EAP810/23/15

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: பாலா வாகடம் அல்லது சிமிட்டு ரத்தின சுருக்கம்- 360நூல் 2: தலைப்புஇல்லை (மருத்துவ நெறிமுறைகள்)நூல் 3: தலைப்பு இல்லை (விஷ மாற்று மருந்து)நூல் 4: மணிகண்ட நூல்;

The manuscript is composed of four texts related to medical matter, and of three additional leaves belonging to others manuscripts. The manuscript is in very good state, a few palm leaves are partly broken.

Text 1- The text, not entitled, may be either Pāla Vākaṭam or Cimiṭṭu Rattiṉa Curukkam- 360 by Taṉvantiri. It is complete, composed of palm leaves numbered from 1 to 56, 3 leaves numbered 10 and 16 and the leaves 34, 38-40, 54-56 are double. The leaves number 10, 16 and 41 are written only on the recto. The text is written in verses.

The text focuses on diseases of children for which it describes the clinical features, typology as well as medicinal formulations and the measure of raw materials they require. The diseases exposed in the text are: types of indigestion (māntam, uḷai māntam, ciṅkikaṇai māntam), of muscular atrophy (mūkku kaṇai, āmai kaṇai), skin diseases with red patches (ceṅkiranti) and black patches (karuṅkiranti), eczema (pāl karappāṉ), diseases caused by evil eye such as oral ulcer (nāmuḷḷu tōṣam), diseases related to infection of saliva (ecci tōṣam) and coming from an unclean person (kuḷi tōṣam) and a male (puruṣa tōṣam).

The text mentions oil (eṇṇey) for eye care, a medicated ghī (kirutam) for treating hemorrhoids (mūlam), and a pill made of camphor (kaṟpūra kuḷikai) for improving indigestion (māntam).

Text 2- The text, containing leaves numbered from 1 to 8, is incomplete. Written in verses, provides information on the ethics of siddha practice. The practitioner must not give medicines to diverse sorts of people: those who have extra marital relationship or are prostitutes, those who are miser, cunning, bad, fool, idiot or aggressive, black magicians, those who disrespect elders, do not offer food to poor, refuse to pay their fees, have no faith in god or are hostile to the physician. The siddha practitioner must collect the fees before treating the patient (sic), he/she has not to demand fees from good people, notably those engaged in charity. The text mentions that the practitioner who does not observe these rules will go to hell.

Text 3- The text constitutes in only a leaf numbered 9, and written in prose. The text concerns antidotes for reducing the heat produced by consumption of paṟpam and centūram. It also mentions a medicine used to treat diarrhea (pēti).

Text 4- The text, entitled Maṇikaṭai Nūl, contains 2 palm leaves; it is incomplete. It is written in prose. The text concerns the diagnosis of diseases based on wrist circumference. The method consists to tie a thread around the wrist of the patient and to measure the length of the thread. The result is interpreted in term of prediction of disease. The text provides an example: if the length is 10 inches, the symptoms supposed to be developed in the future will be the increase of body temperature (uṭal vetumpum), heartburn and stomach upset resulting from flatulence (vāyuviṉāl neñceriyum, vayiṟu iraiyum).

Size of the manuscript: 27,0cm x 3,7cm. The text 1 is composed of palm leaves numbered from 1 to 56 in which there are 3 leaves numbered 10 and 16 and 2 leaves numbered 34, 38-40, 54-56 and of 2 leaves without number. The text 2 is composed of leaves numbered from 1 to 8, the text 3 of a leaf numbered 9 and text 4 of 2 leaves numbered 10 and 11. There are three addtional leaves belonging to other manuscripts and two blank leaves placed qt the beginning and the end of the manuscript. The manuscript is in good condition; a few leaves are partly broken.