An English Translation of the Sushruta Samhita (Bhishagratna ed.)

IVIythoIogical origin of poison (Visha):

— It is stated in the Scriptures that a demon named
Kaitabha obstructed in various ways, the work of
the self-origined Brahm^ when he was engaged in
creating this world. At this the omnipotent god grew

* See Chapter VII, Kalpa-Sthdna.

t *Sarivd' according to Dallana, ♦Bhadra-musta' according to others.

Chap. III.] KALPA STHANAM. 699

extremely wrathful. The vehement wrath of the god gradually swollen and inflamed, at last emanated in physical forms from his mouth and reduced the mighty, death-like, roaring fiend to ashes. But the energy of that terrific wrath went on increasing even after the destruction of the demon, at the sight of which the gods were greatly depressed in spirit. The term Visha (poison) is so called from the fact of its filling the gods with Vishdda (depression of spirits). After that the god of creation, having finished his (self imposed) task of creating this world, cast that wrath both into the mobile and the immobile creations Just as the atmospheric water which is of imperceptible and undeveloped taste, acquires the specific taste of the ground or soil it falls upon, so it is the very nature of the (tasteless) Visha that it partakes of the specific taste (Rasa; of a thing or animal in which it exists. 13.

Properties of poisons :— All the sharp

and violent qualities are present in poison. Hence
poisons should be considered as aggravating and and
deranging all the Doshas of the body. The Doshas
aggravated and charged with poison forego their own
specific functions. Hence poison can never be digested
or assimilated in the system. It stops the power of
inhaling. Expiration (exhalation of the breath) becomes
impossible owing to the internal passages having been
choked by the deranged Kapha. Consequently a
poisoned person drops down in an unconscious state
even when life is still present within his body. 14.

Nature and Location of Snake-
poison :— The p ison of a snake like the semen in
an adult male lies diffused all through its organism.
As semen is gathered up, dislodged and subsequently
emitted through the urethra by being agitated (by

700 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. III.

contact with woman, etc.), so the poison in a snake is
gathered up and secreted through the holes of its
fangs under the conditions of anger and agitation. The
fangs being hook-shaped, a snake cannot secrete its
poison without lowering its hood just after a bite. 15.

General treatment of poisoning:^

Since a poison of whatever sort is extremely keen,
sharp and heat-making in its potency, a copious sprink-
ling with cold water should be used in all cases of
poisoning. But since the poison of an insect is mild
and not too much heat-making in its potency and as
it engenders a large quantity of Vayu and Kapha in the
organism, measures of fomentation (.Sveda) are not
forbidden in a case of insect-bite. A bite by a
strongly poisoned insect, however, should be treated as
a snake-bite to all intents and purposes. 16.

The poison of a venomed dart or of a snake- bite courses through the whole organism of the victim but it is its nature that it returns to the place of hurt and bite respectively. A man eating, from culpable gluttony, the flesh of such an animal, just dead (from the effects of poison), is afflicted with symptoms and diseases peculiar to the specific pathogenetic virtues of the poison with which the dead body is charged, and, in the long run, meets with his doom. Hence the flesh of an animal killed by a venomed dart or a snake bite (should be considered as fatal as the poison itself and) should not be taken immediately after its death. The flesh of such an animal, however, may be eaten after a period of forty eight minutes (Muhurta) from its death after the portions of the liurt and the bite have been removed. 17.

Symptoms Of taking poison inter-
nally 5 — Whoever passes a black sooty stool with loud
flatus, or sheds hot tears and drops down with agony.

Chap. Ill,] KALPA-STHANAM. ;or

and whose complexion becomes discoloured, and whose
mouth becomes filled with foam, should be considered as
afflicted with poison taken internally (Visha-pita). The
heart of such a man (dying from the effects of internal
poisoning) cannot be burnt in fire ; since the poison
from its very nature lies extended in the whole viscera
of the heart, the seat of cognition*. i8.

Fatal bites : — A man bitten by a snake in any of the vulnerable parts of the body, or near (the root of) an As'vatthva tree, or a temple, at the cremation ground or on an ant-hill, or at the meeting of day and night, or at the crossings of roads or under the influence of the Bharani or Maghd asterisms (astral mansions) should be given up as lost. The poison of a hooded cobra (Darvri-kara proves instantaneously fatal. All poisons become doubly strong and operative in summer (Ushna)"!*. In cases of persons suffering from indigestion, urinary complaints, or from the effects of deranged Pitta or oppressed with the heat of the sun (sun stroke) as well as infants, old men, invalids, emaciated persons, pregnant women, men of timid disposition, or of a dry temperament, or oppressed with hunger, or bitten on a cloudy day, the poisons become doubly strong and operative. 19-20.

On the other hand, a snake bitten person, into whose
body an incision is unattended with bleeding, or on
whose body the strokes of lashes leave no marks, nor

* In the Charaka Samhiti also we come across identical ex- pressions of opinion as to the seat of poison in the dead body of an animal or man, dying from poison from a poisoned dart or snake-bite or from poison administered internally. See chapter xxiii, chikitsi-sth^na— Charaka Samhitd.

t In place of "^" some read ^t^. This would mean "if bitten in the upper part of the body."

THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA.

[Chap. III.

does horripilation appsar even after a copious pouring
of cold water on the body, should be likewise given up
as lost. A case of snake-bite in which the tongue of the
victim is found to be coated white and whose hair falls
off (on the slightest pull), the bridge of whose nose be-
comes bent and the voice hoarse, where there is lock-
jaw and the appearance of a blackish-red swelling
about the bite, — -such a case should be given up as
hopeless. 21 22.

The case in which thick, long lumps of mucus are ex-
pectorated accompanied by bleeding from both the
upward and the downward orifices of the body with
distinct impression of all the fangs on the bitten part,
should be given up by the physician. 23.

A case of snake-bite marked by the symptoms of
an insane state like that of a drunkard and accom-
panied by severe distressing symptoms (Upadrava),
as well as loss of voice and complexion and an absence
of the circulation of blood* and by other fatal symptoms
should be abandoned and no action need be taken
therein. 24.

Thus ends the third Chapter of the Kalpa-Sthana in the Sus'ruta Samhiia which treats of animal poisons.

* The text has "Avegi". Kartika explains it to mean "with sup- pression of the natural urgings, ie,. of stool, urine, etc.

Now we shall discourse on the Chapter which
treats of the specific features of the poison of a snake-
bite (Sarpa-dashta-Visha-ViJnsCniya). i.

Having laid himself prostrate at the feet of the holy
and wise Dhanvantari, the master of all the S'istras,
Susruta addressed him as follows :-» "Enlighten and
illumineus, O Lord, on the number and classification
of snakes, on the nature of their poison and on the
distinguishing marks of their respective bites", where-
upon Dhanvantari, the foremost of all physicians replied
as follows : — Innumerable are the families of serpents,
of which Takshaka and Vdsuki are the foremost and the
most renowned. These are supposed to carry the earth*
with the oceans, mountains and the islands on their
heads and are as powerful and furious as the blazing
fire, fed upon the libations of clarified butter. 1 make
obeisance to those who constantly roar, bring down
rain, scorch the whole world (with the heat of their
hundred-headed venom) and are capable of destroying
the universe with their angry looks and poisonous breath.
It is fruitless, O Susruta, to enter into a discourse on
the treatment of their bites as they are beyond the
curative virtues of all terrestrial remedies. 2-A.

Classification : — I shall, however, describe in
due order, the classification of the terrestrial snakes
whose poison lies in their fangs wherewith they bite the
human beings (and other animals). They are eighty in
number, classified into five main genera, namely, the

* In the Hindu mythology the earth is supposed to rest on the heads of snakes, the inmates of the infernal region*

^04 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. IV.

Darvi-kara (hooded), Mandali (hoodless and painted with circular patches or rings of varied colours on their skin), Rsiijiinsta (hoodless and striped), Nirvisha (non-venomous or slightly venomous) and Vaikaranja (hybrid species). The last named is also, in its turn, divided into three sub-divisions only, viz,, the Darvi-kara (hooded), the Mandali (hoodless and ring-marked) and the Rdjimdn (striped ones). 2.

Of these there are twenty six kind? of Darvi-kara
snakes, twenty-two of the Mandali species, ten of the
Rdji-mdn class, twelve of the Nirvisha (non-venomous)
species and three of the Vaikaranja (hybrid) species.
Snakes born of Vaikaranja parents are of variegated
colours (Chitra) and are of seven different species (three
of these being Mandali (marked with rings) and (four)
R^jila (marked with stripes). 3.

Classification of snake-bites :— A

snake trampled under foot, or in a fit of anger or hunger, or anywise terrified or attacked, or out of its innate malicious nature, will bite a man or an animal. The bites of these snakes highly enraged as they are, are grouped under three heads by men conversant with their nature, viz., Sarpita (deep-punctured), Radita (superficially punctured) and Nirvisha (non -venomous) bites. Some of the authorities on snake bites, however, add a fourth kind viz^ Sarpdngdbhihata (coming in contact with the body of a serpent}. 4* A.

Their specific Symptoms :— The bite in

which one, two or more marks (punctures) of fangs of
considerable depth are found on the affected part
attended with a slight bleeding as well as those which
are extremely slender and owe their origin to the turning
aside and lowering of its mouth (head) immediately after
the bite and are attended with swelling and the charac-

Chap. IV.] KALPA STHANAM. 70$

• teristic changes (in the system of the victim) should be known as the Sarpita bite. A (superficial) puncture (or punctures) made by the fangs of a snake and the affected part being attended with reddish, bluish, whitish or yellowish lines or stripes is called the Radita bite, which is characterised by the presence of a very small quantity of venom in the punctured wound. A Nirvisha (non- venomous) bite is marked by the presence of one or more fang marks, an absence of swelling and the presence of slightly vitiated blood at the spot and is not attended with any change in the normal (physiological) condition of the person bitten. The contact of a snake with the body of a naturally timid person may cause the aggra- vation of his bodily V^yu and produce a swelling of the part. Such a man is said to be Sarpj^ngfikbhihata* (affected by the touch of a snake). 4.

A bite by a diseased or agitated snake or by an
extremely old or young one, should be considered as
considerably less venomous. The poison of a snake
is inoperative in a country resorted to by the celestial
Garuda (the king of birds), or by the gods, Yakshas,
Siddhas and Brahmarshis, as well as in one in which
there are drugs of anti-venomous virtues. 5.

Characteristic features of the dif-
ferent Species of snakes :— Those having
hoods and marked with spots resembling a wheel or a
plough, an umbrella or a cross (Svastika) or a goad
(Amkus'a) on their heads and are extremely swift,
should be known as the Darvi-kara snakes. Those
which are large and slow and marked with parti-coloured

* It should be noted here that coming in contact with thorns and nails, etc., if unnoticed, may also produce in the minds of persons the fear of having been bitten by a snake and may thus produce the effects of such poisoning.

706 THE SUSHRUTA SAMHITA. [Chap. IV.

ring-like or circular spots on their skin, and have the
glow of the sun or fire should be known as Mandali
snakes, while those which are glossy and whose bodies
are painted with parti-coloured horizontal, perpendi-
cular and lateral stripes, should be known as the
Ri^jiman species. 6.

Features of the different Castes

among^St snakes : — The snakes whose skin is
lustrous like a pearl or silver, is coloured yellow and looks
like gold and emits a sweet smell, should be regarded
as belonging to the Brsflimaiia species of snakes. Those
which are glossy, extremely irritable in their nature
and marked with spots on their skin resembling the
discs of the sun and moon, or of the shape of a conch-
shell (Ambuja) or an umbrella, should be regarded
as belonging to the Kshatriya species. The snakes of
the Vais'ya caste are coloured black or red or blackish
grey or ash-coloured or pigeon-coloured and are
(crooked or hard in their structures) like a Vajra. The
snakes which resemble a buffalo or a leopard in colour
and lustre or are rough-skinned or are possessed of a
colour other than the preceding ones should be consi-
dered as belonging to the Sudra class. 7.