LESLIE
HAMILTON
SHIRLAW
35
It is to be noted that in nearly all cases diseases are ascribed to the exces
sive predominance of one of the humours or of heat or cold ; though some
diseases are said to be due to improper feeding, such as too much ' dry pro
vider ' ; to overwork; to ' worms in the belly ' ; ' to neglected wounds'; to
' variations in the temperature', or even more simply, ' to Karma '.
(viii) Materia Medica—
The veterinary pharmacopoeia is somewhat similar to that used in
Ayurvedic human medicine, though the more expensive drugs were not
employed in veterinary practice. The three Myrobalans, amleh (Phyllanthus
emblica), bullileh (Terminalia balerica) and halela (Terminalia chebula) ; adrak
(Zingiber officinale); Lasun (Allium sativum-garlic); googul (Balsa mo-dendron
mukal); laak (Coccus lacca) ; rai (mustard and mustard seed oil) ; neem (Melia
azadirachta) ; long, round, red and black pepper ; post (Palaver somniferum¬
opium); saindhava salt (rock salt) ; oil of sesame and tambool (betel) are the
drugs that appear most frequently in prescriptions, though such things as
animal excreta, bones, and burnt feathers occasionally appear. Excipients
were commonly cow urine, milk, ghee and honey.
Here are a few typical prescriptions :—
' Oil prepared from decoction of sringavera (ginger), vala (Sida cordifolia), powdered
mamsa (pulp of fruits ?), and maksika (bees' wax) together with saindhava (rock) salt
should be administered in diseases affecting the horns of cattle.'
' In the case of otalgia, oil boiled with the essence of manjista (madder), asafoetida
and saindhava salt would prove an infallible remedy.'
' A plaster composed of the roots of bilva (Oegle marmelos), ápámarga (Achyranthes
aspera), dhadaki (Grislea tomentosa), patala (Rottleria tinctoria), and kutaja (Wrightia
antidysenterica) applied over the gums would prove beneficial to a case of toothache.'
' In sore throat, carditis, lumbago, rheumatic complaints in general and in general
atrophy of the muscles, the remedy should consist of the essence of two kinds of turmeric
and the drugs known as triphala (the three myrobalans).'
' . . . . . . patha and the two sorts of haridra (turmeric) should be deemed beneficial to a
cow suffering from an acute attack of dysentery.'
' In all diseases of the digestive organs, as well as in maladies affecting the pulmonary
capillaries and in cough and asthma, the expressed juice of sringavera and bhargi (Deri¬
dendrum siphonanthus) should be administered.' ' Broken bones will be set right by a
plaster of salt and the expressed juice of priangu (Banicum italicum).'
' An attack of cold would prove amenable to the expressed juice of Vyosa (black
pepper, long pepper and dry ginger) administered through the medium of honey. .. .'
To increase the supply of milk the herdsman was instructed to give the cow ' morsels
composed of several sticks aśvagandha (Physalis flexuosa) and sesame ' (Agnipurana).
As an anthelmintic for horses the ' Saloter ' prescribes ' babrung kabuli (E. robusta)
and ajmood (C. roxburghianum) of each a quarter of a seer ; shitrej, long pepper, dry ginger,
rock salt, zerd chobe (Curcuma longa), tumbool and neem bark of each nine direms
pulverized and sifted ; the whole mixed together and divided into sever portions, one of
which is to be given every day to the horse, kneaded with cow urine.'
For the cure of rabies, the horse doctor is advised to ' pound P'hool-ruskee, kuree¬
ruskee, halia, bullilch and amleh, neem bark and gulloi of each nine direms, which boil
with eight seers of water until it be reduced to four and herein boil a seer of moong.
This done, put into the moong six direms of dry ginger, nine direms of rock salt, six of
long and six of round pepper, pulverized and sifted ; to which add a quarter of a seer of
honey, nine direms of roghun kunjed (oil of sesame) and nine of ghee and give the whole,
if you can, to the horse ; it will be serviceable ' ; the author, however, adds ' though
God knows best.'