The Sushruta Samhita — trans. Bhishagratna

At this the omnipotent god grew

* See Chapter VII, Kalpa-Sthdna.

t *Sarivd' according to Dallana, ♦Bhadra-musta' according to others.

Chap. III.] KALPA STHANAM. 699

extremely wrathful. The vehement wrath of the god gradually swollen and inflamed, at last emanated in physical forms from his mouth and reduced the mighty, death-like, roaring fiend to ashes. But the energy of that terrific wrath went on increasing even after the destruction of the demon, at the sight of which the gods were greatly depressed in spirit. The term Visha (poison) is so called from the fact of its filling the gods with Vishdda (depression of spirits). After that the god of creation, having finished his (self imposed) task of creating this world, cast that wrath both into the mobile and the immobile creations Just as the atmospheric water which is of imperceptible and undeveloped taste, acquires the specific taste of the ground or soil it falls upon, so it is the very nature of the (tasteless) Visha that it partakes of the specific taste (Rasa; of a thing or animal in which it exists. 13.

Properties of poisons :— All the sharp and violent qualities are present in poison. Hence poisons should be considered as aggravating and and deranging all the Doshas of the body. The Doshas aggravated and charged with poison forego their own specific functions. Hence poison can never be digested or assimilated in the system. It stops the power of inhaling. Expiration (exhalation of the breath) becomes impossible owing to the internal passages having been choked by the deranged Kapha. Consequently a poisoned person drops down in an unconscious state even when life is still present within his body. 14.

Nature and Location of Snakepoison :— The p ison of a snake like the semen in an adult male lies diffused all through its organism. As semen is gathered up, dislodged and subsequently emitted through the urethra by being agitated (byp. 700 contact with woman, etc.), so the poison in a snake is gathered up and secreted through the holes of its fangs under the conditions of anger and agitation. The fangs being hook-shaped, a snake cannot secrete its poison without lowering its hood just after a bite. 15.

General treatment of poisoning:^

The fangs being hook-shaped, a snake cannot secrete its poison without lowering its hood just after a bite. 15.

General treatment of poisoning:^

Since a poison of whatever sort is extremely keen, sharp and heat-making in its potency, a copious sprinkling with cold water should be used in all cases of poisoning. But since the poison of an insect is mild and not too much heat-making in its potency and as it engenders a large quantity of Vayu and Kapha in the organism, measures of fomentation (.Sveda) are not forbidden in a case of insect-bite. A bite by a strongly poisoned insect, however, should be treated as a snake-bite to all intents and purposes. 16.

The poison of a venomed dart or of a snakebite courses through the whole organism of the victim but it is its nature that it returns to the place of hurt and bite respectively. A man eating, from culpable gluttony, the flesh of such an animal, just dead (from the effects of poison), is afflicted with symptoms and diseases peculiar to the specific pathogenetic virtues of the poison with which the dead body is charged, and, in the long run, meets with his doom. Hence the flesh of an animal killed by a venomed dart or a snake bite (should be considered as fatal as the poison itself and) should not be taken immediately after its death. The flesh of such an animal, however, may be eaten after a period of forty eight minutes (Muhurta) from its death after the portions of the liurt and the bite have been removed. 17.

Symptoms Of taking poison internally 5 — Whoever passes a black sooty stool with loud flatus, or sheds hot tears and drops down with agony.

Chap. Ill,] KALPA-STHANAM. ;or

and whose complexion becomes discoloured, and whose mouth becomes filled with foam, should be considered as afflicted with poison taken internally (Visha-pita). The heart of such a man (dying from the effects of internal poisoning) cannot be burnt in fire ; since the poison from its very nature lies extended in the whole viscera of the heart, the seat of cognition*. i8.

The heart of such a man (dying from the effects of internal poisoning) cannot be burnt in fire ; since the poison from its very nature lies extended in the whole viscera of the heart, the seat of cognition*. i8.

Fatal bites : — A man bitten by a snake in any of the vulnerable parts of the body, or near (the root of) an As'vatthva tree, or a temple, at the cremation ground or on an ant-hill, or at the meeting of day and night, or at the crossings of roads or under the influence of the Bharani or Maghd asterisms (astral mansions) should be given up as lost. The poison of a hooded cobra (Darvri-kara proves instantaneously fatal. All poisons become doubly strong and operative in summer (Ushna)"!*. In cases of persons suffering from indigestion, urinary complaints, or from the effects of deranged Pitta or oppressed with the heat of the sun (sun stroke) as well as infants, old men, invalids, emaciated persons, pregnant women, men of timid disposition, or of a dry temperament, or oppressed with hunger, or bitten on a cloudy day, the poisons become doubly strong and operative. 19-20.

On the other hand, a snake bitten person, into whose body an incision is unattended with bleeding, or on whose body the strokes of lashes leave no marks, nor t In place of "^" some read ^t^. This would mean "if bitten in the upper part of the body."

* In the Charaka Samhiti also we come across identical expressions of opinion as to the seat of poison in the dead body of an animal or man, dying from poison from a poisoned dart or snake-bite or from poison administered internally. See chapter xxiii, chikitsi-sth^na— Charaka Samhitd.

p. 702

THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA.

[Chap. III.

does horripilation appsar even after a copious pouring of cold water on the body, should be likewise given up as lost. A case of snake-bite in which the tongue of the victim is found to be coated white and whose hair falls off (on the slightest pull), the bridge of whose nose becomes bent and the voice hoarse, where there is lockjaw and the appearance of a blackish-red swelling about the bite, — -such a case should be given up as hopeless. 21 22.

The case in which thick, long lumps of mucus are expectorated accompanied by bleeding from both the upward and the downward orifices of the body with distinct impression of all the fangs on the bitten part, should be given up by the physician. 23.