No. 32.— 1886.] MEDICAL HISTORY OF CEYLON. 



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health and curing diseases. The works studied by our 

 Vedardlas in Ceylon now, are the Sastris, Charake, and 

 Susrutd, which are commentaries on the A'yur-Veda. The 

 first is arranged in the form of a dialogue or conversations 

 between A try a, the master, and his pupils in their confer- 

 ences. Sir Whitelaw Ainslie gives a list of twenty-one 

 Sanskrit medical works, known in the early part of this 

 century among the Sinhalese and Tamil. There are no doubt 

 several very intelligent and trustworthy Vedardlas, who are 

 Sanskrit scholars, and study manuscripts on " olas," or leaves ; 

 but there are also a larger number of ignorant impostors in 

 the villages, to whom the words of Job are applicable : " But 

 ye are forgers of lies ; ye are all physicians of no value ! " 



The Tamil books of medicine derived from the same 

 source are published in the Tamil and other Dravidian 

 languages. The Tamil practitioners are styled Vayittiyan and 

 Parikdri. The Vayittiyan of the Tamil people is largely en- 

 gaged in treating infantile ailments, and many of them even 

 confine their practice to children only of all classes, Muham- 

 madans as well as Hindus. Those who take an interest in the 

 Oriental system of medicine, and wish to pursue the study of 

 the ancient Hindu, Buddhist, Arabian, and Chinese systems 

 of medicine, will find a full account in Wise's " History of 

 Medicine," published in 1867. The Moors or Muhammadans 

 of Ceylon have their own native practitioners, who blend the 

 Arabic with the Hindu systems of medicine. The recognised 

 physician is called Hakim. 



There were many kings of Ceylon who built hospitals and 

 practised medicine themselves, and by their noble example 

 made it an honourable profession. According to the Malid- 

 wansa, Buddha Dasa, who reigned for twenty-nine years, 

 from 339 A.D., was the author of a medical work called the 

 Sdrdrtha Sangrahaya . Many wonderful cures are attributed 

 to him. He built hospitals for every ten villages, and placed 

 medical men in charge of them. They were to receive one- 

 fortieth of the revenue derived from fields for their 



