EAP810/15/11

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: குணவாகடம் -மூலம்நூல் 2: தலைப்பு இல்லை (தாது பொருட்களின் சுத்தி)நூல் 3: நாடி பரீட்சைநூல் 4: தலைப்பு இல்லை (வைத்தியம்);

The manuscript is constituted of four texts, numbered from 1 to 186, dealing with medical matter. All the texts are incomplete. The manuscript is in good condition; some leaves are broken.

Text 1- The text, entitled Guṇavākaṭam - Mūlam, is numbered from 1 to 38. It provides information on characters and properties of plants and mineral products used in medicinal preparation (material medica; vākaṭam). The text starts by an invocation to god (kaṭavuḷ vāḻtu). It contains also a verse which defines the humility of the person who translated this text from the Sanskrit text by Madhava.

Text 2 – The text, numbered from 39 to 42, describes the purification process of minerals, especially, sulphur (kantakam), arsenic disulphide (maṉōcilai) and arsenic trioxide (kauri pāṣāṇam). It provides some medicinal formulations for treating some diseases: dry plant powders (cūraṇam) for curing disorders caused by vāyu imbalance, decoctions (kaṣāyam) for decreasing fever (kāccal), remedies for treating periodic fever (nālām nāḷ māṟal) and hernia (aṇṭa vāta).

Text 3- The text, entitled Naṭi pariṭcai, is numbered from 43 to 94, deals with pulse reading. It describes the different types of pulse, place of origin, site of examination. This text has been published, but whether the commentary or explanation has been published or not is not sure.

Text 4- The text, numbered from 95 to 186, lists remedies appropriate to treat some diseases. It describes some diseases and the process of preparing the remedies. The medicines which are mentioned are: Cauvappākya cuṇṭi lēkiyam for indigestion (akkiṉi mantam), Kapāṭa māttirai (tablets) and Taṇṭāta lēkiyam (electuary) for treating dysentery (kirāṇi); medicated oil (tailam) for burning sensation in body; a centūram (complex red powder), Ciṅkāti cūraṇam and Kaṇṭaṅkattiri ney for treating cough (irumal); remedies for treating flatus (mūlavāyu) and sinusitis (pīnicam), for stopping immediately fever and for treating all types of fever; a decoction (kuṭinīr) for reducing fever (cura); pill (uṇṭai) for delirium (caṉṉi) and for fever (cura), Kumaraṉ kuḷikai, Tāḷicapattiri cūraṇam and Kōṭācuri uṇṭai. The diseases which are described are: cough (irumal), tuberculosis (iḷaippu), diseases caused by pitta imbalance, burning sensation in abdomen (vayiṟu erivu) and abdomen colic (vayiṟu vali) and gastric ulcer (māvali kuṉmam). Additionally, the text provides information on the process to purify raw materials, especially: the nine poisons (nava pāṣāṇam); sulphur (kantakam); mercury (racam); arsenic pentasulphide (taḷakam); white arsenic (veḷḷai pāṣāṇam); arsenic trisulphide (kauri pāṣāṇam); zinc (nākam); zinc sulphate (pāl tuttam) and copper sulphate (mayil tuttam).

Size of the manuscript: 27.0cm x 3.3cm. The 4 texts of the manuscripts contain palm leaves numbered respectively from 1 to 38, 39 to 42, 43 to 94 and 95 to 186. The leaves which are missing are: 24-30, 49-51, 132-134, 141-161, 168 and 170-185; the leaf 104 is double. The condition of the manuscript is very good; some leaves are slightly broken but do not affect the reading.