EAP810/1/1/37

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: சிகப்பு நிதானம்நூல் 2: பால வாத நிதானம்நூல் 3: பிரளி நிதானம்நூல் 4: உள் சிகப்பு நிதானம்;

The manuscript, made of 71 palm leaves, is composed of four complete texts, written in verses, related to child’s diseases. The first leaf, not numbered, indicates the name of the 1st and 3rd texts, and presents a short invocation addressed to the guru (implicitly, the master from whom the practitioner acquired his/her knowledge). Despite the leaves are very infested by fungus, the reading is not affected.

Text 1- The text, consisting of 21 palm leaves numbered from 1 to 21, concerns the nosological category called cikappu which is particularised by red patches on the skin. The different types of cikappu nōy which are described in this text, in terms of aetiology, diagnosis and treatment are: nal cikappu, kontaḷa cikappu, vikāri cikappu, uṟpaṉa cikappu, cantira cikappu, caṉṉi cikappu, uṇakkal cikappu, karuñcāti cikappu, talaiyāri cikappu, poṉṉi cikappu, tāka cikappu and ēṟucakkara cikappu.

Text2- The text, comprising 12 palm leaves numbered from 22 to 33, describes aetiology, clinical features and treatment of vāta diseases among them: akkiṉi vātam, mūla vātam, vitai vātam, uṇakkal vātam, poruttu vātam, aticāra vātam and mēl mūccu vātam.

Text 3- This text, formed of 21 palm leaves numbered from 34 to 54(recto), describes aetiology, clinical features and treatment of piraḷi diseases (convulsions). The diseases of this category which as mentioned in this text are: vāyu piraḷi, akkiṉi piraḷi, paṇam piraḷi, nīr piraḷi, muṟukku piraḷi , tīrai piraḷi, viṣa piraḷi, aticāra piraḷi, vimalakaṉ piraḷi, mukkal piraḷi, iḷaippu piraḷi, vikkal piraḷi and naṭukkal piraḷi.

Text 4- This text, comprising 14 palm leaves numbered from 54(verso) to 67, describes aetiology, clinical features and treatment of a nosological type called uḷ cikappu, characterized by redness of the skin. The diseases which are explored are: ratta varṇaṉ cikappu, kōḻipūvaṉ cikappu, māri cikappu, araṇaivālaṉ cikappu, ceṅkāmāri cikappu, vilvariyaṉ cikappu, nākaṉ cikappu and vaṟṇa cikappu.

Size of the manuscript 22,8cm x 3,2cm. The manuscript is in good condition despite it is very affected by fungus. The text 1, numbered in Tamil and in Arabic from 1 to 21, is complete. The text 2, numbered in Tamil and in Arabic from 22 to 33, is incomplete. The text 3, numbered in Tamil and in Arabic from 34 to 54 recto, is icomplete. The text 4, numbered in Tamil and in Arabic from 54 verso to 67, is also complete.