Charaka-Samhita — trans. Kaviraj Avinash Chandra Kaviratna

an 1 development of medical science, and al -■ 1 illustrates some ancient customs of India The Honorable Raja Peary Mohun Mukerji, C. I. E. Your English translation of Charaka-Samhita, so far as it has gone, has placed the treasures of a great work before a large class of readers. Notwithstanding the inevitable difficulty of identifying a large number of plants, mentioned in the Sanskrit text, the translation must be accepted as pos¬ sibly the best that could be expected, under the circumstances. People are beginning to find that a knowledge of the laws of Health should form a prime element in every system of education. They could look for no better guide than Charaka-Samhita. It is a work that should be in the hands of every Hindu, old or young.

The Hon’ble Justice Gooroodas Banerji.— The work is not only of value to the -physician and the antiquarian, but will be of great interest to. the general reader as well. Your undertaking deserves encouragement and support. I wish you all success.

THE WESTERN DRUGGIST.

JUNE, i902.

CHARAKA-SAMHITA.

“ The majority of the readers of the Western Druggist already are familiar with the interesting ancient Hindu medical work known as Charaka-Samhita, for the successive fascicules as they are now appearing in English translation have been noticed and exten¬ sively reviewed in these columns as they have made their appear¬ ance. It will be recalled that this valuable work is being translated from the Sanskrit by the learned Dr. Avinash Chandra Kaviratna, who has undertaken an arduous work for which he is entitled to the gratitude of the scientific, and more particularly the medical world. And this enterprise is one born of love of the good cause rather than expectation of material reward, and we fear that this publication is entailing upon him a great hardship and much per¬ sonal sacrifice owing to the comparative apathy of those most concerned. Those who have not seen this work thus far, have no conception of the vast amount of wisdom, philosophy, and practical knowledge encountered in its pages. One marvels at the profound learning of the men who lived and wrote at a period so remote as to be relegated in the mind to the age of barbarism almost.

The latest fascicules of this work before us are numbers XXV to XXVII, and their contents are interesting as ever. They deal with and are a continuation of the subjects of conception, preg¬ nancy, and delivery. The “Rishi” shows the similarity between the external universe and “purusha.” In fact, the human body is shown to be an epitome of the universe. It is in every respect a microcosm. Everything existing in the macrocosm is shown to exist in this microcosm. The points of similarity as brought out are certainly very interesting. The “Rishi” expounds in detail the conditions favorable and unfavorable to conception and how to insure the preservation of the unborn child, giving full instructions as to how the expectant mother should carry herself during the critical period, the lesson concluding with a discourse on the delivery of the child. Here are also described those acts which a man and a woman desirous of good offspring should do, The course of discipline to which each is to be subjected is laid down in full. The subject is extremely interesting and deserves to be studied with care. The address of Dr. Avinash Chandra Kaviratna is 200 Cornwallis street, Calcutta, E. I.”

From Sir Alfred Croft m. a., d. l., k. c. s. i.,

Late Director of Public Instruction, Bengal.

RUMLEIGH

Bere Alston, R. S. O.

DEVON.

24. July, 1902.

My dear Sir,