1838.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 663 



IX. — Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 

 Wednesday Evening, the 1st August, 1838. 



The Honorable Sir Edward Ryan, President, in the chair. 

 Mr. William Edwards, C. S. and Major William Gregory, Bengal 

 Army, proposed at the last meeting- were elected members of the Society. 



Sir Graves Haughton wrote to thank the Society for the Sanskrit 

 works presented to him. 



" It was my good fortune, he writes, to be in London at the time the council ap- 

 pealed to the home authorities against the sweeping and extraordinary decision of 

 the Bengal Government regarding the publication of native works by the Committee 

 of Education ; I made a point of collecting all the documents I could, and of laying 

 them before our President. I have reason to think that my efforts were of some use 

 in preparing the way for the success of the deputation which afterwards waited on 

 the President of the Board of Control." 



Read the following report of the special Committee appointed for con- 

 sidering the expediency of printing the Sarira Vidya. 



Report. 



The Committee appointed in your letter of the 20th instant, beg leave to state 

 that they have duly investigated the several questions you have proposed and that 

 they consider, 



1st. That the translation of Hooper's Anatomist's VadeMecum having been al- 

 ready made and paid for, that work should be adopted as the basis of the proposed 

 volume for the use of the native medical pandits of India. 



2nd. That several additions, alterations and explanations are indispensable to 

 render the volume accurate or instructive. 



3rd. That a few lithographic drawings on the scale of the wood cuts in Paxton's 

 work would materially add to the value of the publication. 



4th. The Committee have had the advantage of the advice and opinion of Dr. 

 Goodeve on the subject, and Dr. Goodeve has kindly offered to examine the cor- 

 rections proposed by Modhusodun Goopta and to give his general superintend- 

 ence in the progress of the work. This liberal offer the committee consider should 

 be at once thankfully accepted. 



For the labor of correction and supervision the Committee think Modhusodun 

 Goopta should receive a moderate remuneration, the amount of which the Commit- 

 tee scarcely think it their province to suggest. 



Medical College, Calcutta, l W. B. O'SHAUGHNESSY, 



3lst July, 1838. J Secretary to Committee. , 



The President thought that the report omitted to touch upon one point of consi- 

 derable importance, viz. the estimated expense of the publication. The Committee 

 seemed to concur in recommending the Sarira Vidya, because the translation had been 

 paid for, and because Mr. Muir's bonus of 1000 rupees would cover the printing : — 

 hut he perceived from the Secretary's notice at the last meeting, that 2000 rupees 

 more might still be required to complete it, including the plates and additions it was 

 proposed to supply. Under these circumstances the aspect of the question was ma- 

 terially changed ; and he would put it to the meeting whether it would be justifiable 

 for the Society to expend so much upon a Sanskrit translation which but a very 

 limited class could read, when the money might be so much better employed in im- 

 parting the same or other knowledge to the great body of the people in their own 

 vernacular tongue. He therefore moved, seconded by Mr. Hare, 



That a fresh reference be made to the special Committee begging their 

 opinion, whether it be expedient for the Society to expend any portion 

 of its funds on publishing a Sanskrit translation of the Fade Mecum, rather 

 than to devote the amount to the imparting of instruction to the mass of 

 the people in the Hindustani language, even though in so doing it forfeit the 

 advantage of Mr. Muir's bonus, and of the translation already made. 



The Secretary explained that the Sarira Vidya had become the Society's pro- 

 perty by transfer from the Committee, on condition of its being printed. He had 

 merely reserved it until the more important Sanskrit works should be completed. 

 He could not have anticipated any objection on the score of inutility. It was in- 

 tended to convey to the medical pandits throughout India, who are an exclusive 

 caste of hereditary monopolists in their profession, and all study their art in San- 

 skrit, a more correct notion of human Anatomy. Originally the Sarira Vidya had 

 been also destined to become a class-book in the medical branch of the Sanskrit 

 College, but that class had since been abolished, and the teaching of the medical 

 art limited exclusively to English. 

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