Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

During the rainy season, the firmament being covered by masses of clouds, the sun, the moon, and the stars remaining hidden, torrents of rain continually falling, and the earth being inundated with muddy waters, the bodies of living creatures swerve from their normal condition, and all medicinal plants become affected by contact witli an atmosphere surcharged with water. At such a time, emetics and the rest become incapable of producing their effects easily, and the bodies (of living creatures) exhibit the attribute of heaviness in a marked degree.

Hence, emetics and the rest should not be administered (during the season of rains).148

In the seasons ending with the rains, correctives should not be administered, unless the disease happens to be such as threat¬ ens to bring about death. *

In diseases threatening death, when the’ administration of correctives becomes necessary, the physician, bringing about the desirable season by combination of artificial means, should, with great care and attention, administer medicines (correctives) possessed of virtues contrary to those of the true season, after having determined their combination, the methods of correction, and quantity, and after having adjusted quantity with potency.!160

* ‘ VarshUnteshu ritushu’, ‘Varshâbhaganteshu ritushu’ are the alterna¬ tive readings. The meaning is the same, viz., Winter, Summer, and Rains. — T.

‘Atyayika’ disease is one that is critical, or, in which death is expected if it is not properly and efficiently treated. — T.

f What is said here is this : correctives are not to be administered in win¬ ter (meaning, when the cold is severe). A serious disease confronts the physician, which, if not properly treated, is sure to bring about death. The administration of correctives seems to him to be the proper remedy. He must place the patient within a properly closed building, heating its atmosphere by means of more than one blazing fire, so that the cold may disappear and a mild summer or spring may result within the building. He should then administer correctives, having first determined their ‘Samyoga,’ ‘ Samskara, ’ and their ‘Pramana’. By the first is meant Ithe articles that should compose them ; by the second, the manner in which those articles are to be prepared, that is, when they are to be culled, Jat whatlstage, and how dried, or heated, or boiled, &c.; and by the third is meant quantity. The next consideration of the physician should be the adjustment of quantity with the potency of the drugs. — T.

p. 78

p. 6

As regards the condition of the patient also, there are these two terms, viz., timeliness and untimeliness of what should be done and what should not be done.*

For example: in this condition (of the patient or disease), the time has come for the administration of this medicine, or the time has not come for, on the other hand, the administration of this (other) medicine.

In consequence of particular conditions (of the patient or of the disease) even this {viz,, the timeliness or untimeliness of particular medicines or courses of treatment) is what happens.

Hence, such terms as timeliness and untimeliness, with respect to the condition of the patient.

The ascertainment of the timeliness or untimeliness (of parti¬ cular medicines or courses of treatment) consists in the frequent observation of the particular symptoms exhibited by the patient. Such observation is needed for the correct administration of medicines.

Medicines adminstered when their time has passed away, or when their time has not come, never become suitable.

It is time that brings about the exact suitability of medicines.f151.

The commencement of treatment (or remedy) is called Pravntti.

* In the foregoing aphorisms the Rishi explained the suitability of the several seasons to particular courses of treatment. In this, he refers to the question of suitability or timeliness of what should be done or what not done in view of the condition of the patient as dependent on the disease or its progress and not on the season, — T. , t There is an absence of terseness in this aphorism which raises the suspicion of its having been tampered with by later writers or comment¬ ators.— T.

p. 615

Its characteristic is a union of the action of physician, of the patient, of medicine, and of the attendant or nurse.* 1W

The well-fittedness and adaptation of physician and the rest, is called updya (means).

Its characteristic consists in the administration of medicine duly furnished with such causes of success as (propriety of) place, time, measure, assimilability, and operation or virtue, as also the wealth of those attributes, which have been already indicated, of physician and the rest.f

In this way, the ten distinct particulars that require examina¬ tion, should be examined one after another.

The need for examination is a knowledge of the means of cure.188.