EAP810/1/1/78

Title in original script: அகால மரண நூல்

The manuscript is composed of a text numbered from 1 to 77. The manuscript is extremely darkened by fungus, making the reading difficult. Numerous palm leaves are broken, some have been affected by larvae.

The text explains the anatomy of dead persons who commit suicide (taṟ kolai) or whose death is suspicious (marmamāṇa muṟaiyil iṟattal). The anatomy is presented according to the types of self-killing.

Suicide by ingestion of poisonous substances, mostly from plants and minerals:

From plants: tobacco leaves (pukai ilai), opium (apiṉ), Curcuma zedoaria (neṟi), root of Nerium oleander (araḷi vēr), seeds of Abrus precatorius (kuṉṟi vitai), seeds of Semicarpus anacardium (cēṅkoṭṭai), of Strychnos nux vomica (eṭṭi vitai), Croton tiglium (nērvāḷam); mixing of opium and Nerium oleander root, or opium and Datura fruit (ūmattai kāy), of Corollacarpus epigeus (pāvaṭṭai) and sesame oil (nalleṇṇey), of seeds of Abrus precatorius and lime stone (cavvīram); latex of Opuntia (kaḷḷippāl), of Sarcostemma brevistigma (koṭikkaḷḷi pāl), of Calotropis (erukkampāl), of Momordica dioica (ātalampāl) and of Excoecaria agallocha, (tillaippāl);

From mineral and metal kingdoms are: mercuric chloride (cavvīram), arsenic pentasulphide (veḷḷaipāṣāṇam), arsenic tri oxide (kauri pāṣāṇam), lime stone (cuṇṇāmpu), powdered glass (veḷḷai kuppi poṭi), aconite (nāvi), calomel (raca kaṟpūram), diamond (vairam); lead (mirutārciṅki); mixing of mercuric chloride and mercury (racam), of arsenic pentasulphide and arsenic tri oxide;

From animal kingdom are: poisonous insects (ingested by children), aṭṭai, araṇai, and kaṭuvay nākku.

Ingestion of high amount of country alcohol (cārāyam) and two other poisonous substances not identified, iruvi and combination of iruvi and nāvi, are also listed.

Suicide by hanging (tūṅki cettāl); strangulation (kaḻuttai nacukki koṉṟāl); drowning (nīril viḻuntu cettāl); and by holding the breath or by crushing the scrotum (mūccai piṭittum maṭiyai kacakkiyum koṉṟāl).

Other types of unnatural death which are also mentioned: trauma to testes (vitai uḷpukuntal), intercourse between a young man and a old lady (mutirnta peṇṇai vālai puruṣaṉ cērntāl), rape, raping a girl of younger age, rape of a single girl by many persons (kaṟpaḻippu kuṟi, ciṟu peṇṇai puṇarntāl kuṟi, oru peṇṇai palapēr puṇarntāl kuṟi), killing by brutal hitting and hanging or throwing in water (aṭittu koṉṟu kaṭṭi tūkkiṉāl kuṟi, aṭittu koṉṟu taṇṇīril pōṭṭāl kuṟi), introducing a white cloth rolled like a stick into the vagina (peṇ kuṟiyil tiri eṟṟa kuṟi), burns and burns in children (tīppaṭṭāl kuṟi, kuḻantaikaḷukku tīppaṭṭāl kuṟi) and snake bites (pāmpu kaṭitāl).

Size of the manuscript 31,5cm x 3,1cm. The palm leaves are numbered from 1 to 77 in Arabic. The leaves are very darkened by fungus infestation, making the reading difficult, and numerous of them are broken. The manuscript is extremely fragile.