20 



ON HYGIENE IN 



always sacrificed animals to the gods, especially to the female 

 deities, who, it is said, revelled in flesh-meat and strong 

 liquors. Fa Hien described the food and some of the social 

 conditions of the inhabitants of the territory between Agra 

 and Kanouj. No one except the Chandalas, i.e., the very 

 lowest class, killed any living thing or drank anything 

 intoxicating ; there were no shambles and no wine shops. 



According to the earliest works on Hindu medicine minute 

 rules with regard to food were laid down ; a few examples of 

 which follow. Pumpkins, mushrooms, bamboo-shoots, plums, 

 dried vegetables, unleavened bread, pig's flesh, salt, spirits 

 when eaten or drunk with milk resemble poison ; rice which 

 has sprouted, masha (Phaseolus radiatus), fat, honey, milk, 

 jaggery when eaten with flesh of domestic or amphibious 

 animals^ or with fish, are so bad as to resemble poison ; 

 milk with honey and vegetables in general should not 

 be used together. According to Charaka there are six kinds 

 of food, namely, soft food as rice ; soft sweetmeats ; hard 

 food that requires chewing to prepare it for digestion ; 

 drinks, liquids that are lapped ; and food that is sucked, as 

 mangoes, sugar-cane, &c. Then there are six different kinds 

 of food classified according to their taste; these are sweet, acid, 

 salt, bitter, pungent, and astringent, regarding all of which 

 minute rules are laid down. " For ensuring good digestion, it 

 is said, the passions must be regulated ; the person must sleep 

 at night in a protected room ; he must use warm water and 

 take bodily exercise ; such observances are considered to be 

 most necessary to health.'' 



Although in Vedic times there was no law against eating 

 animal food, nevertheless as in the Mosaic Code, so Bhrigu 

 the son of Manu, prohibited as food the flesh of pigs ; among 

 other articles of food similarly prohibited were garlic and 

 onions, mushrooms and all vegetables raised in dung, — the 

 object with regard to hog's flesh being apparent, but it 



