An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita, Vol. I: Sutrasthanam — trans. Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna (1907)

The man, who foils to see his own image reflected in a mirror, in the moonlight, or in hot water, or sees but distorted reflections of himself or of any other animal, or of dogs, cows, storks, vultures, ghosts, Yakshas, Rakshas, Pishachas and Nagas, should be regarded as about to depart this life. The man, to whom fire appears to be free of its natural accom paniment of smoke, or that it is possessed of a colour resembling the hue of the breast feathers of a peacock, should be regarded as doomed, (if happening to be suffering from any disease). On the other hand, these phenomena indicate the approach of a disease in one, who is found to be as yet in the enjoyment of apparent health.

Thus ends the thirtieth Chapter of the Sulrasthdnam in the Sushriita Samhitd which deals with prognosis from the perverted functions of the live sense ortrans.

CHAPTER XXX I.

Now we shall discourse on the Chapter, which deals with the prognosis to be gathered from the altered condition of features (Chhd'yar-Vipratipatti madhy^yam).*

IVIetrical Text: — The man, whose complexion suddenly assumes a brown, red, blue or yellow shade, should be regarded as already gathered to his rest. The man, who has lost all sense of modesty or propriety, and whose complexion, and whose strength (ojah) and memory have suddenly undergone discolouration or extreme deterioration, should be counted with the dead. Little chance there is of the life of a patient whose lower lip hangs down while the upper one is drawn or turned up, and both of them have assumed a black colour like that of a jamboline fruit. The patient, whose teeth fall out or which have assumed a reddish

* Physicians of the Ayurvedic School, however, observe a dislinclion between Chhiyd (shade of complexion), PrabhA (healthful glow of the complexion), and Varna (natural colour of the complexion) itself. The Chh%d or the shade of one's complexion may be easily distinguished as clear, rough or cool, etc. and can be detected only on a close view. The Prabhd, on the other hand, is visible from a distance and admits of of being divided into seven different types, such as red, yellow, while, brown, greenish, pale, and black. The Varna or the natural colour of the complexion of a man is found to be either fair, black, dusky leaning towards the fair, according to his race and habitation. The term also includes natural modestv, look and ease.

Chap. XXXI. ] SUTRASTHANAM. 289

or a dark brown colour, or a colour like that of a Khanjana bird (dark blue), should be reckoned as alreadygathered to his fathers.

The patient, whose tongue has become furred, swollen, or inert, or is of a black colour, should be considered as already at the gate of death. The patient, whose nose has sunk or become bent, cracked, dried, or who when breathing makes a gurgling sound through the nostrils, should be given up as lost. A patient is certainly quitting this life whose eyes appear to be contracted, or unequal, oblique, or inert, insensitive to light or touch, sunk in their sockets, or bloody, or marked by a copious lachrymation. The patient whose hair appears to have been glued to his head whose eyebrows are contracted and hang down, and whose eyelashes are listless should be considered as about to leave his mortal frame.

The patient, who is incapable of swallowing any food or of holding up his head, and who looks with a kind of fixed stare, with all memories of life fully obliterated, should be deemed as d3'ing on that very day. A wise or prudent physician should give up the medical treatment of a patient, no matter whether strong or weak, who is found to be fainting away every time he is lifted up or seated. The patient, who constantly- extends or draws up his lower extremities, or keeps them in a gathered up posture, should be

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290 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [ Chap. XXXI.

looked upon as rapidly succumbing. A wise physician should abandon a patient, characterised by the coldness of his breath and extremities and a hurried and intermittent respiration, or who is found breathing with his mouth open, or lips separated.

Similarly, a patient affected with a kind of stupor or insomnia and remaining drowsy, all day long, or fainting at the least attempt of speaking, should be counted with the dead. The patient, who licks his upper lip, or is troubled with eructations, or holds conversations with the departed, should be deemed as already entered into the region of the dead. A man, spontaneously bleeding through the roots of his hairs (pores of the skin) otherwise than in a case of poisoning, should be deemed as dying on that day.

A patient, affected with an up-coursing pain about the cardiac region, like the one which distinguishes a case of V^tashtila (^appearance of a stone-like lump rising or seated within the thorax and ascribed to the action of the deranged Vayu), accompanied by an aversion to food, etc., should be already reckoned among the dead.