1838.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society . 745 



968 are without any written books of instruction of any kind, — the ultimate object 

 of this species of instruction being to teach accounts. To render a scientific book 

 such as Hooper's Vade Me cum into one or all (and if vernacular be adopted all will 

 claim alike) of these vernacular dialects would therefore be a waste of time and 

 money. 



On the other hand, although it be true that Sanskrita is open to a certain extent 

 to all classes of native society, yet in reality it is exclusively confined to the brah- 

 mins, and is essentially the language of Hindu learning ; for it was found, that, in 

 the whole extent of the country visited by the late survey, as well as that made 

 known to us by Dr. Hamilton, that with the exception of five physicians the San- 

 skrit teaching was a brahminical monopoly ; while out of a class of 15.3 students in 

 the Moorshedabad District, one only was a Kayastha, — of 393 in Beerbhoom only nine 

 were of the Vaidya or medical caste ; — three of the Vaishnava or followers of the 

 Chaitanya and one a Daivagna or outcast Brahmin ; in Burdwan out of 1358 students 

 45 were Vaidyas, 11 Daivagnas, six Vaishuavas, making a total of 76 while all the 

 rest were brahmins. My opinion therefore is that until English Normal Schools of 

 learning can be sufficiently established whereby the young men of this country can 

 study the science and literature of England in its original form, all works partaking 

 of the character of the one now under discussion should be rendered into the two 

 learned oriental languages, viz. Sanskrita and Perso- Arabic, and that translations 

 for the use of the vernacular schools should be confined to books fitted to the wants 

 of the class of boys who frequent these seminaries, 



Henry H. Spry, M. D. 



Minute by Professor O'Shaughnessy. 



1 think a small portion of the funds of the Asiatic Society may be advantageously 

 devoted to the publication of the Sanskrita version by Madhusudana Gupta of 

 Hooper's Vade Mecum, improved and amended, as formerly suggested. The trans- 

 lation is ready and only requires illustrations and a few additions, — it is paid for — 

 Mr. Muir's munificent donation applies only to a Sanskrita volume — there exists 

 a large class of individuals learned in that tongue who are represented by the Dewan 

 Kam Comul Sen as ready to read the proposed work. These facts appear to me 

 sufficient to warrant our applying the funds of the Society in the proposed manner. 



Had not a version of Hooker's work been already made and paid for I would 

 much prefer one of Dr. Southwood Smith's " Philosophy of health" the most 

 interesting, intelligible and instructive popular work on physiology, which has 

 ever been published. Its illustrations are admirable, its size duodecimo. The 

 work was published in 1837 in order to communicate to the educated classes in 

 England, as much knowledge of the Science of medicine as would enable them to see 

 through the impostures of the Morisons and St. John Longs. I have no doubt 

 but that it would be studied with avidity by the Sanskrita scholars of India ; and 

 that the powerful though simple reasoning which pervades its pages, would force 

 true knowledge on many a mind. 



A work on pure anatomy cannot be so useful, especially to the hereditary physi- 

 cians of the Sanskrit a School, inasmuch as they will not have recourse to the 

 practical anatomical studies, which alone can render the volume instructive to any 

 material degree. The proposed illustrations will lend, however, a little intelligibility 

 to the work, and for this little I am willing that the proposed expenditure be made. 



As a complete work on anatomy already exists in Bengali, the question of 

 publishing Hooper's "Vade Mecum" in that language instead of Sanskrita is of 

 course set aside. And I do not agree with the Dewan Ram Comul Sen as to the 

 causes of the Vidya Hara boli having proved unsaleable. I think it was simply 

 because no medical school taught in the Bengali language, was in existence. When 

 secondary classes spring up, as please God they soon will, in which our normal 

 pupils will spread the instruction we are now imparting to them, through the Eng- 

 lish language, then the Vidya Hara boli will be of inestimable advantage. I would 

 respectfully suggest to the Society, as a measure worthy of their attention that they 

 secure the preservation of the remaining copies of this work in anticipation of the 

 rapidly approaching period when they will be rendered available. 



With reference to a version of this or any similar work in Urdu, I do not think 

 it at present required, because there is no class of students prepared to profit by 

 it. A class, 1 trust, will soon be formed, and then the advantages of such a version 

 will assume a practical shape, intelligible even to my good friends on the sub-com- 

 mittee, who affect to doubt the existence of the Hindustani language. They ought 

 on precisely equivalent reasons to deny the entity of the English tongue, and pro- 



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