1891.] Dr. Hoernle— An instalment of the Bower Manuscript. 181 
(Verses 43—45.) Food, digestion, the normal condition of the ele¬ 
ments, Health, plumpness, spirits, energy and long life are all dependant 
on the digestive faculty. (44.) The digestive faculty is set in activity 
through food; and the resultants of digestion are the elements ; health 
depends on the normal condition of the elements ; plumpness on health • 
(45.) good spirits and energy on plumpness ; and through all these the life 
of living beings is prolonged. Hence one should first of all examine the 
state of the digestive faculty. 31 
(Verse 46—48.) When the digestive faculty conduces to the normal 
condition of the elements, it is said to be (normal or) regular, and this 
is justly considered its best state. When the digestion is (abnormal or) 
irregular, one should drink things made of curdled milk or clarified 
butter or habush and the like; (47.) oily and warm applications 33 also 
are useful; afterwards food and drink may he taken. When the digestion 
is weak, one should fast at first, and afterwards use medicines to promote 
appetite and assist digestion 33 ; (48.) the use of powders and medicated 
liquors (arishta) also is advantageous as removing defects of the bilious 
and phlegmatic humours. When the digestion is regular, the physicians 
should prescribe whatever is agreeable to the system. 34 
Further it may be observed :— 
(Verses 49 and 50.) When the digestion is weak or too active, a 
person dies, unless he receives proper treatment; when it is irregular, 
all sorts of diseases arise ; when it is regular, he lives long in comfort. 85 
(50.) Hence a wise physician will at all times in all diseases first direct 
SI Compare with this the opening statements in I, 35 and 46 of the Susruta, 
which appear to inculcate a different view.—According to the Susruta the dhdtus or 
‘elements’ of the body are seven (see I, 15) : rasa chyle, raltta blood, mdmsa flesh, 
medas fat, asthi bones, majjd marrow, and sukra semen.— Sdmya or ‘ equilibrium ’ is 
the exact quantity required of each element to constitute a healthy body. 
32 I do not know the exact meaning of the term vartayah here. Neither “ pill ” 
nor “bougie” seems quite applicable. Perhaps snigdhdshnd should be separated 
from vartayah, and the phrase translated : “ oily and warm remedies and vartis 
(whatever the latter may be) are useful.” 
33 On pdchana and dipana see Dr. Dutt’s Hindu Mat. Med., p. 5. 
S4 On satiny a see Susruta I, 35 (verse 35). 
S3 With verses 46—50 should be compared the statements in Susruta I, 35. 
There four kinds of digestion are enumerated : regular, irregular, weak and too 
active. These four kinds are referred to in our verse 49. But verses 46— 48 men¬ 
tion also a different classification into two kinds only : regular and irregular ; and 
for the latter kind curdled milk and clarified butter are prescribed. But in the Susruta 
these are prescribed for a too active digestion. Moreover the Susruta prescribes oily 
( snigdha , Dr. Dutt’s transl. ‘ cooling ’ F), acid and saline remedies for irregular diges¬ 
tion, while our verse 48 prescribes oily and warm remedies. 
