An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita, Vol. II — trans. Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna (1911)

&C : — Now we shall discourse on the medical treatment of Chhinna cuts. An open mouthed ulcer on the side of the head* should be duly sutured as described before and firmly bandaged. An ear severed or lopped off should be sutured in the proper way and position and oil should be poured into its cavity. A Chhinna cut on the Krikatika (lying on the posterior side of the junction of the neck and the head) and even if it allow the Vayu "f* (air) to escape through its cavity should be brought together and duly sutured and bandaged in a manner (so as not to leave any intervening space between-. The part thus adhesioned should be sprinkled with clarified butter prepared from goat's milk. The patient should be made to take his food lying on his back, properly secured or fastened with straps (so that he might not move his head and advised to perform all other physical acts such as, urination, defecation etc , in that position). 21-24

In the case of a lateral and wide-mouthed wound (sword-cut, etc.) on the extremeties, the bone-joints should be duly set and joined together as instructed before and the wound should be sutured and speedily bandaged in the manner of a Vellitaka bandage, or t The dictum that a hurt on any of the wind-carrying sounding channels is pronounced to be incurable, should not be supposed to hold good in the present case.

* Several commenlators explain those that are situated either on the head or on the sides.

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with a piece of skin 01* hide in the Gophana or such other form as would seem proper and beneficial and oil should be poured over it. In the case of a wound on the back the patient should be laid on his back, while in the case of its occurring on the chest the patient should be laid on his face.* 25-27.

In the case of a hand or a leg being carried away or completely severed the wound should be cauterised with the application of hot oil and bandaged in the manner of a Kosha bandage and proper healing medicines should be applied. An oil cooked with the eight drugs Chandana, Padmaka, Rodhra, Utpala, Priyangu, Haridrd, Madhuka, (Vasthimadhu) and milk, forms one of the most efficacious healing (Ropana) agents A Kalka of the thirteen drugs — Chandana, Karkatdkhya, the two kinds of Sahd (Mugani and Mashani), Mdnsi, (D.R. — Mashahva, Somahva), Aniritd, Harenu, Mrindla Triphald, Padmaka and Utpala should be cooked in oil mixed with milk (four times that of oil) and the three other kinds of oily matter (lard, marrow and clarified butter) and this medicated oil should be used for sprinkling over a wound of this type for the purpose of healing (Ropana). 28.

Medical Treatment of Bhinna : —

Henceforth we shall deal with the medical treatment of Bhinna (excised) wounds. A case of an excised eye (Bhinna) should be given up as incurable. But in the case where an eye (ball) instead of being completely separated would be found to be dangling out (of its

* For the complete elimination of ihe deranged Doiha i.e., pus, elc , of the wound invloved in the case — Jejjata.

He who has got a wound on his back should be laid on his face and he who has got an ulcer on his breast should be laid on his back — Differeut Reading Gayi.

2/0 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. II.

socket) the affected organ should be re-instated in its natural cavity in a manner so as not to disturb the connected Siras (nerve arrangements) and gently pressed with the palms of the hand by first putting a lotus leaf on its (eye) surface. After that the eye should be filled (Tarpana) with the following (D.R,— Ajena in place of 'Anena" — i.e., prepared from goat's milk) medicated clarified butter, which should be as well used in the form of an errhine. The recipe is as follows : — Clarified butter prepared from goat's milk, Madhuka, Utpala, Jivaka and Rishavaka taken in equal parts should be pasted together, and cooked with sixteen seers of cow's milk and four seers of clarified butter.* The use of the medicated Ghrita thus prepared should be regarded as commendable in all types of occular hurt or injury. 29.

In the case of a perforation of the abdomen marked by the discharge of lumps or rope-like Varti (fat) through the wound, the emitted or ejected fat-lump should be dusted with the burnt ashes (D. R. — powders) of astringent woods (such as Manu, Arjtina, etc.) and black clay (pounded together). A ligature of thread should then be bou'id round the fat-lump and the fatlump cut off with a heated instrument. Honey should then be applied and the wound (Vrana) should then be duly bandaged. The patient should be caused to drink clarified butter after the full digestion of his injested food. Instead of this Ghrita, milk prepared

* Several authorities, however, say that equal parts of clarified butter prepared from goat's milk and from cow's milk should be taken and cooked with 16 seers of cow's milk and with the four drugs as a Kalka.