Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

Passing over the others, it is, of course, clear why a patient on the point of death should not be treated. Such treatment may raise false hopes among the relatives and induce them to spend largely. Besides, as death is certain, the physician loses his reputation by undertaking to ward it off.

Then, again, the physician, by treating many of these men, has to come in contact with sinful men and thereby incur sin. Probably, the idea involved in this is that the physician loses his own pure magnetism, — T.

Jn such a region disease occurs rarely.”* * * §

That region where water and trees are plentiful, where wind •and heat are rare, which has no beauty, which has not many faults, and which is level land, is regarded as ordinary.7®!

-Even this is the opinion of those possessed of intelligence, viz., that those acts of treatment should not be followed which are productive of baneful effects at the time the acts_ are done or afterwards. 7SJ

(Here are some verses containing a summary of the contents of this Lesson.)

The premonitory symptoms, the general causes, with the respec¬ tive characteristics of each, of the destruction of cities and towns, &c., the medicines ( that can avert it ), the root of the causes, the origin of the appearance of diseases, the progression of decay of the period of life, the ascertainment of the timeliness and un¬ timeliness of death in respect of creatures, of timely and untimely death, how medicines should be applied for becoming efficacious, the persons for whom medicines are not to be prescribed and the reason for it, — all these, that best of ascetics, the son of Atri, declared unto Agnivepa in the Vimanam relating to the causes of the destruction of cities and towns, &c.1_4§ 2f Such a region is ordinary, that is, possessed of neither great merits, nor great faults. Most level countries fall within this class. Generally speaking, uneven or hilly countries are better. Verses 71 and 72 do not occur in all texts. — T.

t As verse 73 comes immediately after 70, (for verses 71 and 72 do not occur in all texts), it seems that 73 should be understood as having a reference to 70. In aphorism 70, the men that should not be treated are mentioned. In 73, the reason, generally, of this is given. That reason is this : the opera¬ tions the physician may direct (in the case of the proscribed persons) are not likely to be beneficial. The nature and temperament of the persons are such that medical treatment can do them no good. Hence, those operations should not be adopted. — T.

§ The premonitory symptoms are spoken of in aphorisms 1 to 3 ; the general causes with their respective characteristics occur in aphorisms 4 to 10 ;

1 hus ends the Vimanam relating to the destruction of cities and towns in the treatise of Agnive5a as revised by Charaka.

After this we shall expound the Lesson on the three especial means of ascertainment of disease.

Thus said the illustrious son of Atri.-1*

There are three especial means of ascertaining disease. They are : — i. The Instructions of the inspired or wise, 2. Observation, and 3. Inference.2

Amongst these, the Instructions of the Inspired consist of Ihe words spoken by them.