Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

$ ‘Qarira’ is body. ‘Qaririn’ is one invested with body. The word used here is ‘Qaririnam’, . meaning ‘of diseases.’ Among diseases, fever is regarded as the foremost. When the infant first comes out of the uterus, it is afflicted with fever. Death, tgain, never takes place without fever having manifested itself. In all diseases, again, to which man is subject, fever super¬ venes and even predominates ovei the other maladies. Fever is also regarded' as extending over the entire body. ' It affects the mind as well. The other diseases are not so. They are local. Hence, in Hindu medical treatises, fever is regarded as the first or foremost of diseases. — T.

ii8

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

■932

Now, the disease called Fever, which men suffer, arises from eight causes.

They are these :

1. Wind, 2. bile, 3. phlegm, 4, wind and bile, 5. bile and phlegm, 6. wind and phlegm, 7. wind and bile and phlegm, and 8. Accidental causes numbering the eighth. 15

We shall now explain the particular ‘Nidana’, ‘Purvarupa’, ‘Linga’, *Upagaya\ and ‘Samprapti’ of Fever.

These are as follows :

From excessive indulgence in things which are dry, light and cold, -emetics, purgatives, dry enemeta, errhines, physical exercises, sup¬ pression of the urgings of stools and urine, and fasts, acts that lead to violent shocks, sexual congress, anxiety, grief, operations that lead to loss of blood, night-keeping, and disposing the body in uneven atti¬ tudes, the wind becomes excited.* 16-17

When it becomes excited, it enters the ‘amagaya, (or that part of the stomach where food and drink enter in the first instance).

There it becomes mingled with the heat (of the digestive fire).

Overtaking in that state the food-juice which is the first product (or result) of food, it obstructs those ducts which bear the food-juice .and the sweat.

It then affects the digestive fire and, expelling the heat from the ‘pakkagaya’ (or that part of the stomach where digestion takes place), causes it to spread over the whole body.

It is then that Fever is generated. f 18

These are the symptoms which appear of Fever (caused by excited wind).

They are,—

Inequality (or irregularity) in respect of its appearance and disappearance

* ‘Abhighata’ means shocks or wounds, received from falls or other causes. The Rishis knew that such shocks produce fevers.

‘Qonitabhisheka’ implies operations for letting out blood. Blood-letting, therefore, seems ,to be an ancient practice. — T.

f ‘Aharaparinamadhatu.’ ‘Dhatus’ are elements or ingredients of the body, which result from the food and drink one takes. These ingredients are ‘Rasa’ or food-juice, blood, flesh, &c. ‘Parinama’ is development or result. The first thing into which food is developed is called -Rasa’ or food-juice. The heat of the skin, in fever, is nothing else than the heat of the ‘pakkagaya’ expelled by the wind from its place and forced to spread over the entire body. — T.

t ‘Arambha’ is the commencement or appearance, and ‘visarga’ is end or disappearance. In fevers caused by excited wind, the duration of intermissions is very irregular. Sometimes

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

p. 933

Inequality of the heat of the body ;*

Absence of steadiness of intensity, or the reverse ;f The time of exacerbation, or of intensity, of fevers, caused by wind is after digestion, or at the close of the day, or at the close of the night, or at the close of summer.!

The nails, the eyes, the face, the urine, the stools, and the skin, manifest a marked roughness: and redness of hue.

The whole body, besides, shows an exceedingly cracked appear¬ ance.

Many kinds, of stationary and moving pains also are experienced in several parts of the body ; these are as follows :

A sensation of stupour (or stupefaction) of the feet ;§

A- sensation of the calves being strongly tied round with cords ;1T A sensation of the knees, indeed, of all the joints, being dislocated ; A langour or excessive weakness of the thighs ; ||

In the waist, the sides, the back, the shoulder-joints, the arms, the shoulders, and the chest, sensations of breaking, aching, pounding, crushing, cracking, pressing, and striking, respectively ;!£ the exacerbation occurs in the morning, sometimes in the evening. Similarly, the fever disappears at irregular hours.

* Inequality of heat is a characteristic of this fever. Certain parts of the body are hotter than others.

t The intensity also of the fever is unsteady. At one time, it is intense ; at another time* it is not so, all the symptoms of violence at once abating. — T.

t ‘Jarana’ is digestion. Many editions omit ‘niqante’, meaning 'at the close of the night/ Gangadhara has it and explains that the last hours of the night, or, rather, the first hours of the day, taking the night to end at 12 p. M., are favourable to the excitement of the wind.

‘Gharmante’, literally, is 'at the end of the season of sweat.’ This is taken as the begin¬ ning of the season of rains. — T.

§ ‘Suptata’ is literally, sleepiness j hence, a sensation of stupour or stupefaction, or partial" paralysis.-— T.