i t amt-m fantasi a rainwaterm m em : aim
h esita temm : mm : arm: 1
35
Ib i d, III. xxx .
274, TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
The operation of cou ching for cataract is essentially an Indianoperation ; and SuSruta descr ibes the operation m inutely as
follows
Ti moper ati on of com bi ng/"
or cataract.
Suéruta says1 “N ow we shal l descr ibe the treatment of cataract
caused by phlegm . If inside the crystal line lens, anything is seenl ike a half-moon - shaped drop of water or pearl, hard, irregu lar
‘
fifi i fim ufi aw fi fesfi l
afizgrg'uvirtfifirfiew ficFem u
fi es?anm gr 0 61mm aster: 1
sfesi’ru afi éluzem mefiifiza : u
fw fesm Hem art'
s?magn ifies“
! I
afaafimfieuxm i w e: eu'
u'
ef‘
amqm uttam um s-“
a:
w henas? w ar5mm u
uni?fries swi rl?fr ? issueas:
Humanwas fin e era—cramu
we: Eamssfe fi u Eraser I
affirm finesuse th i sH i mflax ll
mftfiqswm:m fi fi w an? 1
sites : fismaa {HW H fi firs’ : u
fa i éifi afi mfil ei‘
zfizfu ant-Ian
ewe; Hans? HW ?I (Haw ai i : n
W e 5 mil fifdfisfizmssi l
fawn memu m miss-
rat u
s ti rs-flu exi st sh ew : am: 1
Fansas aw ait”! ere : mm? u
w e? fate-rmeweum insulin fi aizn
seefi g W W W : u
276 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
soaked with ghee (melted butter) and bandaged properly.
Vagbhata also discribes the operation similar ly .
1
To this we may compare the account of the operation as
g iven by Celsus. H e lays it down as a rule, that when thesufiusion is small, imm ovable, and of the colour of sea water
,
or of shinn ing i ron , and if a small degree of light can be
percieved at the side, there is reason to hope well of the case.
H e forbids us to operate until the disease has attained a properconsistence. H e di rects u s to place the patient opposite the
operator, who is to sit on a higher seat, whi le the patient’8 head
su mm araméflfaum zn
fi m fiwfi fi m fiwm
my Hfizfl asst? aimed usem fiw fiw zjfif mfifin
“ W is?! W W I I!
m -
eszwm fi sdmi am '
fi qmm m u
“ M i a'
eé‘
r-‘
I Hai ry
same-rsma zes-
« W m
M i smite«fi refl y
W W : W i nnie? Efim’uazl
s fv smawsi zewflHHfi armM afi afi mfizé
‘
m :
w e?! fi sm fiw’
i fi t l
w e fis'
m m m '
auazu
m i n ari a aw seats .
Astanga H rdaya Samb i ti , VI, xiv.
THE SASTRA on THE SH AR P INSTRUMENTS . 277
is held by an assistant. The sound eye is to be previouslycovered up with wool . If the left eye is affected, the operatormust usehis right hand, and vice versa . A needle which is
sharp and not too slender i s to be passed direct through thetwo coats at a place intermediate between the temporal angleandthe black of the eye, and towards the middle of the cataract.W hen the needle has perforated far enough, which is readi lyknown by the abscence of resistance, i t is to be turned so as
gradual ly to remove the cataract below the reg ion of the pupiland this object being attained it is to be strong ly pressed to
the lower part. If i t remain there the operation is completed,but if it return , it is to be cut and torn by the needle intomany pieces, in which state they are easier depressed, and proveless troublesome. The needle is then to be drawn ou t di rectand soft wool smeared with white of an egg, and other antiinflammatory applications are to be used. Q u iet, restricteddiet, and soothi ng treatment will be proper .
1 ” Pau l 2,M esue
3,
Albucasis 4,Rhazes 5
and others also describe the operation of
couching in similar terms. A lbucasis g ives figures of these
needles.
The operation is still practised in Indi a by the mai ls who
consider themselves specialists in diseases .of the eyes.
21 . SAR PKSYA .
Vagbhata describes an instrument having its end resembling
Celsus. vi . See Adam’s Commen tary to P au l VI. xxi .
P aul . VI. xx i .
Mesue. D e Aegr . ocul i , 1 5 .
’4 Albucasis. Chirrug ,
Rhazes. Ad mansor .
278 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
the mou th of a snake 1 The blade is said to be half an angulilong . It is advi sed to be used for excision of the nasal and auralpolypi .
The fact that it was able to work inside the n ose and the
audito ry can al shows that it cou ld not have been of any great
breadth, possibly less than a quar ter Of an inch at the most.The exact shape of the sarpasya can not be determined withcertainty . The Greeks however u sed for the same purpose,“a polypus scalpel, having its extrem ity shaped like a myrtleleaf ,” which was a double instrument, the other end being a
scoop 2
GOLD OR SILVER K NIFE.
To cut the navel cord, Caraka 3recommends the;use of a
knife, made Of gold, or silver, or iron . To make gold and silverknives Of sharp edges seems abson ous to our reason , but wemust remember that to cut the navel cord, a very keen edge is
not requ i red, and even now the purpose is Often served by the
native dhais with a piece Of spli t bamboo .
swim smm is’
rérfi ssrsa'
vii-61 n
Asti nga H rdaya Serhhitfi. I. xxvi .
char m we? a gmi vfifsa W W W m en He: miseries:
W sfimfiafifem
Vagbhati r tha K aumfidi . I. xxvi .
P aul . VI. xxv .
See foot-note 4. P . 65.
280 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS on THE HINDU S .
The other instruments are to be held as requ ired in particularcases.
” Vagbhata also gives sim ilar directions 1
Tbsp racti cal trai n i ng i n surgical operati ons.
Susruta says9 “Even after a pu pi l has mastered thewhole of
the medical treati ses, the preceptor shou ld instruct him practicallyhow to perform su rg ical operati on s and how to adm in ister oils andother medicines. H owever learned he may be in books, he cannotbe fit for su rgi cal practice, u n less he has acqu ired the practicaltraini ng . Therefore the preceptor shou ld show his pupils themethods of operations, of in cision , excision and division
,upwards
and downwards on the pumpk in , bottle-
gourds, water-melons,and the three varieties of cucumbers—Trapusa (Cucumis Sativus),Ervi rfika (Cu cumisU ti llissimu s) , and K arkarfika (Cu cumisMelo) .
fiz fifi fimam’
fi mmi
fi m h’
sfimqm fisflu
W W FQ W fi afiw-
sfi a u l
m m m‘
mw’
fi fiw’
afi u
M 5581 sw am“
Asti nga H fdaya San'
ihiti . I. xxvi .
m m wm ‘ m m um g M amF611 : mm m : fi € é
’m warm as W misi af
ag'fiélm iw W 133 321 film W W W W i nn
fi afi nfiafi mfi im m m fim l m m a wm
m mfivw mfia W m W arm
W W W QW : w uss sw am 646mm
m m am . am g1ruta class W W I
W W W a arvicfisw zhmh egg mm fi sfirfl tfimfl an
Wm M umm m afiim m u
Sm uta Samhiti .
'1 . ix.
THE §ASTRA OR THE SHARP INSTRUMENTS. 281
The operation of punctu ring or tapping may be demonstratedon leather bags, bladders and pouches, filled w ith slush ;scarifications, on stretched pieces of leather covered wi th hair ,
opening on the veins of dead an imals or on stalks of
water- lily ; probing on worm -eaten wood, bamboo, reed,
tube or dr ied bottle-
gourd ; extraction , on the pulp of
jack fru it, the Bael fruit (ZEgle M armelos) , Vimb i frui t
(Cephalandra Indi ca) or on the teeth of dead an imals. Evacuation on a lump of wax applied to a board of Salmali wood
(Bombax Malabar icum) sewing , on the two ends of a thick pieceof cloth or soft leather ; bandag ing on the limbs of a dummy(human figure made of cloth and clay) , bandag ing the root ofthe car , on a piece of soft flesh, or the stalk of a water - li lyapplication of cauter ies, on pieces of flesh introduction of tubesfor clysters (urethral, rectal and vag inal) and wound-syri nge, on
the spout of an earthen vessel filled w ith water , or on the mouthof a bottle-
gourd or similar objects .
”
CHAPTER VII.
THE ANUSASTRA.
The anuéastra means substitutes for cutting instruments.
They are the following 1
1 .Bamboo . 2. crystal . 3 . glass. 4. ruby . 5 . leeches. 6. fire.
7 .caustics. 8. the nai ls. 9. leaves of G031 (Elephantobus
Scaber) , 1 0 . Sephalika (N yctanthe Arbortr istris), and 1 1 . Si khs?
(Tectona Grandis ) . 1 2. young stems of plants. 1 3. hair
1 4. finger .
These are adv ised to be u sed in case of infants or timid
persons or when the proper in struments are not avai lable.
2
l . BAMBO O .
A piece of split bamboo is said to have been used for cuttingthrough and cutting into some parts of the body . It is stil lused by the native dhais or midw ives for cutting the frm is.
A piece of bamboo is directed to be used for applyingpressure on small boils to cu re them by subsidence 3
. For the
same purpose, the pressure of the thumb is also recommended 4.
w a i ts: a am mfi m —sm fi amm
fl a ws-m sf
‘
mSuéru ta Samhi t
'
a. I. vi i i .
W m fiw m a mi mQ Q' A N “ N
m ua a sflsm u
m afisw ufi uxfim uwsum -
e u
N
Ib id. Iv. xvi i i .
w w s zfim am mzm zu
w ill
affi rmW i sh an n
Cak radatta, Vranaéothi Ci ln'
tsi .
284”THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS or TEE H INDUS.
the thoroughly decomposed body, i t shou ld be slowly rubbedwith a brush made either of U si ra (Andropagon Mur icatus) orhair , or “bamboo, or barks of trees, exam in ing at the same timewith the eyes, every divi sion and sub -division of the body,external or internal, beg inn ing wi th the Skin , as delineated in
J)the Sastras. An imal anatomy was also thoroughly understood aseach part of the body had its own distin ctive name.
H oernle l says“Probably it will come as a su rprise to many
as it did to myself, to discover the amount of anatomical knowledge which is disclosed in the works of the earliest medi calwr iters of India . Its extent and accu racy are surprising , whenwe allow for thei r early age
— probably the sixth centurybefore Christ—and their pecu liar methods of the
practice of su ch dissection in ancient India we have di rect proofin the medical compendi um of Suéruta, and i t is indirectly con
firmed by the statements of Caraka . It is worthy of note,however , that in the writings of neither of these two oldestIndian medical writers i s there any indication of the practice ofa n imal dissection .
”
The Greeks did not practise disection of the human body.
The anatomical knowledge of the H ippocratists was derivechiefly from dismemberment of animals, experience in
slaughter ing and sacr ifices, and from the observation of surgicalcases. Systematic dissection of the human body was out of the
question ow ing to the relig ious precepts which strictly enjoinedimmedi ate bu r ial , and to the superstitioushorror of the deadwhichthen prevailed. The supposition that ou tstanding individualinvestigators, upon rare occasions
,did not hesitate to examine
Hoernle. Osteology . Preface. i i i
ANUSASTRA OR. TH E ACCESSORY SHAR P INSTRUMENTS . 285
human bodies or parts of bodi es (particu larly) bones, in order to
correct prevailing opin ions, is one which, i f not susceptible ofdirect proof, is at least probable. This supposi tion , besidesbeing borne out by many statements on the part of ancientwriters, is the more probable since tho bodies of savages, traitorsand criminals were outside the pale of relig ious ordi nances and
were therefore avai lable, as were also acci dentally obtainedportions of the body, to satisfy the cur iosity of scientific iavestigators. N o one of the oft-qu oted extracts from the
H ippocratic wr itings, supposed by individual historians to refer
to human dissection , is qu ite conclusive, whilst nowhere is
there in the pathology of the day any defin ite trace of anatomicalresearch upon the bodi es of those dead of di sease. O n the
other hand comparisons are frequently instituted by the v po
cratists referring to facts acqu i red“
through zootomy or to
anatomico-pathological discoveri es such as might have beenmade in the slaughtering of beasts .
” 1
The study of anatomy received its impetu s from the
Alexandrian School . “H erophi ilus improved the techni queand developed the terminology of anatomy and enr iched it byvaluable discoveries made in the dessection of human bodi es,particu larly in the knowledge of nerves, vessels and viscera,but also in that of the eye. W ith his works
,systematic
anatomical investigation may in fact be said to begin .
”
“Like H erophilus, Erasistratos ma de a successfu l study of
anatomy, even surpassing the former in knowledge of details,and in a series of observations upon the cadavers of men and
1 H istory of Medicin e. Neuberger . P . 1 50 .
9 Ibi d. P . 177-8.
286 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE‘
IIINDUS.
animals,corrected his own mistakes as well as those of others.
H is greatest achievement was in the study of nerves and
vessels.
”
2, 8 AN D 4. CRYSTAL, GLASS AND RUB Y .
These are recommended to be used for cu tting through and
cutting into some parts of the body .
Glass vessels for preparing medicines are often fimentioned.
Si rfigadhara 2 used it for purifying mercury ;
5 . LEECHES.
Leeches are described to be the mi ldest of all means for
extracting blood, and are recommended for pri nces, childern,women ,
and timid peoples.
Twelve kinds of leeches are described4; six of them
are poisonous and six,non -poisonous.
1 H istory of Medi cine. N euberger . P . 1 81 .
9 m m? ms swarm :
Si rngadhara Sarirgraha, II. m .
3 w sm fit flag sta ff?m m '
W ei airti me
i tm m airfare: u
tam imgfifimmgm aam fimsfi afih en msm m ufim
flam es fafa’w z
-
t as am : am fi t ! Erma fi re's! um
m § fa n M aui i nfirm awn afisaqum Erasm
afia: swim flaw wrrtmfi smut-
smut” W W W
sw am fi fe—cram fi fira m arshes mafi a?” W WW '
W flufi ifin mfiéii sfi éi i magm a”argfi i
288 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE HINDUS.
2. K arvfira — it is as long as an eel with elevated stripesacross the abdomen .
3 . Alagardda— it looks as if covered with hair and has
large sides and black mouths.
4. Indrayudhi . z— or rain -bow coloured ; it has rain -bow
colou red long itudi nal str ipes on the back .
5 . Samudrika —it is of dark yellow colour and has
variegated flower like spots on its body .
6. Gocandana - it has a bifu rcated tail like the scrotumof a bull and a smal l mouth.
The non -poisonous ones are
1 . Kapil i or the green ish one — it has its two Sides of thecolour of orpiment, and on its back, it is smooth and of the
colour of a green pea .
2. Pingala or twany— it is of a reddish-brown colour ,
has a round body and moves qu ickly .
3 . Sanku -mukhi or blu ish-red — it is of the colour of theli ver, sucks qu ickly and has a long sharp mouth.
4. M fisika or rat- like — it has the shape and colour of
a rat’s tail and em its a di sag reeable smell .
5 . P undarika-mukhi or lotus-faced —it is of the colour of a
green pea and has a mou th liks a lotus.
6. Savari k i — it is slimy, coloured g reen like a lotusleaf and eight angu l il long ; i t is to be used in veterinarypractice.
The non -poisonous leechesgenerally live in meadows and freshwater . They are to be caught with a piece of wet leather and,
ANUS‘
ASTRA OR THE ACCESSORY SHAR P INSTRUMENTS. 289
kept in a new large earthen pot filled with mud, water , greenfung i, dry flesh, etc . The water is to be changed every thi rd day
and the pot every seventh day .
To apply leeches, the patient is di rected to lie down and the
part isto be r ubbed dry with powdered cow dung and earth. The
leech is then to be smeared with a paste contain ing turmeric,mustard and water, to excite them, washed thoroughly withwater and then applied, its body being covered with a piece ofwet cloth. To fix it qu ickly, a drop of m i lk or blood is to be
applied over the diseased part, scarification of which is alsorecommended instead. W hen the leech has removed the
necessary quantity of blood, a small quantity of salt is advised tobe sprinkled upon its head to make it drop OE. Then theleech is to be put upon somepowdered r ice and its mouthis advised to be smeared with oi l and salt .
Then it is to be stri pped and pu t in fresh water , and shou ldbe u sed again , if it moved, bu t i f langu id, thrown away .
The leech-bites are to be smeared with honey, cold water andastringent substances, or poulticed.
Vi gbhata also gives sim ilar directions for the appli cati on of
leeches.
1
g rease] aarfa manna-mar:
W hfi fiw fi lms at: s
290 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
D r . Ray has clear ly shown that “the discription of
leeches as given by Rhazes ag rees almost word for word wi ththat of SuSr uta (Sanasrad) in _ many places” H e describesthe parallelism at leng th and comes to the conclusion “
of the
use of a chapter of the Susruta or some such
6 AND 7 . FIRE AND CAuSTICS .
The use of . cauteries in su rgery has been described beforeu nder the head of the accessory blunt in stuments 2
am serum : Faraa ri‘
taarrs an: u
mH WW Q aaaraHaas famaaral
aw : afafi‘
f Ena tartan afaaté‘
ran
Harm firm as”
.sa fe afigar:
auras Unnatura an (a fatnai‘
f: u
arenas S t ra ta—sh W i lma
war?wasas : a'
fia‘
Tanzani a u
sacs asany at alaaaraaa ara n
taa(aware 11a : auraat a mafia 1
affai rsagar”
a sm ar-E?ash-
emfi rmwares? sari-i f E135?“as: u
w anna at: s um a? aaanaaffifi
amfsafia aw e“mam: grammarn
Astenga H rdaya Sainhi ti , I. xxvi .
H istory of H indu Chemistry , In troduction P . lxvi i i ,
See P age 21 3—9,
292 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F TH E H INDUS .
For bi le or blood-deranged wou nds — use leaves of Aévabala
(Basella Rubi -a) , K aSmar i patra, (Gmelina Ar borea) , Vata (FicusB engalensis) and Kumuda (Nymphae Lotus) .
For phlegm -deranged wounds— u se leaves of Pathi (Cisam
phelos H exandra), M firva (Sansevier ia Z eylan ica), Guduci
(Tinospora Cordifolia), K akam i ci (Solari um N igrum ) , H aridra
—I
(Curcuma Longa ) and Suknasa (O roxylum Indicum) .
For sim i lar pu rpose Caraka 1 recommends us to use the leaves
of K adamva (Anthocephalus Cadamba) , Arjuna (TerminaliaArjuna), N imva (Azadirachta Indica) , Pi tali , P ippala (H ens
Relig iosa) and Arka (Calotropis Gigantea) .
The leaves O f the padma or nymphae are to be used for
handling the eyebal ls and the intestines, to replace them in
thei r proper position when prolapsed by in ju ry 2 (Suéruta)Caraka recommends lotus leaves and plantain leaves as
cover ings to the bleeding pi les, 3 Cak radatta 4 mention s the use of
m rfiafaa rai mea n: fauna] a
an arm s? faaraamnesi a : artists u
Car aka Samhi ti , VI. xi i i .
faa'
aaaaémafaa areaa aa n
a'
raava am mfiafizi air:
tits-Ea tnfinar aurawast-
Tra i n a n
Suéruta Samhita,
fl aw s: gait was afiaaafaai‘
1
RW'
arsieraz‘
m alari a u
Caraka Se-mhiti , VI. ix.
fi fi i afim Ran i : aims: scram.
Cakradatta , Ar éa Ciki tsi .
ANUSASTRA OR THE ACCESSORY SHARP IN STRUMENTS . 293
Goji and Sephalika leaves for scratching the piles before the
application of cau stics to them . H e also directs u s to r ub the
small tumour s with the rough leaves before the application of
various ointments.
1 Sivodasa also men tions the use Of such leavesfor rubbing the eyelids in the pi llva disease.
2 SuSruta 3 mentionsthe use Of rough leaves for scratching any part .
Paul“ mention s the u se of fig leaves, for rubbing down thehard granu lations of granu lar lids.
1 2. Y OU NG STEMS OF P LANTS.
The you ng shoots are descri bed to have served the pu rpose of
a probe. Caraka 5 calls them the soft var iety, the metallic onesbeing called
“
the hard probes. These Shoots are to be u sed for
superficial sinuses. Suéruta di rects us to use the young shoots
fies a ssu mes?
qa’ tia‘
ai agi : Rfafiau
Cak r adatta,Gr an thyarvuda Cik i tsi .
w hale"
arw afifilrafi aua r
ya: yafii a a fiafimafi afiau
Cak rada tta,N etraroga. Ci k i tsé.
aaiaazafafii aam rsfizanfawas! aaiafiua n
Tattva Candr i k i . Ib id.
i i‘
ra'
fi'la
'
fia‘
fir-f maria a i ms
aaisufa a aarfir fleas? m afiau
SuSruta Sarirhi ta. IV. i .
Pau l , 1 1 1 . xxu .
See footanote 4. P . 269 .
294 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMEN TS or THE H INDUS.
of the pot-herbs called Cu fica and Upi dik i (Basella R ubi -a)
as probes in sinuses on the eyelids and ar round the anus.
1
If in young people the teeth become loose as the resu lt ofsome in jury, the patient shou ld be directed to live upon mi lk
only , su cking it through the stal k of lily ; and thus afiording
the teeth rest and a chance of being firmly fixed again .
2
To excite emesis,Si rr
’
rgadhara ,3
advises u s to introduce a
tube Of Eranda (R icinus Commun is) into the throat Of the
patient. The vomiting is also said to have been excited by
thu rsting a finger or a sta lk of lily down the throat.
wan d : sad: fi i aasajar: u
Suéruta Samhiti,IV. i .
w arfare-Tam raer a-
visa fi sfia r
aw e am fi dt fi qfiafs: n
ma rginal—a: fair: avarvfifiamaia
Sufiruta Satirhiti .
sai d summi ts, fave titer afiaas} : I
aaa'
mafaana m arina fer-
«Ia n
aanz‘
aaa: 3'
s : ruf fa? a W'
sn
Si r irgadhara Samgraha , III. i ii ,
296 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H INDUS.
Bhi vamrsra mentions the names of other trees whichmay be usedfor the pu rpose, 1 and also g ives us a list of trees to be avoided.
”
The use of the tooth-brush i s contra- indicated in the var iousdiseases of the mouth, ears , 8m.
3 Caraka 4 advises us to use the
tooth-brush twice a day .
Vi afi r’
a? fl it : ari a"
flai rafiqn
at} Eardw fiaéafhi asikafa: I
Eff?W GW'
fi sfia fags?aaqu
was? amasses-ama ss a
Ebi va P rak i éa, I. i .
m inis-”
rush W e saris
taajt'
arm ari a ants-Ta r: u
auu a aaaa a: ariasaaaraaa l
arawsra as : m afi a-
emun fit u
W maa a iafirar afi g a n
M afia : Era : maaarfaa: 1
alli ed admi n za lfi wha araa:
Suéruta Sarirhiti ,
W W'
E’
i afi m agfaaa-
a r
f‘
asF-a award tam arind aaa l
Caraka Satirlri ti , I. v.
H YGIEN IC AP PLIANCES AND H OSP ITAL REQUISITIES. 297
SuSruta mentions the use of a tooth-brush to extract afish-bone from the throat .
1
After cleansing the mouth with water after meals, I’TSingordains2 “Chew tooth-wood in the mouth let the tongue as wellas the teeth be carefu lly cleaned and pu rified.
”Again he
says :“It is surely not seem ly for any one to spend his time
aftermeals chaffing and chatter ing , nor is it r ight to remain
impure and gui lty al l day and n ight, without prepar ing water
in a clean jar or withou t chewing a tooth-wood.
H e continues3 Every morn ing onemust chew tooth-woods,
andClean the teethwith them,and ru b OE the di rt of the tOngue as
Carefully as possible. O n ly after the hands have been washed andthe mouth cleansed is a man fit to make a salutation ; if not, boththe saluter and the salu ted are at fau lt . Tooth-wood is Dantakastha in Sansk r it— danta
, tooth, and kastha, a piece of
wood. It is made abou t twelve finger- breadths in length, and
even the shortest is not less than eight finger-breadths long .
Its size is like the little finger . Chew softly one of its ends,
and Clean the teeth with it . If one unavoidably come near asuperior , while chewn the woods, one shou ld cover the mouthwith the left hand.
Then breaking the wood, and bending it, rub the tongue.
In addition to the tooth-wood,some tooth- picks made Of i ron
or copper may be u sed or a small stick of bamboo or wood,flat as the surface of the little finger and sharpened on one
1agar inM ai -
W ISE?!
Suér uta. Sar'
nhi ta, I. xxvn .
I’Tsing . Recor ds O f the B uddhi st Reli gi on .
— Tak ak usu . P. 26-7.
3 Ib id ch . vi i i . U se Of Tooth -woods. P . 33.
298 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF TH E HINDUS.
end, may be u sed for cleaning the teeth and tongue one must
be carefu l not to hu rt the mon th. W hen used, the wood mustbeW ashed and thrown away .
W henever a tooth-wood is destroyed, or water, or sal iva is spitout, i t shou ld be done after having made three fill ips with the
fingers or after having coughed more than twice if not, one
faulty in throwing it away. A stick taken out of a large
piece of wood, or from a small stem Of a tree or a branch Of an
elm,or a creeper, if in the forest i f in a field, Of the paper
mu lberry , a peach, a sophora japon ica (H uai), willow tree, or
anything at disposal , must be prepared sufficiently beforehand.
The freshly cut sticks (lit . wet ones) must be oflered to
others, whi le the dry ones are retained for one’s own use .
The younger priest can chew as he likes, but the elder s must
havethe stick hammered at one end and made sof t the best - is
one which is bitter , astringent or pungent in taste, or one whichbecomes like cotton when chewed . The rough root of the
N orthern Burr-weed (H u Tai ) is the most excellent ; this isotherwise called TsAng -urb or Tsae-u rb , and strikes the rootabout two inches in the g round . It hardens the teeth, scentsthe mouth,helps to digest food, or relieves heart- burn ing . If
this kind of tooth- cleaner be u sed, the smell of the month will
go O ff after a fortn ight . A disease in the canine teeth or toothachewill be cured after a month . B e carefu l to chew fully and
polish the teeth clean ly, and to let all the mouth-water comeout and then to rinse abundantly
'
with water . That is theway . Take in the water from the nose once. This is themeans of securing a long life adopted by Bodhisattva Nd
'
yd‘
rguna.
If this be too hard to put in practice, to drink water is
300 TH E SURGICAL Ixsr nr n nx’
r s or TH E H IND U S .
wooden scraper is to be used. It should be ten angu li long and
mu st be pliant and polished” . Caraka 2 mentions tong ue-scraperof copper , lead or brass. B havam isra 3 also gives a similardiscr iption . It is to be used for scraping the deposit on the
tongue. It is sti ll comm on ly used in India .
RAZ OR AND SH EAR S . TH E PRACTICE or SH AVING .
Every one is recommended by Sus’
ruta to have his beardshaved, hair trimmed and nai ls pared.
4 Caraka 5 also advises
1 fastfirs'
La-
vi der ea
rs-i i arr
—55h ?”
am t as w as m egs "
Susr uta Samhi ta, IV . xxiv .
asum m fiu agfifimmf‘
a a u
Car ak a Sari) hita,
fi sififdefi as? u se mast am u
s é as"
qus‘
aim ed Rem
“Hams” W fim
’
sum 1
ami d eg fim'
fia fi st fsfi a eem
affi rm wet-31m gins area are u
B hava P rakaéa , I. i .
smart H anan”
! fists-a firsts?n
Susr u ta Sarhhi tzi , IV. xxiv.
fl ea as vfisfi efim
tfir‘
eai'
N ews sfasufsusmq l
“w as? w eem u—fl u
Caraka Sarnhita, I. v.
H YGIENlC AP P LIAN CES A‘
xn‘
H OSP ITAL REQU ISITIES . 301
us to shave regu larly , that is thr ice i n a fortn ight .
1 B havam isra
says that this practice conduces to health, beau ty , longevityand purity, and shou ld be obser ved every fifth day
? Razoris mentioned in the Rgvcda
3and in the K athopan i sad of
the. "Vhite Yayu .
4 In the Satapatba Brahmana, we find
the method of shaving well descr ibed.
5 “Then (in shaving )
are used a porcupine qu i ll spotted in three places and a copperrazor ; that three-spotted porcupine’s qu i ll resembles the three
fold science and the copper razor resembles the Brahmana ;
forgB rahma‘
. is fire, and fire is of reddish (lohi ta) colou r , hencea copper (loha) , razor is used
Aga in we read0 For impu re, indeed, is that partof man where water does not reach him . N ow at the hai r and
heard, and at the nai ls the water does not reach him hencewhen he shaves his hai r and beard, and cuts his nai ls, he doesso in order that he may be consecrated after becom ing pu re.
Carak as Samhi tfi, I. v i i i .
fi fl afi fi m am a a rias
am am atriaem
ares W igw‘
W W IW I 11
“m m
”film it
B hava P r akfiéa , I. i .
e a: w ide Hfisfifia ni net ies father”
Rgvcda , 8M . 4: S, 5 A . 7 A . 1 6 V .
71 75‘
s? am retire! examgimmewraith serfs ;
K athopan isad, I. i i i .
Satapatha B rahmana , 4. 5.
0 Ib id. 1 1 1 .
302 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS or The H INDUS .
3 . N ow some shave themselves all over , in order that they
may be consecrated after becom ing pure all over ; but let himnot do this. For even by shaving the hai r of his head and his
beard, and by cutting his nai ls he becomes pu re let him there
fore shave only the ha ir of his head and his beard, and cut his
nails.
In the first place he outs his n ails, first of the right hand,
for in human (practi ce) those of the left hand (are cut) first,
but w ith the gods in this manner . Fi rst he cu ts those of the
thumb— for in human practice those of the li ttle fingers are cut
first, bu t with the gods in this manner .
5 . H e first passes (the comb) through his r ight Whiskerfor in human (practice ther comb) first the left whisker, butwith the gods in this manner .
6 . H is r ight whi sker he moisten s first with the text “may
this divine water be propitiou s un to me
There upon he lays a stalk of sacr ificial grass on (the hair of
the whisker ) w ith the text“0 plant, protect me
” Thereto
he appl ies the razor , w ith the text “0 kn ife, in ju re him
not”
.
8. H avin g cu t off (part of the stalk and hair) , he throws
it into the vessel of water . Silently he moistens the left
whisker ; si lently he lays the stalk of g rass on it ; and havi ng
silently appl ied the razor thereto and cu t through (it and the
hair) he throws them into the vessel of water .
H e then hands the razor to the barber , and the latter shaves
off the hair and heard. W hen he has shaved the hair and
beard .
1 0. H e bathes
304 THE SURGICAL IN STRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
lou se and dandr u ff .
l B havam i éra advises us to comb the hairevery day to keep i t clean ,
as it stim u lates the g rowth of hair .
2
Caraka 3 also recommends u s to keep the hai rs clean“ The
practice of combing the hai r i s very ancien t ; the Atharva-veda
m entions a comb w ith a hundred teeth .
LO O K IN G- GLASS .
The looking -
glass shou ld be constantly used as therebythecomplexion is said to be improved and life prolonged“. For an
account of the look ing -
g lass of the ancient H indu s,see M itra ’s
Indo-Aryans5
DRESS .
Silk, chintz and red clothes are good for the winter,for
they are said to be‘
u sefu l for derangement of air and phlegm .
Thin silk is cooling and is efficacious for biliary disorders so it
shou ld be u sed du r ing the summer . It shou ld be colouredtwany or red. W hite clothes are au spiciou s and are neither hot
1 asserti ve sen t i tan trams-an
Suér u tta Samhi ta, IV. xxiv .
B hava P rakasa , I. i .
Carak a San'
Ihi ta,I. vi i i .
fi r st m m massif? Fan—mm u
t'
i va P r akzi éa, L i .
5 The Indo -Aryan s Vol . 1 , p; 2440 ;
HY GIENIO APP LIANCES AN D H O SPITAL REQUISITIES . 305
nor cold ; therefore they should be wern during the ra ins 1
Caraka says that pure dress conduces to longevity, happiness andfortune2
USNISA OR H EAD DRESS.
S’
uSruta s advises us to use a cap on our head whi ch is thus
protected from injury . Bhavami sra says that the habitual useof some form of covering for the head stimulates the growth of
hair , in creases beauty of the head and protects i t from dust,
drau g hts and accumulation of phlegm . Only light caps shouldbe nixed as theheavy varieties derangebile and cause diseases of
the eyes.
4 For the di agrams of the var ious forms of turbansused by the ancient H indus, see Mitra’s Indo-Aryans.
5
fi a’
ifiiw was (w as i i
was: w as; die-
ma faunas 11“ma” tmfi li W 1
se asam e am s‘
W I
new aarfir 613W “
sfii simmer tuner an
arm-
n W m‘
simian m l
B hava P rakasa,I. i .
aunt M’
“i ts :
sites mfiw‘
art film fllq ll
Caraka em i ts, I. v.
i .
sti fl es-suds arraraqfi’
mws‘ iSusi-umsame , IV. xxiv.
613w as mm: {TE fimi‘
afiflsfl ll
Bhi vaP rakfiéa , I. i ."5 The InaozAryans, Vol . 1 , p. 220.
306 THE SU RGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE H INDUS.
CH ATRA (inU MBRELLAS .
Suéruta says : Umbrellas are u seful for protecting men fromthe rains, dra ughts, glare of the sun , exposu re to cold, and dust.
They are auspici ous and are beneficial to the eyes‘ Caraka 2
advises us to u se it as it protects us from the sun, rain &c.
B h'
a'
Nam iéra 3 also describes i ts efficacy sim i larly . Umbrella is
one of the insignia éf r toyaltf in India, and is always heldover the heads of kings as shown in the San chi and Amaravati
sculptures‘ . It is still commonly used in India .
Y ASTI O R STICKS .
Caraka!s directs us to use a stick as a support. Suéruta
says :“By u sing sticks, a man gains in strength, prowess and
manliness. H e becomes courageous, patient and forbearing .
H e can stand erect and is not troubled by any It
W ai l fsmas'
r fimw'
t
ans srwswfl‘
iasi 31st aw a i t
Suér uta Samhité, IV. n iv.
sati res asa'71 3t
amisstfi swas’
W e a
Carak a. Samhi ta, I. 1 .
Sw ami N issan tam :
feast tenn i s W fi rému
Bhava P rakaéa, I. i .
See Indo-Aryans, l , p . 266.
W m’
em u
cm Saahj ta, I. V.
V I: streams fim’
r‘
wfi tuarqt‘ I
w ere an; safari“? saw? u
W aste fissile: fish e r
W W met m um”Suéru ta Bamh iti , IV. xxiv.
- 308 SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS 0 1" Tu e Ii moUS .
m The . : l—l indus wor 'e sandals like the ancient Greeks. They
also used boots, which look like the modern boots used by
Europeans. Buddha gave the B hikkhu s perm ission to wear
boots or Shoes, w ith thick l in ing ‘ . H iuen Tsiang 2 says that
“here (Avanti ) Tathagatha’
gave perm ission to the B hi kkhus toWear k ih-fu - to For an account and figures of ancientboots u sed by the H indus, see Indo -Aryans.
3
VY RJANI AND CELIARA . TH E FAN .
The fan was used for air ing the patients to drive away
fli es.
4 Suéruta mentions the camara. a.o. ,the tai l of
'
the
Thibetan yolk (B os g runnius) to be used as a fan .
“It soothesthe inflammation of boils and also acts as a
’
tly-brush to prevent
infection of the open wound” 5 The camara is also one Of‘
the
insignia of royalty and as such we have many representationsof it in the scu lptures Of ancient IndiaG. For diagrams of
the ancient fan , see In do -Aryans7
.
Caraka directs u s to use a k ula or fan to winnow corn,
prepared f rom the kasa (Saccharum Spontamum) to resuscitatea still-born childs .
Mohavagga, varga 1 3 if 6. S . B . E: vol xvi i . p . 35.
2 B eal’
s Records. of B uddhi st Rel ig ion , vol . II. p . 280 ;
3 Indo -Aryans, Vol . 1 , p . 1 23-6.
mamas fim'
fififim n'
i
sham w as 11m in stamina : uSuSruta Sarhhi tfi , IV. xxiv.
53 Q
wa s a ssi sts-
cm as fi ssaqIb id, I. xix :
See Indo-Aryans, vol . II, p . 267o70 .
For diagram s, see Indo-Aryan s, vol . I, p. 263.
sen fififi figflt-‘
f mm {miss sw fsmuiim i ranfii zfiigwfims
ase‘
enema?!mustwarmestcr iticism s? nCa r
aka Satirhitfi, Iv. vi i i .
HYGIENIC AP P LIANCES AND HOSP ITAL ltEQUISl T l ES. 309
B havam i sra 1 mentions fansmade of the fol lowing materials:palm leaf, bamboo, yolk ’
s .tail, cloth, peacock’s feather and cane.
He attributes pecul iar properties to each fan .
Rajavallabha says2 that “the palm - leaf fan overcomes distur
bances of all the three humours, and is l ight and agreeable ; thebamboo fan causes heat and i rr itablity, and promotes inordinatesecretion of the two humours- a ir and bile; the cane, cloth and
peacock’s feather fans, overcome disturbances of the three
humours the hair fan is invigorating etc.
”
The Buddhist B hiksus used the palm - leaf fan .
“N ot
unfrequently there is added a lotus-leaf shaped fan, made f roma Single frond, wi th an edging of bamboo or light wood, andfurnished with a handle fashioned l ike the letter “S” . The palmfrom which the leaf is taken , is also that u sed for the mss . ,
namely the Talipot ; hence the name Talpon i g iven to the
Bhikkhus by the early Por tug uese adventurers in Burma . W hen
he attended a meeting at which women are likely to bepresen t,every B hikkhu must have the fan .
” 3
“sw amf u turist-
fi rm:
awn su nfish erg? a
It? fi rst?“arm: fem em: age-m:
Bhava Prakfiéa, I. i .
mam ez—faaw sm i arses " qmm z—fi aq
swam meri ts-mm n m m gmz— fséiw firaq
Elm a —anew sfasufefisiraias n
BEjfi f B-l lfibhfl s
The Way of Buddha, p. 53-54.
31 0 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE H IN D US .
FILTER S.
Fi l ters wereusecl by the H indus and are recommended to bemade of an earthen or metal l ic vessel, the mou th being closed bya piece of cloth tied round its neck .
If the water be filthy, Su §ru ta l advises us to purify it byboi ling it or by exposure to the sun or by throwing hot ironbal ls, sand or clay balls into the water and then allowing it tocool . Such purified water shou ld be scented with the flowers ofN ag akes
'
ara (Mesua. Ferrea), Campaka (M ichel ia Champaca),U tpala (Nymphma Stellata) and Patala (B ignon ia Su aveolens) .
SuSru t-a mentions seven means of pur ifying polluted water”,
Kataka phala or nirmalaya or seeds of Strychnos Potatorum.
Gomedaka or a kind of gems.
Visag ranthi , or root of N elumbium Speciosum .
Saivalamfila or root of Val l isneria Spiralis.
A piece of cloth .
Pearls.
Precious Stones and crysta ls.
3.1e viz/firmwares aarazfqasfew a’
nswi at Gri lled
new wri stm afi w m m fafii srfimwfiifii
Suéruta Sarnhitfa, I. xlv.
2as energies: massi f-I warm sum : W infiewfasufsm
ae ifir gamfirs l w fifiw rfiusfin flaun t m i mew asses
ssamfsmfirsaéfa l M fm mfi war-n u EW HEQEEHQ W stim
sm‘
wastW’
Im'
W arsaw funn ea afifa i
31 2 . THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E nmnvs.
Suéruta 1 deprecates impu re water as injurious to the human
system and advises us not to dr ink or bathe in such water as
there is always the risk of being speedly affected with manydiseases.
“It (filter) forms one of the eight sacred u tensils necessary fora sramana of theBuddhist order . It i s a strainer or water-dipperan appratus for filtering the water which he drinks, so that he
may D Ot’ even unw illingly, take an imal life’ ’ 9
O ne of the six requ isites of a Bhik su is P arisravana, a
water-strainer 3
W ar ns VESSEL .
To store wa ter, Suéruta mentions vessels of gold, or si lver,or earth4
“The clean water is kept separately from water for cleansingpurposes(li t. ‘
tou ched’ water), and there are two kinds of jars
(Le. kundi and kalasa) for each . Earthenware or porcelain is
used for the clean jar, and the jar , for water for cleansing pur
poses (h’
t. tou ched water) is made of copper or iron . The cleanwater is ready for dr inking at any time, and the ‘touched’
water for cleansing purposes after having been to the ur inal .
am? ai fifsai as
assesssi‘
asfi i’rmfi’fi an n
sma'
efsra'
immamm an: ias? art-3m? W est-mam?a
m afimw fik fl fi a
m mfirm um mam Tanners n
Snérnta Samhitfi, I. xlv .
The way of B uddha , p. 53.
3 I’Tsing , ch . x .
M (a s saraanm3 filfifi ‘lfi W arsaw w as?anquIb i d.
HYGIEN IC AP P LIANCES AND H O SP ITAL REQUISITIES . 31 3
The clean jar must be carried in a clean hand, and be placed in
a clean place, whi le the jar for the ‘ touched’ water shou ld be
grasped by the ‘touched’ (or hand and be put in an
unclean (or ‘ touched’ ) place. The water in a pu re and fresh jar
can be drunk at anytime the water i n any other jar is called‘special water ’ (more l i t. seasonable water i f . water to be used
at certain prescr ibed times, probably
BATH ING .
The H indus in thei r dai ly li fe do not eat withou t havingfirstwashed themselves in a bath . They alwavs use a bathing ~sheet
and this ancient practice is sti ll followed.
Bhavamiéra says2 “Bathing st imu lates the appetite, vi r i le
power and strength, prolongs life, allays thirst and bu rningsensation
,cu res eczema
,and washes ou t d i r t and perspiration .
”
Besides the ordinary bath, there is some evidence of the
use of a medical bath to cu re diseases. I’Tsing says
3 “The
W orld-honou red O ne taught how to bu i ld a .bath room, to
construct a br ick pond in an open place, and to make a medicalbath in order to cure a disease. Sometimes he ordained . the
I’
Tsing . ch . v i .
m zfim 6331s w as In
arias its} : 5333? “ watts tflFsa : l
are mamas: aw? as mass: u
can camms « flaw ed l
in : m anta «g i ngerw
stasis aafifig W 3 sfi FflmW u
I’
Tsing , ch . xx .
Bhava P rakasa ,I. i ,
3 1 k TH E suae i cu . [Nsr aun sNrs or TH E H IN D US.
whole body to be anonited w ith oi l , sometimes the feet to be
rubbed with oi l every n ight, or the head every morn ing for
su ch a practice is very good for maintain ing clear eyesight and
keeping off the cold.
“Bathing shou ld always take placewhen one is hungry . Two k inds of benefi ts are derived by
having meals after bathing . Fi rst,the body is pu re and empty,
being free from all di rt, second, the food wi ll be well digested,
as the bathing makes one free from phlegm or any disease of the
internal organs. Bathing after a good meal is forbidden in the‘Science of M edicine
’
(K ik itsa-Vidya) .
D R IN K ING VESSEL .
Scented water is adv ised to be drunk out of cups made of
gold, or silver , or copper , or bell -metal,or lapis lazu li or earth.
1
t‘
wamisra 2 also mentions on s of the same mater ials.P
To drink from a jar holding i t upr ight in front is no fault
but drinking in the afternoon is not perm issible. A jar must
be made to fit one’s mouth the top of the cover should be
two fingers high in it a hole as small as a copper chopstick ismade.
Fresh water for drinking mu st be kept_
in such a jar . At
the side of the jar there is another round hole as large as a
small coin , two fingers higher than the drink ing -mouth. Thishole is used for pou ring in water two or three gallons may be
pu t in it . A small jar is never used.
See foot-n ote 2, P . 65 .
man (fin-sw an esters
Bhava P rakaéa ,I. i .
3 1 6 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or TH E H INDUS .
Plantain leaf vessels for fru its and sweetmeats.
Gold vessels for flesh;
Stenevessels for whev.
Copper vessels for milk .
Earthen vessels for water , sherbets and w ines.
Glass, crystal, lapis lazu li vessels for rajsi dava and sattaka.
In the Bhava P rakaéa 1 we have a detailed description on the
subject—“A dinner servi ce of gold is the best from a medicinalpoint of view, and it is supposed to be the best tonic for the eye.
Eating ou t of silver is equally efficacious for promoti ng hepaticfunctions. A service of zinc improves the intelligence and
appetite; Food served in brass utensils promotes wind and
heat, b ut cures phlegmatic disorders and expells worms. The use
of steel or g lass vessel cures chlorosis, jaundice and intumescence.
A stone or clay service br ings on poverty . W ooden platesare good appetisers, b ut help the secretions of phlegmatichumou r . The u se of cer tain leaves as plates acts as an antidoteagainst poisons. W hen at dinner, a water jug with a cup shouldbe placed on the right hand. A
'
copper vessel is the best for thepurpose . The next best is an earthen pot . Vessels made of
crystal and lapis lazu l i are also pure and cooling ”.
2
wasm us awasFem2i mus t m i m mqssnsq i
i ifira m a tits ass slimen
'
s? fi i fiv t fin‘
é‘
m fig n
ma'
name?cm‘
i risfismm u
B hava P rakasa , I. i .
H i story of'
At
yan Medical Science, p . 64-5 .
H YGIEN 10 PP LLANCES AND H OSP ITAL l i -EQ UISITIES .
SPOO N S .
I’Tsing says1 As to the mode of eati ng in the W est,
they use on ly the right hand, bu t if one has had an i llness or
has some other reason , one is permitted to keep a spoon for
use.
”
SP ITToo -Ns .
Spittoons were common ly u sed by the ancient H indus, andCaraka? men tions i t as one of the things necessary for the sickroom. It is also mentioned in the M ohavagga
3:“And thesethe’s
wife spat it ou t into the spittoon . Fa-H ian“ noticed a“stone
spitting vessel in thi s country (K ie-sha) belong ing to Buddha .
”
B EDPANS AN D URINALS.
The bedpan and u rinal were also used by the patients inancient times. Caraka metions them to be necessary in a sickroom .
5
P us BASINS .
Metalli c basins marked with different measures were used for
holding di scharges after Operations. In the Advavaidyaka6
1 I’Tsing . ch . xvi .
am ass“ “Perm ian Ii ‘ =k
sfaas'
rsiwsufiq nCaraka Samhita, I. xv.
Sacred Books of the East . VIII. i . l l
Beal’s Records, vol . 1 . Introducti on , xxvm .
See P age 36 and foot-note 1 , P . 34.
1123 and firstW aste: Quin n
m eta visa t a'
12mm13qAévavaidyaka, XV. verse
3 18 THE suRGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE H IN D US .
blood let out in the Operation of phlebotomy , is recommendedto be collected i n a basin
,so that the quantity may at once be
determined.
P ESTLE AN D MORTAR .
Pestle and mortar are mentioned in the Rg veda for preparingthe Soma ju ice.
1 And thei r u se in pharmacy was wellknown to the an cients.
Besides the pestle and mortar of pharmacy , we find mentionof a large wooden pestle u sed in redu cing dislocation by Susruta .
2
Caraka says that two pestles and motars Shou ld be kept in a
lyi ng- in - room
,the object being to allow the woman some kind of
work ; and then she wi ll not l ie down idly on her bed if there be
any delay in the del ivery of the chi ld 3 . Suéruta also recommendsit“.
“The mortar (u lukhala) and pestle (mu sala) are to be made
of very hard wood,
viz.,both of Varana wood (Crataiga
Ro xburghi i ) , or the m or tar of P alaSa wood (Butea Frondosa) ,and the pestle Of Khadira wood (Acacia Catechu ) . The former
state a'
wasas sauna ga it
R g veda , 1 M . 28 S . l 2R .
See foot- n ote 6 , P . 1 72 .
3 See P . 39, an d foot-n ote l , P . 40 .
m i terate : draw a assassins 1 8nd B fil‘Bfiflfi Fr-flata a sham{G i lmag i assisfl
‘
sa is assist-
claw saws: swan -“
cm gam ma I
Carak a Samhi ta,IV. vi i i .
a isiaham fafa vii tai ns: ssrwwdamm firsmfisfi at armsfi
Suéru ta Samhita, III. x.
320 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
three layers of a piece of cloth . And we know that in theprehistoric Soma rites, i t “
was pressed,passed through a seive,
m ixed with milk, and Ofiered as the main oblati on”
The reference to a cloth sieve, we find in Mohavaggal
N ow at that time the Bhikkhus who were Sick bad need of
sifted chunam as medicine.
They told this thing to the B lessed O ne.
“I allow, 0 B hikkhus, the use O f a chunam sieveThey had need of the chunam very fine.
“I allow, 0 B hikkhus, the use of a cloth sieveP avitra was used in the Vedi c timesg . It was a filter .
W i lson translates it “Trough the pu r ifying filters”.
COLD AND H OT AP P LICATION S.
To relieve colic pains, vessels m ade Of silver, copper or
precious stones, containing cold water, are directed to be placedu pon the part or better upon the navel s. Besides these, leathervessels contain ing cold water are also directed to be used for
redu cing the temperature in di li ri um tremens.
4
Mohfivagga VI. 1 0 . l .
Bgveda , 3m . 31 s. 16 Eh
siu'
serfs sfisfflwfiafia zgwfia W Iqfi i z11
Ib id,3m . a6s. 7Rk .
flfimfia man'
s mm fi a i fi iazl
mfiwifi m zmshqfi fi f‘
ufiqnSnéruta Satirhiti , VI. xln .
Caraka Sarhhi ti , VI. xi i .
H YGIENIC AP PLIANCES AN D I—IO SP ITAL REQ UISITIES 3231
Heat is directed to be applied to the patient’s body in var iou sways
1
I . Tapasveda—pa lm of the hand
,brass dish, sand, cloth,
potsherd &c. are the means mentioned for apply ing heat to the
body .
II . U snasveda z— potsherds, stone, br icks, or i ron balls are tobe heated to redness and then water i s to be sprinkled upon them .
The part to be fomented is covered by a wet piece of thick lintand then the heated mater ials are to be applied over i t. O r
heat may be applied by means O f a narrow vesssel contain inghot decoctions. The vessel is to be su rrounded by a piece of
waters: fi rs t awn rims-
e saws m a caw 6 7: i f?”
vs use: fim sflv : i!
as uni -fizz Infill Warm est-
s s ummit: ages-
7aw estward ass:
mfm rfiftfii sax-fi es s tun qm t’
xieaflp’
is- I’
msiafuamiafs u feéz’
a
fi sh? W mamas-near weary si s (G what'
s sw am“
saws W Iand“
marshes—(mi meanest usi mqu mi fai n m swam
gfiama anathemastarsif"
; sfism si f t i lw asseen a
w as s um {RI w as I
sfimfwfim arm (graders-SW u
33151”
3m as ffimfil 1 1171 6?
amnesia! ferries! sfw sis swath: n
133m?! FemWfif m ssh Shem
$5 25?
cams was; am en d-
os wizsim isn’
t : urc hin mad : new
{Erasl is aim'
isarfizfii z stmfzfirfuamqt a ri a m in: ai mmfilfi rfi'm
fixam ii zm fifim wfi : sag-
am
as ism-W w as: {i f afiwwa sam semis: fizfid I as“
waists
ts—gs-iIu-m -eu-am{seamen sai d : manic: qfifsfifsfii l
Suéru ta Sarhhi tfi, IV. xxx",
822 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
cloth to prevent the ski n from being burnt . O r heat may be
applied by the following device —an earthen vessel or kalasicontaining hot decoctions is to b e'
closed and the vessel is thento be inverted.
‘Then a hole shou ld be bored on its side, and a.tube shaped like an elephant’s proboscis is fitted to i t ; the vapourissu ing from the tube isal lowed to play on the part.
TO apply vapour bath —pu t the hot infusion of medicinal
substances into an earthen vessel and close its mou th. Drill ahole into the side of the vessel and adapt a tube to it. The tubemay be either metall ic or wooden . The tube Shou ld be two hands(forearm and hand) long and made of three pieces ; the end of thetube which shou ld taper l ike a cow ’
s tail mu st be six angu li long .
The patient shou ld be seated on a stool and well covered withcloth. The tube is then introduced inside the blanket, and thus
the issu ing vapou rs heat the whole body .
Suéruta says that the tube shou ld be half byam the
distance between the two hands when extended) long , bent thriceand shaped like an elephan t’s proboscis. Sometimesa larg e stoneslab is to be heated w ith burn ing wood of Acacia Catechu . Thenafter removing the ashes, the patient is directed to lie upon it.A tent or cloth- cover having fou r doors is sometimes required forthe patient to si t in
,and heat is applied by burning wood
outside it .
add? T ram mi l“
fizz'
farm a n
figzmé tam meat ahead em u
fifi i‘flfl l fits-i i i awl yawfastest n
W e (saw gums-
(mass u
tfi efism awn afizfii mfifi mquSi r figadlmra Snmgrsha, III. 1 1 .
324 THE SURGICAL IN STR UMENTS 0 1"THE H INDUS .
B ALANCE on MANADAN DA .
For weighing medicina l substances, the scales and balanceare often mentioned. They men tion a set of weights and
measu res to be used in weighing substances. Alberun i l descri besthe H indu balance thus —“The balan ce with which the H indusweigh things, are xapi cr T im /ff ? of which the weights are
immovable, whilst the scales move on certain marks and lines.
Therefore the balance is called tfi la . The first lines mark the
un it of theweight from 1 to 5, and fu rther on to 1 0; the followinglines mean the tenths, 1 0, 20, 30, 8m. In Fergusson
’s
Tree and Serpent W orship we have a diagram of steel -yard,
where a man 18 represented as stepping in the scale,
apparen tly to weigh himself ? The ordinarv balance is still incommon u se amongst the kav irajes of the present day .
COLLY RIUM POTS .
The H indus used to apply collyrium to their eyes, from a
very early time. It is said to stimulate the growth of eye- lashes,
brighten the lustu re of the eye- balls and clean the pupi l 3 .
B havam iéra ‘ recommends us to use collyrium as i t improvesthe vi sual power and cures many diseases of the eye. It is
1 A lb er un i’
s Indi a . Trans, b y Sachau ,vol . 1 , p. 146 .
2 The Tree and Srpen t W orship, the pl . lxxxi i i . fig . I.
W as fi m a ent ai l
Snsm tssaw-as, 1v . xxiv .
«W filer“
fsausfiiafii fi rmaha? mafia vhf
“
: m a n
“that
” finm sf?! aha -arses I
HYGIENIC AP PLIANCES AND HOSPITAL REQ UIsrr l us. 325
contra-indicated in patients suffer ing from fever , emesis, exhaus
tion , 850 .
Sufiruta mentions collyri um pots of diiferen t meta ls in tendedfor difierent k inds of collyrium then in u se
gold pots for sweet collyr ium .
silver pots for acid collyrium .
horn pots for salt collyrium .
copper 85 i ron pots for astringent collyr ium .
lapis lazu li pots for sour or acid col lyr ium .
bell-metal pots for bitter collyr ium .
H e also mentions pots of ivory, or crystal , or coral, or horn ,
or conch-shell, or stone, or gold, or silver ‘ .
He also mentions a piece of bamboo for st or ing col lyrium 2
A bamboo is still u sed by the poor for keeping oil in India . For
a similar pu rpose the wood of Khadi ra (Accacia Catechu ) is also
33 : w t area's m I
M afi a W W II
fi m 5! finzfi w as mai n. I
inci sed”smut?“at?! 6713 sfss
‘
II“files
”f ind faultsI
tea-gentile”frugal?! créaua swam
ua’
tmutt-er: am : stein?W ENT! I
Bhava P rok i éa , I. i .
See foot-note 3 , P . 67 .
gfi i sw rsm m afi sign: I
uh'figfi afiasmsmaffi zII
Suéruta Sarixhi ti , VI. m r.
i5zo :rna SURGICAL l xsr nun enr s o r TH E H IN D US .
recommended ‘ . For stor ing oi l , D rcjhavala2 men tions the u se of
vessels of stone or the horn of a lamb or i ron .
M ED ICIN E GLASS .
Su kti or shell of m ussel]was used as medicine g lass. The shell
of the fresh water mussels u n ionaeea is men tioned to be used for
holding a dose of medicine for adm in ister ing it to a pati ent".
The) generallv have equ ivalve, though not equ isided, shells
which are. covered externally w ith a sm ooth brown epidermisand in ternal ly by a mother- of- pearl layer . Such a shell “is said
to have been formerly much u sed in Eng liand by paintersfor holding thei r colou r and so the comm onest var iety is
termed u n io pictorua . To apply oleag inous errhines, Sus’
ruta 4
recommends u s to u se metal lic pots or the shel l of mussel . It is
sti ll u sed in India for feeding the babies with m i lk and also foradmin ister ing medicines to the patient . H eyne
6(1 81 4) says
that“according to the natu re of the disender , the medicines
shou ld b e taken out of gold, si lver or brass vessels. B ut i f
these shou ld not be at hand you may u se i ron or even earthen
vessel .”
assess. gases Em s? 1
stam ens-
4mfixes: innsmg II
(sum mit: as"
was;W e
as Gfi t fiiéfifi as?! sweetFee?IISuéru ta Samhi ta Vl . xvn .
See foot n ote, 4. P . 67 .
3an scum ma : mars
-
ens mfinu’
r‘
sma‘
i fii wnfiéw’
iwgfiimSusr uta Sarhhi ta, IV . 1 .
am tri fle-
exwarm-
mi nim fans Ghats stem sun am as
(as gas?macaw-
r: simmers-
cm zi use"fqgm an sew fim amfiséz
warms -mi agfiaa aunt‘
s IIb id . Iv . xl .
5 Dr Heyne’s Indian Tracts,
328 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS on THE H IND US .
elliptical . mortar is generally u sed when the medicines requireto be thoroug ly m ixed with some excipient .
The following appliances, besides those mentioned before,become necesary in pharmacy
1 . Iron pai ls of var iou s sizes.
2. Vessels of iron , copper , si lver , brass and earth for storingmedici nes.
8. Spoons of wood or darvi large metallic spoon or hata .
4~ Iron sandamSa or pinchers .
5 . Rods of wood or i ron .
Blacksmith’s bellows.
Ankusa or hook s like the elephant dr iver ’s goad.
Iron hammer .
SD
Q
Q
CD
Earthen cru cibles of differen t sizes.
CHAPTER IX .
THE CO N CLU SION .
In the recent edition of the System of Medicine, Prof . Albutt 1
begins his article on the H istory of medicine with the followingobservations : “The medicin e of Egypt and the East, extensiveand intricate as i t was, in so far as it was not Greek did not
contain even the rudiments of science. To i t W estern medicineowes virtually nothi ng , and in thi s article at any rate, it may be
disregarded” . Prof . O sler 2 also speaks in the same strain “Crudeand bizzare among the pr imitive nations, these ideas of diseasereceived among the Greek s and R omans a practical developmentworthy of these peoples. There have been systemes of so-calleddivine healing in all the great civi lizations, but for beauty of con
ception and for grandeu r of detai l in the execution, all are as
nothing in compar ison with the cult of the son of Appolo, and
of ZEsculapius, the god of hea ling .
” “Scientific medicine, theproduct of a un ion of relig ion with phi losophy, had its origin in
a remarkable conjunction of g ifts and conditions among the
Greeks in the sixth centur ies” .
Such opinions remind us of an assertion of Sir W illiamJones8 “that there is no evidence that in any language of Asiathereexists one original tr eatiseon medicine considered as science” .
About a century has elapsed since the time of Sir W ill iam butwesee that the same misconception sti ll prevails in the minds of
Albutt and Rolleston . Systerrrof Medi cin e,vol . I, p. l .
O slar and Moraié’sSystem of Medicine.
Discourse xi . Sir W i l liam Jone’
swork s, Vol . 1 . pl 161 .
330 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or TH E H INDUS.
the scholars. M acdonell 1 gives us a succint account of the
intellectua l debt of Europe to the various branches of scienceand art of the H indu s but regrets that the genetic connection of
Indian medicine with that of G reece can not at present bedefin itely settled.
“The question as to whether Indi an medicalscience in its earlier period was affected by that of the Greekscan not be answered with certainty, the two systems not havinghitherto been compared with su fficient care.
”The European mind
is qu ite naturally in the habit of tracing all knowledge to Greece,the fountain of all their knowledge in philosophy and science.
B ut impartial writers are not wanting to vi ndicate the claimsof the H indus. So W ise remarks as follows 9 “Factsregarding the ancient hi story of medi cine have been sought foron ly in the classical authors of Greece and Rome and have beenarranged to su it a traditional theory which repudiated all systems
which did not proceed from a Greecian sou rce. W e are familiarfrom our youth with classical history and love to recall eventsillustrated by the torch of gen ius and depicted on ou r memoriesand it requ i res a thorough exam ination of a subject
,a careful
weighing of new evidence, and a degree of ingenuousness notalways to be found to alter early impression s. Sti ll candourandtruth require us to examine the value of new facts inhistory as they are discovered, so as to arrive at just conclusions” .
Royle maintains8 that “from the m ixture, however, of muchignorance and absurdity with what is valuable, many will beapt to despise altogether the medi cine of theEast. B ut if it be
recollected how long in Europe prevailed the influence of Galen,
1 H istory of San sk r it Li teratur e, ch. xvi .
Review of the H istory of Medi cine. In troduction .
3 Antiqu ity of H indu Medicine, p. 61 ,
332 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
Apart from the usefulness of the study for collecting materialsfor the history of medicine, there are good reasons for a criticalexamination of the subject. The knowledge of the H indus inmedical science was by no means
-
rudimentary . There is evidenceto Show that they were inferior to none in the quality or quantityof the kn owledge of the scien ce at that ear ly age. H oernle says:
1
Its extent and accu racy are surprising when we allow for theirear ly age
h —probably the sixth centu ry before Christ—and theirpecu liar methods of defin ition .
” They practised dissectionof human bodies and their an atomi cal studies have the
mark of high order . W e haveseen that they used variousformsof surg ical instruments. The H indus cut for stone couched forthe cataract and extracted the foetus fr om the womb” . They performed abdominal section , practised cran ial surgery successfullyand no reg ion of the body was thought sacred to the knife. Theyrepaired nose and cars by plastic operations, treated fractures andreduced dislocations, and were experts in performing amputations.They reduced herni a, cured piles and fistul a- in -ano by surgicaltechn ique, and inoculated and vaccin ated for small-pox . Fieldsu rgery was thoroughly understood and arrowswere extractedwithskill . They were acquainted w ith the ci rcu lation of the blood, 2
1 H oernle’s Osteology , P reface. P . i i i .
mfii t‘
ci admixtu re m uf fin W a s amfimm
swam m afi fi i‘
fiu m m a mat am ?
i I
Su §ruta Saxixhité, III. v u.
efim fii'wéflw as merit I
shavi
'
rmkaa , _
1 . ii .
THE concw sroN. 333
the di stin cti on between the artery and vein , ‘ the use
of anaesthetics,the means of ar resting haemorrhage and the
proper treatment of surg ical wounds. They enumerated 1 07
vital parts of the body to be avoided, i f possible, by the surgeonin practising his handicraft .
2
In medi cine they first propounded the humoural pathology .
Though it seems fanciful in the light of modern cu ltu re, it must
beadmitted that no other theory hasbeen attempted to explain thecausation of disease in recent times.
“They were the fir st nationwho employed minerals internal ly and to them we owe the thera
peutie use of mercury and arsen i c in intermittents” . They introduced massage, postural treatment and magnet in therapeuti cs.They excelled in chemistry and contrived many instrumentsfor the preparation of chem ical compounds. Atomic theorywas discovered by Kanada and “they knew how to preparesulphuric acid, n itric acid and mu r iatic acid, the oxide of copper
,
iron , lead (of which they had both the red oxide and li tharge),
W W ? xii qvn: syn: n
as g? “i sfia m edium
warm m w e M an: I
as new fiaa'
farms tri al mm
Si rngadhar i Saringraha , III. xu .
Bhava. P rak i éa, I. i i .
Tamm i int rem nan t
Si rhgadhara Samgraha, III. x1 1 .
tron: « Fem : Fem flies :m mAstanga H rdaya Sarhhita, II. i i i .
Snfiruta Sarinhi ti , III, vi i
334! THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS on THE H INDUS .
tin , and zinc the su lphuret of iron, copper , mercury, antimonyand arsen ic the su lphateof copper , zinc and iron and carbonatesof lead and iron ‘ ” The processes of solution , calcination and
distillation were discovered by them .
They understood the action of drugs and no less than 500classes of medicinal agents are enumerated and arranged accordingto their virtues in cu ring diseases, and their remedial agents havebeen collected from the vegetable, an imal and mineral k ingdoms.
There are 41 different forms in which the medicaments may be
exhibited to the patient . W e have the earliest notice respectingzoology and botan ical geography in their work s. They had a
complete nomenclatu re of diseases which are described minutely
as regards thei r aetiology, symptomatalogy, di agnosis, pathology,prognosis and treatmen t .
Veterinary science was well known to them, and treatises on
horses and elephants— Asvavaidyaka and Palakapya2
are stillextant, and w i ll repay perusal . Even there is a treatise on the
treatment of plants and trees3 . Thu s we see that the H indumedical science must not be condemned offhand and requ iresa careful and sympathetic research by scholars, before it canbe excluded from the history of the science.
B ut I must be carefu l not to allow my enthusiast admirationcarry me too far . It is qu ite true that the Ayu rvedic system has
its fau lts. It has been remarked that“it consisted of erroneous
1 Elph in istone’s H istory of India , 8th ed. p, 160 .
Another b ook on the medi cine of elephants i s quoted by Alberun i . See
Sachau’
s P reface to Indica, p . xl . .
For the b ib li ography of the Ayurvedic b ooks, see my work“Materials,
B iographical and B ib l iographical , for the H istory of H indu Medicine
". (In the
press) .
336 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
described in the ancient books ‘ . In the later Tantras the
orig in of the nerves from the spin al cord and the brain isdistinctly stated”. The ancient H indus
,like the Babyloni ans,
thought the heart to be the seat of the understanding , and theliver as the central organ of the blood. The Greeks were themost cultured nation at that age, and the knowledge of the twonations can be compared to our advantage. The H indus did not
share with the Greeks the belief that the uterus is “an an imal
within an an imal” and that i t can be attracted by pleasant smellsand repelled by pungent substan ces” . The humoural pathologywas also the keystone of the Greecian system . The belief in the
good and evil spirit was the on ly alternative to the pathologistswhen the microscope and the germ theory of diseaseswereunkn own . It is highly creditable to the classical Greekphysicians for ban ishing supersti tion from the practice of the
art but we know that the later Greek writersAetius, Alexanderand Paulus, and the Latin medical literature, were not
free from its baneful influence. The bel ief in charms and
m iracles in the cure of di seases seems to be un iversal and is
fl w zxajfi fi l m e zza ni n e m fiifi zm fimfi m
m a m m als“ and m i ne start?! W fii m fil
si‘fwfirw as swim
Snéruta Salishiti , I. xiv.
'
s‘
3?W 313 m i l aaféafi stem :
W W : ea rial flfinvrsrfi s n
it
m eantime m i fi rst !
immerse“
! seqan? firem an n
Tantra.
Paulus E gineta, Adam’s Commentary , Vol . I. P . 686.
THE CONCLUSION. 387
working even at the present time. Adams says1 that consi
dering the faith whi ch many edu cated persons now repose inthe virtues of galvan ic mugs and garters, the present generationhas little ground for laughingat the credu lity of our forefathers
,
with (
respect to amulets and other phylacte'
r ies
In,
later times attempts have heen made to substitute othertheor ies in theplace of the humou ral
, andwe know with what
resu lts. Paracelsus substituted an equally baseless hypothesis,that the fundamental element of the human body were three
principles sal,the solid element ; qu icksi lver , the liqu id and
sulphu r, the aerial . This formu la was the badge of the Paracelsist
school up to the end of the 1 7th century ._Sylvius and Willi
(1 7th centu ry) of the Iati o- chemical school “referred most
diseases to morbid matters 0 1‘acrimon ies produced by
perverted secretions, and these being sometimes too alkalin e,sometimes too acid, the antithesis of acid and alkali became the
badge or catch word ”of thei i system . Friedrich I-Icfiman
(1660- 1 742) constructed another system which “supposed life
tobeI
a un iversally diffused ether , which enter ing the an imal
body, became transformed in the brain into Pneuma or nervousflu id.
“ George Ernest Stahl (1660- 1 734) believed 1 n the
hypothesis of An imism ,and “the symptoms of disease were
regarded as the consciou s efforts of the sou l to overcome themorbid influences ” . W i lliam Cullen (1 71 2- 90)
“ propound’
ed
a new system ofmedicine, intended to reconcile the opposingviewsof his predecessors. Its main feature was the importanceattached to the nervous svstem in the causation of di sease.
Lastly the “Bru non ian ”system of John Brown, based on
Adam’s Commen tary on P aul .
888 THE SURGICAL INSTR UMENTS or THE HINDUS.
the doctrine of stimu lus, and H ahneman ’l theory of
homoeopathy needbe mentioned here to completethe list. 1 Thuswe see that even some of the em inent men of science indulgedin fancifu l theories in qu ite modern times.
The study of ancient H indu medicine has an antiquarianvalue. It is perhaps the oldest system of medical science stillextant . Fragments of Egyptian and Assyrian medicine haveno doubt been unearthed . B u t these cannot be compared wi ththe complete system of the medical science as preserved in the
earlySanskri t works on the subject. The H indus believe theirscience of medicine to be of divi ne origin and this belief isfounded upon the fact that the existence of the medicalprofession can be traced back to prehi stor ic times. The
humoural theory is mentioned in the Rgveda’ which
according to the con sensu s of opin ions amongst the
European savants can not be later than 2000 B .C. , and possiblyearlier . The Buddhists relate a story , how,
in one of his formerbirths, Buddha was born as a. medicine-man .
“In the
Mahosadha birth the archan gel Sakka came to him as
he was being born , and placing some fine sandal-wood in hishand, went away . H e came ou t from the womb holding thisin his fist. H is mother asked
'
him “W hat is it you hold, dear,as you come 7” H e answered “M edi cine, mother So
because he came holding medi cine, they gave him the name of
medicine-child (osadhadharaka) . Taking the medicine they
kept it i n a chatty (an earthenware water -
pot) and it became
Medicine in modern Europe. Payne in Albutt’s System of Medicine,
vol . I, p. 26, 29, 34.
t
W i tchi ness: 1 713 ramsmi asa’
u
Bgveda, i . 84, 0.
840 THE SURGICAL 1NSTEUMENTS or THE Ei NnUS.
a slave belong ing to a freed man with the bronze operating knifeand k ill him,
heshall replace the slave by another slave.
If a physi cian heal a broken bone or cure diseased bowels,the patient shall pay the physian five shekels of silver .
” 1
H omer pays tr ibute to Egypt for herPatron -god imparts
To all the Pharian race his healing arts.
”
H erodotus says that the Egyptian physicians were specialistsof particu lar diseases, and Clement of Alexandria mentions fortytwo H ermeti c books on medi cine by the god Thot.
According to Manetho, he (Teta) constructed the Royal
castle of M emphi s and wr ote a work on anatomy” beingparti cularly occupied with medicine; The
' latter suppos'
ition'
;
is rendered more complete to a certain extent by the account, duetoEbers Papyruss, that themethod of making =the hair g row, des
cribed accu rately therein, was supposed to have been di scovered by ,
our k ing’s mother, Shesh.
” 4.Teta was the second king of the firht
dynasty of theoldMemphiskingdom and flourished in 4366 B . C.
King Senta of the second dynasty owned a medical workwhich belonged to Semti or H esepti (4266 B . C . the 5th kingof the first dynasty .
ls Tosorthros of the third dynasty, wassaid to have composed a treatise on medicine, 6 a fact which
1 Neub erger . H istory of -Medici ne, P . 1 8.
Man etho, in Muller D idot, Fragmen ts. H istoricnm Gw o,vol . II
, pp.
689, 540 .
Eb er s P apyru s, P l . lxvi , l , 5 .
H istor ian’s H istory of the W or ld, vol . 1 , Egypt andMesopotamia . p. 91 .
Ib id, p. 68.
” fl ametho, eta , vol . II, p. 544.
THE CONCLUSION . 341
caused him to be identified with the healing god Imho'
tpfi.
” 1
These facts suggest a g reat age for Egyptian ,medicine,
Medicine flourished among the Assyrians : “Fragments of an
old work on medicine have been found, which show that all
known diseases have been classified and their symptomsdescr ibed ; and the medical m ixtu res considered appropriate to
each being compounded and prescr ibed qu ite in modernfashion .
” 2
The oldest medical treatise extant amogst the Chinese is
the N eiching, the authorship being attributed to Hwang-ti
it datesback to B . C. 2597 . M r . Cratzlaflf,3 m issionary in China,
has g iven us a short view of a celebrated work,in 40 volumes, on
Chinese medicines, which is called Ching Che chun ching z
'
._
e.,
Approved marking line of medical practice ” 4 So . the H ip
pocratic treatises (460 B . C. ) are rather modern compi lationscompared to .
these ancient Looks ; and as told by Plato, the pri estof Sais was fu lly justified when he addressed to Solon : Y ou
Greeks, you are but chi ldren .
” 5
It wi ll be seen again that a comparative study of the sciencediscloses remakable affin ity to the systems of the other contemporary nations. The fabu lou s orig in of medicine in India and
Greece can not fail to attract the notice of even a casualobserver . The resemblance of D aksa, the preceptor of the
two Asvins, the offspri ng of Sun , who after learn ing the
Ibid, p. 544 and 545 .
Quoted in Maspero’s The Dawn of Ci vi l ization . Edited by P rof . Sayce,5thed. p. 238.
Assyr ia ; its P r in ces, “
P r iests and P eoples, Sayce, p . 1 19.
P roceedi ngs of the Asiatic S'
ociety, Part VII, p. 1 54.
Boyle. Antiqui ty _
of Hindu Medi cine,
Timm s,
‘
p. 22.
342 TH E SURGICAL IN STRUM ENTS or . THE H 1 ND’
US .
Ayurveda from their father became the medical attendants of
the gods, to [Escu lapiu s— the reputed son of Apollo, and his
two sons Machaon and Podalar ius,celebrated in the H omeric
poems,is i ndeed remarkable. M ore remarkable is the belief
in humou ral pathology shared by the two nations, separatedfrom each o ther by continents and seas, and alienated fromeach other by the differences in customs, manners and
relig ion . The theory of independrnt origin and developementfalls to the g round, especially when we consider the strange
coinciden ce in the su rg ical instruments u sed by the two nationsin performing surgical operations . Some of the instrumentsused by the H indus were not on ly identical in structure and
Shape to the instruments of the Greeks; bu t they had even
the same name. Thu s for instance, the alabu yantra of the
H indu s corresponds to the descriptio n of the cucu rbitula of the
Greek s, and both the terms mean a gourd. A Srngai s the
horn ; angu li yantra or mudrika is the fi nger or ring - knife
yon i -vranek sana is the diopter or vaginal specu lum ; ankuéa is
the hook ; &c. Some instruments though they have difiereht
names are iden tical in structure and uses. Thus, the Scammu'
m
H ippocraticum or the P linthium N elei is the Greek counterpartof the H indu kapataéayana ; the lithotomy binding of the
yantraéatakam ; the clyster of the vastiyantra ; the saw Of
the karapatra ; the needle of the sfici ; &c. Again many
surgical operations are
"
similarly “ described in both the
systems,
as for examples, the operations for stone and
cataract may be cited. In the description of diseases,passages occu r in books which seem to be a literal tran slation of
one from the other . Thus in describing‘
the'
symptoms Of
hydrophobia,Paulus quotes Rufus who pronourie
fl
eéit to'
lie a
344. m u SURGICAL msrnumnu'rs or r un H INDUS.
embroidered work 1 “the commercial enterprises of the ships ofSo lomon (992 -B . C.) from Ezion -Gaber 2 under the gu
idanceof the mar iners of 980- 91 7) which brought backthe gold of ophir , its almug trees and ivory, apes and
peacock s; the possibility of an Indo-H ellen ic intercourse to
explain the remarkable coincidences between the systems of
phi losophy current amongst the two nations, and which
cu lminated in the bold theory of Pococke3 that Pythagoras,Who is generally considered to be the founder of the healingart amongst the Greeks“ was an adaptation of the B uddhugurus,
and the assertion that Greece must have been an Indiancolonv before. Let u s rather tread on firmer grounds and
We know that two Greek physi cians, K tesias (about 400 BC . )
and M egasthenes (300 B . C .) Visited N orthern India . K tesias
i n his Indica mentions the cochineal plant, its worm and dyes,
monkeys, elephant and parrot . H e saysthat the Indianswerefreefrom headache, toothache or ophthalmia and from mouth soreser u lcers; Alexander the Great so says N ear-chus,employed some H indu vaids in his camp i n India to consult
them i n cases of snake-bites and other dangerous ailments.
Megasthenes mentions ebony as growing in B engal, and tiger,monkey and
“
elephants are also alluded to .
’
Strabbo mentions
that[
Daimac'
us was sent to the court of Candragupta’s son,
‘
but unfortunately the book he wrote abou t Indi a is lost to us.
M ention also shou ld be madeof the intercourse of Egypt withIndia u nder the Ptolem ies and we know, that Ptolemy
B irdwood’
sIndustri al Arts of Indi a , pp. 263-4.
1 . K ing . ix. 27 ; xi i , p. 22;
8
“
Indiain’
Greeoe.p
See the O rigin and Growth of the H eal ing Ar t—Bd rm. 162.
TH E CONCLUSION . 345
Phi ladelphous sent an embassy headed by one Dionysos to the
court of P ataliputra . Another source of dessimination of H indu
learn ing over the W estern world is the emigration of the
Buddhi st m issionar ies to the k ingdoms of Ptolemies a'
nd Greekkings as proved by the edicts of Asoka . And the GreekSimnoi (venerable) were no other than the Buddhist sramanas(these simnoi whom Clement of Alexandr ia has narrated to have
rendered worship to a pyram id originally dedicated to the relicsof a god, were the Buddhist Arhats (venerable) sramanas) .
l The
intercourse of the East and W est after the Christian era is well
known and will not supply us with any proof as to the
indebtedness of the Greeks and H indus to each other ; thoughDietz proves that the late Greek physicians were acquain tedwith the medical works of the H indus, and availed themselves
of thei r medicaments but he more particu larity shows that theArabians were fami liar with them,
and exto lled the healing art
as practised by the Indians, qu ite as mu ch as that in use amongthe Greeks.
2
But what is more important to us as a proof of the influenceof the Indian medical science upon the Greecian system is the
identification of drugs of Indian or ig in in the me‘
ter ia medicaof the Greeks. For instance the Sacred Bean of Pythagorashas been identified with U tpalam or Indian N elumbium .
3
H ippocrates the Great, who was contemporary and ki nsmanof K tesias4 the court physician to the k ing of Persia
,
mention s — Sesamum Indicum (Tila) N ardostachys Jatamansi
1 Lal i tvistaram . M i tter’
e ed . ch . 1 .
2 Journal of Education ,Vol . vi i i , p. 1 76.
9 P ratt’s Flower ing P lants, Vol . 1 , p. 67.
Galen Comm en t, in l i b r . de ar tic. i i i .
346 THE SURGICAL JNSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS.
(Jatamar'nsi ); B eswillia Thu r ifera (Kunduru ) Z inziber Ofiicinale
(Srngavera) ; and Piper N igrum (Mar i ci) . Dioscorides (1 stcentury A .D .) in his M ater ia M edica descr ibes — Agallochum,
Bdellium, Ebony (D iosphynos Ebenaster) , Ammomum zinzi
beris (Ginger ), Calamu s aromatious (sweet cane of Scripture),Eletteria Cardamomum (Elaci) , Lycium Indicum or B ussot, theprodu ct .of Berbera lyc ium ,
Atramenturn (Indigo) , O nyx or
the opercu lum of an Indian shel l- fish, etc. In later times,W e find Aetiu s, an Alexandrian writer of the 5th centurydescri bing Indian n uts
,sandal wood, cocoanuts, etc. Symon Set
mentions camphor ; and Pau lus Aeg ineta (7th centu ry a
writer wel l known for his judicious condensation of the Greek
medical literature, mentions Aloes, Canthar ides (Mylab ris
Cichory), Cloves (Caryophyllum Aromaticus), M i llet (Pan icium
H al icum ) , Costos (root of Auk landia Costos) , Cassia (Cinnamomum Cassia), Indian stones as amu lets
,M alabathri or tejpat
(Laurus Cassia) , Ambar, etc.
N ow let u s reproduce some of the conclu sions arrived at
by W estern scholars as the resu lt of the controversy . As regards
phi losophy , Colebrooke 1 asserts that “the H indus were teachersand not learners” . Cunn ingham 2
says“ Indians have
the advantage in point of time ; and I feel satisfied that the
Greeks bor rowed much of their philosophy from the East”
W eber 3 remarks that “there is no g roun d whatever to supposethat Susruta borrowed his system of medicine from the Greeks,on the contrary there is much to tell against such an idea” .
1 Tran saction s of the Royal Asiatic Society , vol . I.
B hilsa Topes, pp. 32-33 .
H istory of Indi an Literatur e.
348 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or run H INDUS .
viz. , Pau lisa, B omaka, Vaéistha, Saur a, and P aitamoha . BothW eber and Kern have no doubt that P aul isa was a
Greek and . the name Bomaka speaks for itself . B ut in the
H indu medical literature there is no mention of any foreignhelp, and the Indian medical treatises do not contain a singletechn ical term which points to a foreign orig in . It is interestingto quote the well known passage of Garga :
“The Y avauas
(Greeks) are M lecchas, bu t amongst them the science
(astrology) is well established. Therefore they are honouredas Esis— how much more than an astrologer who is a
Brahman” . It is a standing monument Of the cathol ic spiri tof the H indus, and they know no better way to show their respectfor the learned men of the wor ld. To this may well be
contrasted the behaviour of the Greeks towards the othernations. The doctrines of Pythagoras are pre-eminently Indian ‘ ,bu t that philosopher has not a word to speak of the H indus.
In astronomy the Greeks are indebted to Babylon : Ptolemymentions that H ipparchus worked out and improved upon theastronom ical computations of the Babylon ians with reference tothe moon ; but recent discoveries from the clay tablets have shownthat thefigures ascribed to H ipparchus aremerely copied from the
numerical values worked ou t in Babylon .
“The discovery of the
precession of the equinoxes is generally ascribed to H ipparchus.It was he indeed, who brought this fact to the Greeks,and he estimated its yearly amount as from 36 to 39 seconds,but it is certain that he learned about it in Chaldea, and thathe obtained the elements of his calcul ations from the astronomicalobservations made on the lower Euphrates” .
2 Pau lus Aegineta1 See Enfield
’s H istory of Phi losophy .
H istor ian's H istory of the World. Vol , I, p. 596.
THE CONCLUSION . 349
gives us a complete system of operative su rgery of the ancients.
Celsus, in the last two books of his work , has treated of the su rgicaloperations with considerable accuracy and though the formeravai led himself of the labou rs of the latter, Celsus is
never mentioned as one of the sources of informations used byPaulus who appears to have been whol ly unacquainted withhis works ; and Adams remarks “bu t when did a Greek writerever ackn owledge himself under Obligation to a Roman
But are we to suppose that the Greeks wilfully concealedthe names of the Indi an physicians in thei r books? Surely not.
The Greeks might not have known the real sour ce of the
informations which they probab lv received second-hand. Thereis historical evidence of an intercommuni cation between Greeceand Persia from the time of K tesias or the 4th century B . C . to the
6th century A . D . W e also know of a tradition that the servicesof the Great H ippocrates— a k insman of K tesias, were requ iredin the Persian court
,bu t he declined the invitation . Again we
know that books on ancient scien ces of India were possiblymade use of by the Persians i n ear ly times, and to thi s
intercommun ication may be due the coincidences whi ch havebeen observed between the science of the Greeks and that of
the H indus (B oyle) .
As regards the indebtedness of the Persians to Sanskritliterature,“we have positive testimony on the subject, as the
Baron de Sacy, in his account of the wel l-known Sanskrit originof the Fables of Pilpay, states that these were first translatedin Pehlevi du ring the reign of the Persian : king N ooshirwan,
who ascended the throne in 531 , and died in 579 and who is
reported by historians to have encouraged learni ng , and to have
induced Greecian philosophy at hi s court. The translations
350 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS 0 1“THE H INDUS .
were made by the physician B arzouyeh who had brought the
orig inal from India with other books,and who by more than
one previous jou rney to that country, had acqu ired a knowledgeof Sansk r it. H e is stated particularly , to have made two
jou rneys, one for the pu rpose of procu ring medicaments and
herbs, and the other for Obtain ing specimens of literature of
the H indus” 1 Previ ous even to this (A . D . we hear of
the Persian king Bahram v isiting , in disgu ise, the cou rt Of Basdeo,sovereign Of Canonge, to study the laws, religion and manners
of the H indus.
” 2
B u t whatever difierences of Opin ion there may be.as regards
the relation Of the Greek s to the H indoos,there is no doubt
that the medi cal science Of the Arabs was materially influencedby H indu medicine. For we k now that the medical treatisesOf Caraka, Suéruta and Madhava were translated into Arabicin the beginn ing of the 8th cen tury A . D .
,and the names Of
Scarac, Scirac or Xarac and Sarad occu r in the Latintranslations of Avicenna, Rhases, and Serapion .
3 Ray dwells atlength on the sim ilar itry of description of leeches as writtenby Suéruta and Rhazes. The modern medical science Of the
W est is pri ncipally based on the G reecian system as preservedin the books of the Arabian au thors and
"
so indirectly dependsfor some par ticu lars at least upon the Indian system .
Saehau in his preface to Alberun i’s India“ remarks as
1 An tiqui ty of H indu Medicin e, p . 1 686 9.
Ib i d, p . 73 .
3 Rhazes‘D e Embli co,
’
(Sca rac Indian us) ,‘D e Z in zibere, (Sarac)
Ser apion D e Myrobalan is (K arch Indus) , De Emb licis et.
beller icis (Xarcha In dus) ; Av icenna :‘Sub Embli co
’
(Scirac Indum ).
Alberuui’s India, Preface, p. XXX-XXII.
352 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE HINDUS.
into Arabic, books on medicine, pharmacology, toxicology,philosophy, astrology, and other subjects. Still in later centuries,muslim scholars travelled for the same pu rpose as the emissariesOf the Barmak, e. g . , Almuwaifak , not long before Alberuni ’stime (Codex Vindobonensis, sive medici Abu Mansur liber,fundamentorum pharmacolog ia , Ed. Selignann, Vienna, 1 859,pp. and 1 5,
H arun-al-Rashid (786-809) had two Indians M anka andSaleh, as physicians at hi s cou rt 1 Manka translatedthe classical work on medicine, SuSruta. (cf . Steinschneider,W issenschaftliche Blatter , Vol . l , p . 79) and a treatise on poison,ascribed to K enakya, from Sansk rit into Persian (see Prof .Fliigel, in Z ietschrift der D . M . G . xi . 148 and s. A
H ebrew treatise on poison , ascribed to the Indian Z anik
(K anakya) is mentioned by Steinschneider W issenschaftlicheBl'atter, Vol . 1 , p . Alberun i mentions an Indian Kankabas astrologer Of H arun -al -Rashid (Reinaud, memoire sur 1
’
Inde, p . H e is likewise mentioned as a physican . AnotherIndianphysician of H arun -al-Rashid is called M ankha(Reinaud) .In the year 1 381 , a work on veterinary medicine ascribed toSalotar was translated from Sanskrit by the order of Firroz Shahaafter the capture of Nagorecote. A copy of i t was preserved inthe Royal Library of Lu cknow ? Among the H indu physiciansof the time one
use
cf” is menti oned i .e., the son of DHN ,
director of the hospital Of the B armaks in Bagdad. This maybe Dhanya, or Dhan ian chosen probably on account of its
etymolog ical relationship with the name Dhanvantar i the name
1 P rof. D ietz, quoted by Royle, p . 64.
9 Maxmii ller's Science of Language, Vol . I, p. 1 66.
THE CO NCLUSIO N . 353
of themythical physician of the gods in Mann’s law book and
the epics (qf.A W eber , Indi sche Lithu raturgeschichte, pp . 284,
A simi lar relation seems to exist between the names
Kanka, that of a physician of the same period, and K ankayana,an author ity on Indian medicine (W eber “1 . c.
, pp. 287, note,and 284 note, The name
jig]
,that of an author
of a book . Ou drinkables, may be identified with Atri, mentioned as a.medical author by W eber, 1 . c . p . 2883
1 1
For inform ations on the Arabic translations of Sanskritworks, see Analecta M edi ca by Dietz W ustendeld’s Geschichteder Arab Aerzte Cureton , “A collection of such passagesjrelativeto India as may occu r in Arabic wri ters” ; W ilson ’
s note tothe above in J . R . A . S . O ld ser ies
,vi , pp . 1 05- 1 1 5. P uschmann
,
p. 1 62 ; and Bedroe, book i v . ch . l l . pp 286-299 .
The Arabians added many drug s to the meteria medica ofthe Greeks and amongst them we find the following Indiandr ugs describedDiudar or Pinus Deodara
Piper cubebaCassia fistula .
Senna or Cassia obvata
Galangal or Alpina galangal , RoxbAmmomum grana paradisi .Macis M ace.
Nux moschata
Sachau . 1 b id p. xxx i i .
It i s descr ibed by Av icenn a un der i ts San sk r i t name, where he says
that deiudar ,“est ex gener a al ’ht‘ l jun iperu s,_quc dici tu r pi n“ In“ ; Ct syr
(l iudar est ojus lac” (Quoted by Royle ) .
45
Devadaru 2
Nagdamani .
Sugandha marica .
Suvarnakha .
Sonamukhi .Ku lin - jana .
354 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS O F THE H INDUS .
BdelliumTamarindu s IndicaTr ifoliaM yrobalan i
Turpeth or Convolvu lus Turpethum
Sel or Aegle ni armelos
Santalum ru brumM elia azadirachtaTembu l (Piper betel)Faufil (Arecha catechu )N ux vom ica . .
M usa paradisiaca or plantain Kadal i .
M oschos moschifera (from Thibet India)M pganabhi .
Dol ichos leb leb .
O range or C itrus au rantium Nagara t'
iga .
Limon or c itrus medica Matu lunga .
Pearls and other preciou s stones such as lapiz lazu li . Borax, &c.
Rhabarbu rnum Or Indian Rhubarb, etc.
W e can trace the Arabic and G reek names of some of themedicumen ts to a Sansk r it sou rce. Royle has discussed themat leng th, so we need give here only a synopsis of it
Tr iphala (S)— Tryphalla (A) —Tryphalla (G)— Tryphala
parva (modern ) .D evadaru (S) —D eiudar(Avicenna) —Deodara (G ) —Pinus
deodaru .
Tvaka - kshi ra (S) - Tabosheer (A) .
Tamalpatra (S)— M alatroon or M alabathrum (G) .Tejapatra(s) , or tuj— Sadej (A ) .
Actu ar iu s copies fr om Serapi on and Mesue, the u se of this medicine.
The very n ame is San sk r i t, mean ing the 3 myrobalan s. Serapion refers to
_Xarch i ndus or Char ak , in his D e Myrob alan i (R oy le , P .
Guggu la .
Tintidi .
Triphala .
1
H aritak i
Trivit.
Vilva .
Candana .
N imba .
Tambfil .
Khadira .
356 TH E SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE H INDUS .
Sphotaka (S)— phoska (B ) —pocca (A . S . )— pocke (Ger) .
Tintidi (S) —Tamar H ind (A)— Tamuarin (Fr) —Tamarinds(Italy 85 Sp.) —Tamarind (B ) —Tamarindu s India (L) .
M asur ika (S)— M asern (Ger)— M easles (E) .
Vrana (S)— verole (Fr)— var iola (L) .Danga (H indus)— Dandy— Dengue(Sp) .
S— Sansk r it . A— Arabic . G— Greek . T— Tami l . P
Persian . M — M alayan . P o— Portuguese. Sy— Syriac . Ger
— German . A . S .— AnglO
-Saxon . H — H indi . E— English.
B— Bengali . Fr— French . L— Tatin . It— Italy . Sp— Spanish.
N ot only is the influence Of the Sansk r it medical worksdetected in thePersian , H ebrew , Arabic, Greek and Roman workson medicine, there is evidence that the H indu system of medicinewas also adopted by the Tibetans and the Chinese. In the
January N O . 37 of the 1 835 Vol . IV, an analysis of
a Thibetan work is gi ven by Alexander Csoma de Koros. It is
called “rgyud bzhi (the tract in .1. parts) . It is attr ibuted to
Sakhya .
“In the time of K hrisrong D ehutsan (vi e. 8th or 9th
century Of the Chr istian era) a Tibetan interpreter B ai rotsana (orVairochana) having translated in Cashmere, w ith the assistanceof physician -pandit (Davam N on -
gab ) presented it to the abovementioned Thibetan k ing .
”In a N ote on Thibetan surgical
instruments, W alsh savs1 The present practice of surgery
in Tibet is very simple, and, as already noted, consists chiefly of
cupping , cauterizing , and bleeding . The Am -chhi informed me
that the on ly instruments u sed are the cupping -bow (Q'
s:
me-pu r’r, or SEN" me-bum , both meaning fire in which
The Thibetan Anatomical System by E. H . C. Walsh in J . R . A. S. 1910,
pp. 1244-45.
THE CONCLUSIO N . 357
paper is lit and the bowl is placed while hot over the part to beblistered ; the sucking -horn (afiq'g fljib - r u), by which cuppingby vacuum is done the cautery (w ' lchags
-me) , the lancet
(873; rtsa -u ) , for bleeding, and a golden lancet
yser kyi rtsa-u) for operating on the eye.
In the jou rnal of the Buddhist Text Society of Calcutta for1 894 three Tibetan block pri nts are i llustrated, which contai nrepresentations of a large number of surg ical instruments, some
of them of an elaborate nature, including specu la, saws, catheters,exploring needl es, instruments for tapping hydrocele, and m id
wi fery and other forceps. The block-prints were brought byRai Saratchandra Das, Bahadu r, from Lhasa, 1 and a descriptionof the figures was given by the late Lama Ses-rab MGya M tsho,
the Abbot of Ghoom M onastery, near Darjeeling , who was
formerly physician to the late Tashi Lama, which were explainedin a paper read by D r . Saradaprasad Banerj ee.
2
If the elaborate and various instru ments shown in the blockprint were ever in general use they appear to have now ceasedto be used.
”
In the J Apri l 1 907, is mentioned a Chinese textcorresponding to a part of the Bower manuscript by W atanbe.
The identified portion of the M SS. consists of the six leaveswhich appear in plates XLIX-LIV (Hoernle
’s ed) . The cor
responding Chinese text is contained in six translations Of whichthe following three, correspond completely to the M SS .
1 Jou rnal of the Buddhist Text Society, Vol . II, Pt. III, Calcutta 1894.
P . III.
Ibid, pp. IX. X.
THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE H IN DUS.
1 . M ohamayu ri vidya- raju i— translated by I’tsing 705 A .D .
2. Amoghavajra 746
to 771 A .D .
Sanghapala 51 6
A .D .
Again many articles are common to the H indus and Chinesemateria medica asmany aromatics (nu tmeg , cloves, cinnamon and
pepper) , musk , rhubarb etc. And this is not at all su rprisingfor we have evidence that there was constant intercourse’
between these countries even before the Chri stian era , by means
of travellers and ambassadors ; and that Buddhi st priests invisiting China , took with them as presents classical Indianbooks. It is also worthy Of note, in connex ion with the chapteron this subject in Suéruta, that in A .D . 648, the Emperor OfChina having sent an ambassador to India, this Ofli cer met witha doctor , who told him that he was 200 years old, and that he
possessed the recipe of immortality , upon hearing which, a
second embassy was despatched in search Of the philosophicalstone (Boyle) .
Even the modern medi cal science of Europe has been directlyinfluen ced by the H indu system of medicine. In the materia
medica u sed by the doctors in Eu rope now, we find the following
cu rative agents— the produce Of India . I quote here the list as
prepared by Thakore Shaheh2“Aconitum heterophyllumAllium cepaAcacia catechu
See Asiatic Jou rnal , Ju ly 1836.
9 H istory O f Aryan Medical Science, P . 1 28.
360 THE SURGICAL msrnumun'rs or THE HINDUS .
Valer iana Hardwicki Tagara .
W rightia Antidysenter ica Indrayava.
To this list may be added the following]drugs from the
Indian and Colonial Addendum to the British Pharmacopcea ,1 898
Acacia ArabicaAcalypha IndicaAndrographis Panicu lataAristo lochia IndicaArachia H ypogaeaCitrus AurantiumAzadirachta IndicaAeg le M armelosP iperbetel
B utaea Gummi .
Caesalpina Patanga or Bakam .
Calotropis Procera and
C . Gigantiae
Gossypium H erbaceumCambogia Indi ca .
Cissampelos Par iera Ambashthai .
Coscinum Fenestratum Darn-haridraor darvi .Gynocarcl ia O dorata Chalmug ra .
H ygrophila Spinosa K okilak sa .
Anogeissus LatifoliaEmbelia R ibes and E.
Plantago O vataIpomaaa H ederacea
Ipomaea Turpethum
THE CONCLUSION . 361
Mylabris Phalerta .
Termina lia Chebula
Sesamum Indicum
Picrorhiza K u rroa
U rg inea Indica
regards the medicines
The P harmacopia, corresponding with the fru itfu l nature
of the land was a r ich one and stamps Indian medicine with a
character entirely its own , whilst nothing speaks more eloquentlyfor its ori ginality than the fact that of al l the many medicinalplants no single one was European .
Elphinstone wonders at the knowledge of simples in which theH indus early gave lessons to Eu rope and more recently taughtus the benefit of smok ing Datu ra in asthma and the use of
cowitch against worms,”and the prescribing of N ux Vomica
in paralysis and dyspepsia, and the reviva l of the use of CrotonTiglium (Royle) . In su rgery , too, the modern su rgeons of
Europe have borrowed the Indian method of Rhinoplasticoperation first made known to European surg eons by a letterwhich was pr inted in the Gentlem an
’s M agazine for O ctober
1 794, p. 891 . In fact D r . H irschberg of Berlin says that the
whole plastic surgery in Eu rope had taken its new flight whenthese cunn ing devices of Indian workmen became known to us.
The transplanting of sensible sk in flaps i s also an enti rely Indianmethod.
” The modern method of mak ing pockets for the
Neu berger , H istory of Medi cine, vol . I. P . 54.
46
H aritak i .
Ti la .
Katuka .
Vanapalandu .
used by the H indus, N euberger
362 THE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS or THE umnus.
testi cles under the Colles ’ fascia after the operation for scrotaltumour (elephantiasis) can be traced back to the age of Suéruta ‘ .
Thus we see that it can safely be affirmed that the medicalscience of Eu rope has been , both directly and indirectly ,influenced by the H indu System of M edicine.
gi rth -m eastnew at u
Susr u ta Samhi ta, IV .
THE
364 AP PEN DIX.
science, but as it is not my proper vocation I have finally givenit up.
”
D r . Takakusu 1 commen ts on the passage as follows
The eight sections of M edicine which I-tsing describes areno doubt the eight divisions of the Ayu r -veda . H e mentions an
epitomiser of these divi sions, who seems to have been a famousphysician and contemporary of I- tsing (or just before I-tsing) .Thi s epitomiser may be Susruta, who calls himself a disciple of
Dhanvantar i, oneof theN i neGems in the Court of Vikramaditya .
Prof . W ilson says in his W orks, vol . i i i, p . 274
‘ TheAyu r-veda, which or ig inally consisted of one hundred
sections, of a thousand stanzas each, was adapted to the limitedfacu lties and life of man
,by its distribution into eight subdivi
sions, the enumeration of which conveys to us an accurate ideaof the subject of the Ars Medendi amongst the H indus.
The eight divisions are as follows
I . Salya (I-tsing ’s (l ) cure of sores) .
The art of extracting extraneous substances, grass, earth,
bone, &c. , accidenta lly introduced into the human body, and byanalogy, the cure of all phlegmonoid tumours and abscesses.Salya means a dart or arrow .
II . Salakya (I- tsing’
s (2) art of acupunctu re) .
The treatment of external organ ic afiections or diseases of
the eyes, ears, nose, &c. It ‘
is derived from Salaka, a thin and
sharp instrument,” and is bor rowed from the generic name of
the slender probes and needles used in operation on the partsaffected.
A Record of Buddhist P ractices, Ch . XXVII, pp . 222-3.
«P PENDIX . 365
The above two divisions constitute the surgery of modern
schools.
1 1 1 .Kaya - lcik i tsa(I- tsing
’s (3) treatment of the diseases of
the body) .
The appli cation of the Ars M edendi (K i k itsa) to the body in
lreneral (Kaya) . It forms what we mean by the science of
medicine.
IV . B hfita-vidya (I- tsing’s (4) treatment of demon iac
disease) .
The restoration of the facu lties from a disorgan ised state
induced by demon iacal possession . The art van ished before thedi ffusion of knowledge, but it formed a very important branchof medical practice through a ll the schools, Greek , Arabic, orEu ropean .
V . K aumara - bhrz'
tya (I- tsing’s (6) treatmen t of the diseases
of chi ldren) .
The care of infan cy, comprehending not on ly the manage
ment of chi ldren from thei r bi rth, but the treatment of i rregular
lactic secretion , and puerperal disorders in mothers and nurses.
VI. Agada (I-tsing’s (5) Agada medicine) .
The admin istration of antidotes— a subject which, as far as
it rests upon scientific principles, is blended with our medicineand surgery .
VII. Rasayana (I- tsing’s (7) application of the means of
lengthening one’s life) .
Chemistry, or more correctly alchemy as the chief end of
the chemical combinations it descr ibes, and which are mostly
366 APPEND IX.
metallurgic, is the discovery of the universal medicine—theelixir that was to render health permanent, and life perpetual .VIII . vayikarana (I-tsing ’
e (8) methods of invigorating thelegs and body) .
Promotion of the increase of the human race—an illusoryresearch, whi ch, as well as the preceding , is not without itsparallel in ancient and modern times.
’
Prof. W ilson further remarks W e have, therefore,included in these branches all the real and fanciful pursuits ofphysicians of every time an d place. Susruta, however, confineshis own work to the classes Sfilya and Salfikya or surgery ;
although, by an arrangement not uncommon with ou r own
wr iters, he introdu ces occasionally the treatment of generaldi seases and the management of women and children when
discussing those topics to which they bear relation .
’
(See
W ilson’sW orks, vol . iii, p .
368 LIST or wonxs CONSUL’I‘ED .
De Med. Aegyptiorum
Dhanur veda .
Discourse xi— Jones.
Discr iption of H industhan—H ami lton .
Domitan .
Early H i story of India—V . Smi th .
Ed. Med. Essays—S impson .
Engl ish Translation of Suérnta San’
xhi tz'
s— D ntt,H oern le and Chattopi dhya .
Extant W ork s of Am teus—Adam s.
Flower ing P lan ts— P ratt.
Fractu res and D islocation s—H am i lton .
Galen .
Genu ine W ork s of H ipprcrate— Adam s.
Geography— Strab bo.
Gra ce -Roman Su rg ical Instrum en ts—M i lne.
Gun Shot In ju r ies— Longmore.
B ar ita Samh i ta— Hér ita .
H asti -Ayurveda— Palakapya .
H indu Medicine—W ise.
H ist. de la med — Spr ings].
H istor ia Forcipnm at Vecticum—Mu ld g;
H istor ian’
s H istory of the W or ld .
H istory of Aryan Medical Science— Thakore Saheb .
H istory of H in du Chem istry’— R § y .
H istory of India—Elphinstone .
H istory of M edicine—N eub erger .
H istory of P hi losophy—Enfield .
H istory of the Saracens—Am i r A l i .
H i story of San sk r i t Literature— W eb er .
India— Alb er un i -(Translated by Sachau ) .
India in Gr eece— P ocock .
Indian An tiqu i ties—P r incep and Thom as.
Indian H istory— Arr ien .
Indian Medicine—Jol ly .
Indian P hysicians at B agdad— W i lson (J. R .
Indian Tr acts— Hoynes.
Indo-Aryans— R . L . Mi tra .
Industeri al Ar ts of India— B i rdwood .
Invasion of Al exander the Great— M’
cr indle.
Journal Asiatic Soci ety B engal , XXXIX 1 870 and vol . XLII. 1 835.
Journa l Asiati que 1896.
Journal of Education , vol . VIII.
Journal Royal Asiatic Society , 1906 - 1907.
J. R . A . S . (Bombay B ranch) , vol , XX ,
mm or wonxs CO NSULTED . 369
Juvenal .K athopan isad .
K auéika Sfitra— B loomfield .
Laghuma fljusa—N agesa Bhatta .
Lal itvistaram —M i tra .
Lancet, 1 845 .
Latin Tr an slation of Suér uta Sarnh ita H essler .
Mahabharata— Vyass .
Mahfin i la Tan tr a .
Mahavfigga— S . B . E.
Mahavamsa.
Malav ikagn im i tra— K al idasa
Mana Sti r-a .
Mann Sarnh ita— M an u (Jones Ed . )Mater ia Medica of the H indus— D u tt .
Medicine in An cien t In di a— H oern le (J . R . A .
Memoi re Su r L’
In de— Rein aud .
Mesne.
Midwifery— Smel li e .
N atur al H istory— P l iny .
N idan a— Madhavakara .
N i ti sara— K amandak i (B i b .
N ivandha Sarhgr aha— D al lana .
Obstetr ic Medicine and Surgery- B arnes.
Operations of General pr a otice— Corn er and pinches.
Operative Sur
gery— W ar in g .
Ophthalm ic Sur gery— Car ter .
Ophthalmology—l B er ry .
O r ien tal Magazine 1 823—W i lson .
O r ig in and growth of the H eal ingAr t B edr oe .
Osteology— H oern le.
Pan ini— Goldstuck
'
er .
Pan ini— Pan ini .
P au lus E g ineta— Adam s.
P ersius.
P ract .
— H aly Ab b as.
P r iscianus.
P r inciple an d Pr actice of Medi cine— Fr ancis.
P roceedings A . S. B . 1 870 .
Raj Tarangin i— K alhana (Steen’s Ed) .
Ramfiyana— Valm i k i .
Rasa Ratna Sam uccaw —Vdgbhata III.
Rasen'dra Cin taman i .
Recen tes Decouver tes—Cordier .
870 LIST or worms CONSULTED .
Records of B uddhi st R el ig ion— I
’Tsin g (Tak aknsu
’s Ed ) .
Rhases.
Repor t of W el lcome R esearch Laboratory , vol . III—B alfou r .
Researches in O perative M idwi fery— P layfair .
Review of the H istory of Medi cine—W ise.
Bg Veda—Maxm ii l ler and W i lson .
Rhinoplastic Oper ation s— K eegan P au l .
Rock Inscr iption s of Asok a .
Sank ara Vi jaya .
Sankhya and Li khi ta .
Sansk r it Li teratu re—Macdon el l .
Si rbgadhara P addhati— Sari i gadhara .
Samgadhm Sarflgraha—sar ii gadhara .
Sarva Darsana Sarfigraha— Madhavacaryya .
Saw i nga Sun da r i— Ar nnadatta .
Satapatha B rahm anas— S . B E .
Sci ence and Ar t of Sur gery— Er ichsen .
Science of Lan guage— M axm i i ller .
Seuton ius.
Si ddhayoga—Vrndamadhava .
Soranus.
Surgery— B i lh oth .
Surg ical Emer'
gen cies—Sw a in e .
Suéruta Satbhi ta— Suér u ta .
System of Medicin e— Albu tt and P ayne .
System of Medicin e~ O sler and M ac Rae .
Tai ttir iya B rahm ana .
Tan jore Catalogue— B u rnell .Tattva Candr ikafi gi vodi sa .
Things Indian- Art P in jrapole— Crooke.
Tibetan System of Anatomy (J. R . A . S . )—W alsh .
Timeas— P lato .
Treatment of the W ounded in W an—Esmarch .
Tree and Serpen t W orship— Fer g uson .
Upask ara-§afik ara M isra .
Végbhatartha K aumudi — Sr i k rsn a Senmal l ik .
Vi gbhata L’Astai i ga H rdaya Sarnhi ta— Cordi er .
Vaidyaka Savda Sindhu— Gupt-a .
Vaiéesika Daréan a .
Vy i kyi K usumaval i— Sr i kan ta Datta .
Vedartha P rakasa— Sayana .
Veter inary Ar t—W hi te.
Viena O r iental Jou rn al , Vol XI.
Vi racin ti man i .
IN D EX .
EN GLISH .
A
PAGE.
Abdominal binder 1 81 , 1 88
Abscess 233, 244 252, 254, 279, 291
Acacia Arabica— catechu 39, 358
Acalypha Indica.
Acanthobolus
Accessory Instr uments 97, 1 75
Sharp InstrumentsAccipitar
Aconitum heterophy lum
Acorus calamus
Actual cau teryActuarius
Adams xvi , 1 8, 146, 1 66, 1 69, 1 70, 201 , 21 0, 221 , 232,
258, 336
[Egle marmelos 38, 40, 268, 281 , 353,
ZEsculapiu s 1 56, 329,
Actins 207, 21 7, 228, 336,
Agallochum 346,
Aggur
Agi la
AhmedabadAinsle
Akimona
Alberun i vn , 1 0, 1 6, 3244, 334, 350,
Alberuni’s India,
374. IN DEX .
PAGE.
Albucasis 1 08, 1 20, 1 23, 1 55 , 1 66, 21 8, 223, 228, 230, 256, 260,261 , 266, 272, 277
Albutt
AlexanderAlexander Trallianus
AlexandriaAlexandrian SchoolAlhag i mau rorumAli Ibn Z ainAllium cepa
SativumAloesAlpina GalangalaAlsaharavius
AmberAmberg rise
Ambrose PareAmir Al iAmmomum g rani paradisn
elettarum
AmputationAnalecta M edicaAnaestheticsAnatomy
Ancient IndiaAncylotomu
Andreas a CruceAndrographis Pan icu lataAndropogon M uri catu s
nardus
—Schzenan thus
Angeissus LatifoliaAn imal H ospitalAnimismAnthocephalou s Kadamba
376 IN DEX .
Atomic TheoryAtramentum
Atrocarpus
Au ral ProbePolypus
Avenzoar
AvicennaAwl
Axe
Azadira chta Indica
Babylon
defectsBagdadBahramB ai rotsana
BalanceBalanites RoxBaldnessBalena CristataB aliospermum montanumBalsamodendron muku lBamboo 82, 83, 1 1 7, 1 25,
309, 3 1 5, 325
forcepspipetube
Banc de H ippocrateBandag ingBandages
346
268
21 9
278
1 69
1 N'
Dni . 377
— Svastika
Anuvellita
P rotol i
Barks, of trees 1 93, 1 95,
Barnes’ speculumBaron de Sacy°
Barzouyeh
Bdelliumvn , elioot note 48, 299,
878 musk .
Beal ’s Buddhist Records vi i , foot note 1 , 48, 49,
Bear forceps 96, 1 02
B ed-
pan
B edrce
Bell-metal 64, 81 4,
BellowsBench of H ippocratesB eneras 3
, 32
Berberis lyciumBerlin
Betu la B hojpatra
Bhi lsa TopesBibliotheca Indica, xvBignon ia Snaveolens
BirdwoodBivalve Specu lumB IJDOI
'
Bladder SoundBlanketsBleeding LancetBlood-stickBloomfieldBlowBlue-Jay forceps
D iscr iption
hook
282 308
380
Calotropis ProceraGi gantize
Cancer of the BreastKn i fe
Canopy BandageCanu la
CarterCases of instruments
ointmen t sticksCassia fistu la
obvata
—Reclination of
CouchingBinder
Cat forceps
Thread
Cedrus deodara
1 NDEXQ
1 1 2 1 1 7 , 1 23,
276, 349
INDEX. 381
Chamberlens
Chank-ShellChebulic MyrobolanChemist r
y
Child’s roomChina rootChineseMedicineChing-Che-Chun-ChingChintzChcenicides
CinnamonCircu lar shaped instrumen t
BandageCross BandageChest B andag
Circulation of BloodCissampelos ParieraCitras medicaCitrus AurantiumClementClement of AlexandriaCloth 94, 1 77, 1 86, 1 89,
Cloth sieve
Clysterurethral, recta l, vag ina l
Cocculus cordifoliasCold applicationColebrookeCollecti on De Chirurgiens GrecsCollyrium Probe
P ot
CombContinued sutures
Convolvulas
000k
PAGE.
1 67
333
40
32’
341
341
304
231
96
1 77
1 77
1 78
332
360
354
340
345
320
281
220
320
346
88
209
353
382
Probe
Coscinum fenestratum
CottonCraniotomyCreepersCrescent shaped cauteryCrippleCrocodile
-forcepsCrookeCrotalaria j unceaCrotchetCrow forcepsCru ciform Instruments
Csoma de KorosCu cum is Sativus
—Colocynthis
U tillissimu s
Cucurbita PepoCucurbitu la
CullenCupping
-bow
Instru ment
Cunn inghamCu rcuma LongaCuretonCur lew forceps
INDEX .
PAGE.
384
Dilators, RectalD iodorus Seculus
DiopterDiospyros Embryopter isDioscoridesDirectorD iscription of H industhan
Disenfection of rooms
Dislocati on—of the neck
lower jawDispensar ies, vi iDissectionDissection forcepsDistillationDindarDivisionDolichos leb leb .
Dolichos B iflorus
D om itan
Door-bedDouble nose-spoon
bag
-edged knifeDressDressing forcepsDrinking VesselDropperDropsy, 257DublinDungnuno l ison
INDEX .
INDEX. 385
PAGE .
EagleForceps
31 2, 3 1 4, 31 6,
1 07, 1 64
—Specillum
Edict of AsokaEdinburg
'
M edical Essays
Egyptian womenM edi cine
Electro-mag net
Elephantopus ScaberElphinstone, x iv
Embelic R ibesEmbryotome
Enterocele
386
ExcisionExecutionExtant W orks of fEtiu s xw
of foreign bodies from throatfrom ear
fr om eyes and teeth
of bone
INDEX
of fish bone from throatdead foetu s
nedles
soft structuresExtraction of stones from U rethra
tartar from teeth
Ezion -Gaber
Fa H ian
Falcon Forceps
Fear
Female catheteron
Ferru la Assafaetida
Field-hook-surgery
Ficus B engalensisReligiosa
256, 266,
1 09, 1 97
388 IN DEX.
Gastroraphe
Gamma shaped cauteryGau ze
Genu ine W orks of H ippocrates xvi, 88, 1 1 3, 1 69, 1 74,
Ghoom M onasteryGingivit is
G iudo-de-Cau liaco
Glands 200,
Glass 1 40, 282, 286,
Glor iosa SuperbaGmelina Arborea
64, 65, 66 1 1 7, 1 35, 1 60,
1 61 1 77, 21 8, 273, 278, 31 4,3 1 6, 325, 326.
Probe 21 8, 21 9
G'
oldstuker
Gossypium H erbaceumGouge 1 99
Gou rd 1 50, 342
Granu la r lids
monx . 389
Greeco-Roman Su rgical Instruments xvi, 1 46, 1 47,
1 53, 1 63, 1 67, 1 74, 1 99, 230, 240, 246,
Grewia Asiatica
Grind stoneGum-boilGunshot Injuries
98, 220, 221
Gynocardia ordorata
H ahneman
94, 205, 206, 234,
H alf-moon 96,97
—probeHal f-moon Scissor
Kn ife1 20, 1 66, 21 9, 230,
96, 1 98, 1 99, 256,
90, 1 99, 200,
94 321
H ammurabi
Hartal29, 351 , 352
390 INDEX .
H erculaneumH ermetic BooksH eroH eron forceps 96
,1 01
H erodotusH erophilusH esepti
H essler
H eyn e
H lpparchus
H ippocrates 88, 1 1 3, 1 23, 146, 1 59, 1 65,
1 69, 1 70, 1 73, 1 80, 21 0, 21 6, 21 7, 21 8, 221 , 232, 239,
241 , 258, 271 , 272, 303, 347, 349 .
H ipocratic oathH ipocratists
H indu system of M edicineH i ram
H irschbergH ist . D e. la medicineH istoria Forcepum -et-vecticu n
H istor ian ’s,H istory of, the W orld
H istory of Aryan M edical ScienceH istory of H indu Chemistry x v
H istory of Indian Literatu reH istorv of phi losophyH isto ry of M edicine 286, 331 , 347, 361
H istory of the Saraceens
H inen Tsiang 47, 299, 308
H oernle 5, 1 5, 1 6, 1 7, 1 9, 20, 21 , 22,
24, 29, 204, 21 4, 21 6, 243, 251 , 284, 331 , 332.
Hmmorrahage
arrest of 221 , 222, 223,
Lithotomy 97
892 INDEX
l bn Abi llsaibial
Iguana faced instrumentImhotpu
ImpellentImpomea H aderacea
Impwa TurpethumIndia in GreeceIndi an MedicineIndian Antiquary .
Indian AntiquitiesIndian TractsIndian N elumbiumIndian Physicians in foreign courtIndian drugs in Greek M eteri a M edicaIndian RhubarbIndigoIndicaIndo-AryanIndustrial arts of IndiaInflammationInstr uments, U ses of
bad qua li ties ofInterrupted suture
Intestinal obstr uction , O peration forIntroductionIron 61 , -91
,1 23, 1 60,
273, 278, -297,
1 ’ Tsing 1 9, 20, 21 , 22, 23, 24,
67, 82, 83, 1 1 7, 1 25
J
Journal American O r iental Society
21 9
74
209
209
1
303
182
INDEX . 393
Jackal forceps
Jones, Sir W illiamJournal Asiatic Society of BengalJournal Royal Asiatic Society
Jury mastJusti cia adhatoda
Juvenal
Fables of
Ki h Futo
H upér intendent
K itab -ShaWshoon-al-H indu
saws
PAGE.
1 02
1 95
1 95
21 , 22, 29, 331
1 92, 1 93, 329
23, 30
1 9, 22
394 INDEX.
Lanman
396
LouseLuffa amara
INDEX .
Lucknow, Royal Library of
Lunati cLying - in-Room
M agnet
M aison Dieu of
M alabathrumM alatroon
Mallet
M andragoraM anethoM ansilM arsden
M arshallM asern
M asperoM assage
M ussel-shellM ateria M edicaM axmii lle r
McClintock
Macrae
Measles
Medi cal bath
H indus
PAGE.
31 3
943
953
342
858
49
Medicina AegyptiorumMedicineMedicine glassMedullary canalMegasthenes,
Melia AzadirachtaMemphisMesue
Mesua Ferrea
Metal plates
M idwifery ForcepsM ilne xvi , 1 20, 1 37,
M odioliMohamayu ri Vidya- raju iMoringa peterygospermaM orta rMoschos M oschifera
Mouth
MullerMusa Pamdisiaca
Muses de CinquantenaireMustard seed
Mylabris P halerta
Naevus
N eedle
INDEX. 397
PAGE.
1 66
228, 246, 303.
398
N ail -parer- shaped cauteries .
-shaped rod
Nalanda
N ala reed
N ardostachys Jatamansi
N asal- insuffiatorpolypus
-SpeculumN atural H istoryN aubehar
N avel cordN earchus
Curved
Cautery of goldFour - r ibbedGoldenH alf- curvedRou ndStraightThree- corneredshaped Probe
N eiching
N er ium OdorumN eubu rgerN eugebauer ’s specu lumN ew-bornN ooshirwan
on
N umber of Surg ical InstrumentsN u rse
N u tmeg
N ux mosch'
ata .
INDEX.
400 INDEX .
PAGE.
O sprey forcepsOsteology, H oern le
of the H indusO wl forceps ,
Pan icum DactylonPanther forcepsPao-d
’aglia
ParacelsusParacentesis abdomin is 97, 242, 257,
Paru lisPasha , Si r R .
Pataliputra
Patient, good qualities of
Pau lus n ineta 1 8, xvi , 1 05, 1 08, 1 1 0, 1 1 1 , 1 1 2, 1 1 3, 1 1 7,1 23
,1 49, 1 54,
1 72, 1 87, 1 91 , 205, 207, 21 9,
221 , 223, 224, 232, 238, 242, 246, 354, 258
260, 261 , 266, 27 1 , 277, 293, 336. 342, 346, 348, 349e i
Peacock’s featherPearl
PehleviPersiaPersiusPestles 68, 1 72, 1 73, 31 8, 31 9, 327
D l-me cml n n m Im O'O R7
INDEX. 401
37, 1 89
230, 241 , 242
1 90, 241 , 259, 264
Pinus Deodara
cubeba . .
Longum
Plantago O vata
402
Plumbago Z eylan icumPlumsPlum-seed- like rod
Pocke
Poison , W orks onPoison extraction of
Stone ‘
P ompeII
P onium somniferumPon‘
gamia glabraPorcelainPortable casesPorusPostural treatment
Poultice
Pr ickerPrickly tongue
P riscianus
Probe
INDEX .
404 INDEX.
PAGE.
Rasendra Cintaman i
Raspatoty
Razor 81 , 94, 235, 236, 300, _301
Recentes D ecouvertesRecords of Buddhist PracticesRecords of Buddhist Relig ionRectal clyster . 4
Reinaud
Relation of H indu and Arabic medicineof Hi ndu and Greek medicine.
of Sanskrit and Persian medical worksResearches on O perative M idwifery:Rest-hou seIl etz
Review of the H istory of -M edicine
Rhabarburnum
Rhazes 9, 1 23, 21 9, 221 , 229, 260 261 ,
Rheims
Rhys DavidR icinus commun isR ing knife
ScalpelRodsRogerius
RollestonRope
Round headed knifeRoyle, 330, 331 , 341 , 347, 352, 353,
Saunaka SchoolSaussurea LappaS
'
aw
Sayre
ScalesScammum H ippocratis
Scar ificator
Scarifyi ngSchu ltetSciaticaScience and Art of SurgeryScience of LanguageS
'
cindaspus O'fii cinalis
H alf-moon facedS coopS cottish N ational M useum !
scrapingScratchingS
'
cr ivonius Largus
Scrotal tumourSeb aceous Cysts
e l l
S emecarpus Anacardium
"Senna
Sesame
Sesamum IndicumSeutonius
Sewing
341
1 94
1 20
236
340
303
PAGE.
Sodepore
Solanum N igrum
1 20, 147,
Spatu la ProbeSpecillum
94, 21 1
60
31 7, 328
1 58,1 60,
St . Andrews
Stems
Still-born
INDEX . 409
Strainer
of Ancient India
instrumentsSucking-horn
Sundu l
Supporter BandageSuppuration
InstrumentsO perations.
operations, practi cal train ingSuspension Apparatus
Sling -like
Sweet cane of Scr iptureSword- shaped cautery
System of Medicine
Tashi Lama
Tembul
Terminalia BellericaChebu ’la 1 30, 361
The Invasion of Alexander the Great
41 2 INDEX.
Tooth PickPowdersealer 70, 204, 267
woodTootum
Toryne
Tosorthros
Toy Cart
Traction H ookTransactions of the Royal Asiatic SocietyTreatise on M idwiferyTree and Serpent W orshipTrepanTrephine 231 ,
Trichiasis 1 05, 21 8, 228,TrifoliaTr ivalve Specu lumTrocarTry phala parvaTryphalla
Tsae-u rb
Tsfing-u rh
Tube 1 22, 1 29, 1 31 , 1 32
Defects of 1 33,
Tubu lar Instruments 91 , 93, 96, 1 08
for Ascitesof Cuppingfor Fistula- in -Ano .
for Fumigationsfor H ydrocelefor Inhalationsfor In jections in the
Rectumfor Inspection of Arrows '
INDEx. 41 3
Tumbol
Jambolana
41 4 » I-ND‘EX.
Vi numati
Vapour -bath
Vessels, PuncturingVasti-yantra
Velpeau
Visa-Vaidy
VulsellumVu lture Forceps
"eh Purification
41 8 INDEX .
Ambara
94, 1 99
vadan'
a'
Antarmukha”
95, 98
Antarvalkala'
98, 205, 262, 263, 279
Arddhacandranana
Arddh‘
adhara
Arddhendu
420 INDEX.
P AG E .
B ael Fruit
Bakam
Bapti sta.
B ehicharlal N athuram
B hi ba. P rakfiéa.
32, 33,
301 , 306,
B hallataka
Bhandarkar
BhangaB hafijana
B hi numati
B hara‘dvaja.
B hfisamukha 92
Bhfisamukha. Forceps 1 03
B hfiskara 1 7
Bha‘
wamiéra v, _1;iv 22, 99, 1 28, 193, 1 94, 1 95, 200, 295, 299,
300, 301 , 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 312, 31 3, 823, 324
Bhedana 77, 80
Bhela. 4, 5, 25
Bhesaja 94, 21 9
B hi sma ii
Bhoja 60, 230, 231 , 232, 248, 257, 262, 264
Bhoja P rabandha iii, 281
Bhrngarfijamukha 92 1 03
Bhfirjja 39
B hfitvidyfi 2
Bihat 63, 1 62
Bijnor 1 62
281
1 06
860
74, 76
60
41
27
1 28, 1 95, 200, 296, 300,
307, 308, 31 2, 31 3, 81 6, 323, 325,
INDEX. 421
P AGE.
B i rajacaran GuptaB . L . Sen 5, 27
1 , 4, 1 2, 22, 301
Brahmanas
B ucanaka
B uddhadfisa
Cacynanama
Cakradatta 29, 4
66, 67, 1 24, 1 26, 1 61,
1 62, 1 64, 1 73, 1 75, 1 76, 1 83, 1 85, 1 89, 1 90, 200, 201 , 21 8,
222, 227, 228, 229, 245, 248, 253,255, 258, 323, 327
Cakrakrti
41 , 1 25, 1 64, 204, 259, 27 1 , 282, 292, 350
Cak rapfinidatta‘7, 9, 1 7, 29, 67, 1 04, 1 07,
1 1 5,1 49
,
Cakratattwad ipika
354, 355,
35, 40,
Candrakumar Das K avibhusan
Candr -Ete
422 INDEX .
PAGE.
Canonge 3 50
Caraka, x, 4, 5, 7, 7, 1 0, 1 1 , 1 8, 20, 21 , 23, 25, 26, 30. 31 , 34,
38, 59, 65, 67, 78, 1 25, 1 29, 1 39, 1 40, 1 42, 1 43, 1 44,
1 46, 1 47, 1 49, 152, 1 66, 1 74, 1 76, 1 79, 1 81 , 1 97, 201 , 202,
203, 205, 20"209, 236, 246, 252, 269, 278, 248, 292, 293,
296, 304, 206, 31 6, 31 8, 351 , 354
Sarhhitfi 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 31 , 34, 41 , 59, 65, 67, 78, 86,
1 1 5, 1 26, 1 30, 1 33, 1 36, 1 39, 1 40, 1 41 , 1 42, 1 43, 1 46, 1 47,
1 49, 1 74, 1 76, 1 79, 205, 207, 209, 21 7,
237 247, 269, 292, 293, 300, 301 , 304, 305, 306, 307, 308,
31 6, 31 8, 320
Tattva-P rad'
ipikfi. 1 0
Carma 94, 1 83
Cfisamukha 92, 1 03
Cashmere 5, 356
Caturvarga Cinti mani 56
39
Chatra 306
Chedana 77, 79
China 358
Chi na. 1 78
Cikitsé Ssra sai rt 30, 31
Cillimukha 92, 1 03
Ciravilva 39, 21 9
Citraka.
Classification of Instruments 90
B ali ana 80, 1 77, 221
Dakodara. 97, 1 22
B aksa 4, 12, 341
Dallanficfiryya . 1 2, 1 7, 57, -1 07, 21 1 , 225, 230, 233, 237, 243, 249
Damodara 98,‘
31
424 INDEX.
PA GE.
291 359.
Garbhaéafiku‘
Gocandana
292, 359
INDEX. 425
Ha mkrsna Sen Mallik
93, 231 ,
Haritak i 1 30, 354,
Hi t i ta. Sarhhitfi 1 04, 251 , 283, 323
Harsa 21 2
Hargacarita
Hastipippal i
a 1 5, 99,
Hrdayabodhikfi
ambu l
INDEX .
PAGE.
Jémvovou stha 99, 1 59, 21 7, 234
Jfinumatrfis'
ana
II,XIII, 231
9, 1 7, 21 , 27, 33
kan taka
1 1 9, 1 20
Joéodfin‘
andana
Jfithi ka‘
i
Kadali
K i lfidfinfi
45,1 98
K anfida
428
Ki ya Cik itsi '
K . C. Sen
K'
er‘
ala Putra
Kh‘aran565,
K ik itsa-Vidya
K oki‘
lfik a
Kuliéamukha.
Ku raramukha
INDEX .
INDEX.429
78, 94,
39 355
256, 279‘
Lataka M iéra
Mahfivarh ‘
éa
430
M akha-deva jataka
M i lavik i g n im i tra
M alsM i nadanda
M andala
M andalégra 70
M anthana
Marga Vl sodhana
Mfirji ramukha
M asfiradalabaktra
M asfiradalamukha
M asuri ka
M fitu lu 11ga
Mahi vagga, 1 1 , xi ,
INDEX.
1 65, 225, 226,227, 228,
iii,iv
, v1.1 1,
46, 82, 1 1 6, 1 82, , 308,
77, 94, 1 65,
432 INDEX.
PAGE.
354, 360, 292
O sadhadhfirraka
P ficana
Paippalada
1 30, 229, 235,
261 , 264, 266, 269,
434 INDEX .
PAGE.
P undarikamukhi
P uspanetra
Ram Raz
Egveda 1,2,
436 INDEX.
Sarapunkhamukha
Sarfiba Samputa
Sarari
Sarar imukha
Sarar imukha ProbeSfirddfi lamu sthika
Sarkarfi.
Sfirfigadhara
Sfirngadharapaddhati
Sfirngadhara Sarhgraha
S5 15 gadharati kfi.
Sarpavi dyé’
,
Sarpaphanamukha
Sarsapa
Sarvadaréana Sarng raha 29
Sarvfir'
iga Sundar i
Saéaghfitimuk -ha
Sastras
Satapatha B réh-mana
Satapu spa
Sattaka
Satyaputra
Saubatsika
Saura Siddhi nta
Savar ikfi
Sfiv itri
Sfiyana
Sfiyana’s Commentary,
S. C. Das
Sermicarpus Anacardeum
INDEX.437
P AGE .
sephsliks
II,
Sixfihada ihstra
Skanda P urfina
Sonfimukhi
Sphotaka
Srgélamukha
1 48 1 51 ,
103, 1 64
Sthi vana
77, 78, 94, 96, 98, 99, 243
98, 99, .342
Sugandha M aricaSukti
438 INDEx;
PAGE.
Suéruta. 2, 5, 6, 1 1 , 1 2, 1 3, 74, 1 5, 1 6, 1 8, 1 9,
22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 38, 42, 43 , 57, 58, 59, 61 , 63, 64,
65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 73, 74, 77, 80, 86, 90, 91 , 98, 1 06,
1 90, 1 1 1 , 1 1 2, 1 1 4, 1 1 7, 1 1 8, 1 22, 1 23, 1 24, 1 26, 1 35, 1 38,1 40, 1 43, 1 44, 1 45, 1 47, 1 48, 1 49 1 50, 1 57, 1 61 , 1 66, 1 68,
1 70, 1 71 , 1 73, 1 76, 1 79, 1 80, 1 84, 1 86, 1 88, 1 93, 1 94,
1 95, 1 97, 1 98, 1 99, 200, 201 , 203, 204, 205, 206, 209, 2 1 3,
21 4, 21 5, 21 6, 21 8, 21 9, 220, 221 , 222, 223, 226, 230,
237, 245, 249, 250, 252, 257, 259, 262, 263, 265, 267,
269, 271 , 274, 279, 280, 290, 291 , 292, 293, 295, 297,
299, 300, 303, 305, 306, 307, 308, 31 0, 31 2, 31 5, 322, 325,
326, 346, 350. 358.
S'
u‘
éruta Sarhhitfi 1 , 2, 1 1 , 1 2, 1 3, 1 4, 1 6, 1 7, 1 9, 31 , 38, 42,
44, 57, 58, 59, 61 , 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 73, 74, 77,
80, 86, 91 , 92, 1 00, 1 0 1 , 1 03, 1 06, 1 07, 1 08,
1 1 7, 1 1 8, 1 21 , 1 22, 1 23, 224, 1 85, 1 39, 1 41 , 1 48,
1 45, 1 48, 1 49, 1 50, 1 5 1 , 1 55, 1 61 , 1 65, 1 68, 1 70,
1 72, 1 73, 1 76, 1 78, 1 79, 1 80, 1 82, 1 85, 1 86, 1 87, 1 88,
1 90, 1 93, 1 94, 1 95, 1 96, 1 97, 201 ,
206, 207, 208, 209, 21 0, 21 1 , 21 2, 21 3, 21 4, 21 6, 21 8, 222,
228, 226, 227, 234, 237, 238, 249, 257, 259, 263,
265, 269, 271 , 21 3, 274, 279, 280, 282, 283, 291 ,
292, 293, 294, 295, 297, 299, 300, 304, 305, 306,
31 0, 31 1 , 31 2, 31 5, 31 8, 320, 321 , 324, 325, 326, 332, 333,
855, 336, 343, 362.
Suvarnakha
Svastika BandageSvastika Yantras 91 , 92, 96, 1 00, 1 01 , 1 77
Syenamukha 92 1 03
Tfigara
Taitti ri ya BrahmanaTfila