128  Ancient  and  Modern  Hindu  Medicine.  {AVaXfmm' 
of  the  wind  is  between  the  feet  and  the  umbilicus,  of  the  bile  be- 
tween the  umbilicus  and  the  heart,  and  of  the  phlegm,  between  the 
heart  and  the  vertex.  Wind  predominates  in  old  age,  bile  in 
middle  life  and  phlegm  in  childhood. 
The  whole  system  of  Hindu  medicine  centers  around  these  three 
forces.  These  words  do  not  have  the  same  meaning  attached  to 
them  in  ordinary  language,  but  are  technical  terms  used  to  imply 
certain  states  of  the  body.  Treatment  is  regarded  as  depending 
upon  the  physician,  nurse,  patient  and  drugs. 
Omens  played  an  important  part  in  the  mind  of  the  Hindu  phy- 
sician. A  few  good  omens  were  :  an  umbrella,  cow  with  calf,  woman 
with  baby,  two  Brahmins,  horse,  elephant,  dancing-girl,  and  full 
water-pot. 
Among  unlucky  omens  were  grass,  snake,  raw  cotton, oil,  enemy, 
butter-milk,  one-eyed  person,  crow,  corpse,  and  empty  water-pot. 
The  messenger  sent  to  call  the  physician  should  be  of  the  same 
sex  and  caste  as  the  patient,  of  good  breeding,  clever,  clean,  well 
dressed,  driving  a  horse  or  bullock,  and  holding  fruits  and  white 
flowers  in  his  hands.  A  widow  or  a  beggar  is  not  a  suitable  mes- 
senger. Importance  was  attached  by  the  physician  to  the  dreams 
of  the  patient.  When  other  remedies  failed,  the  horoscope  was 
consulted.  The  duration  of  a  disease  was  believed  to  be  influenced 
by  the  day  on  which  it  manifested  itself. 
Among  the  causes  of  disease  Karma  or  Fate  took  an  important 
place.  Thus,  the  murderer  of  a  Brahmin  suffered  from  anaemia,  a 
cow  killer  from  leprosy,  etc.  Diseases  caused  in  this  way  may  be 
cured  by  propitiatory  rites,  or  if  these  fail,  the  progress  of  the  disease 
will  be  checked  in  the  life  to  come. 
Demons  also  were  recognized  as  agents  in  the  causation  of  cer- 
tain affections.  Such  diseases,  as  well  as  many  others,  were  cured 
by  amulets  and  charms. 
In  diagnosing  disease,  physical  signs,  such  as  palpation,  percus- 
sion and  auscultation,  etc.,  were  recognized  and  referred  to  in  the 
work  of  Charaka.  The  materia  medica  of  the  Hindus  was  most 
elaborate,  and  in  it  were  described  the  properties  of  drugs  belong- 
ing to  the  animal,  vegetable  and  mineral  kingdoms.  Charaka 
gives  50  groups  of  10  herbs  each,  which  he  thought  enough  for 
the  purpose  of  an  ordinary  physician. 
Susruta  arranged  760  herbs  in  37  sets.    Other  writers  classified 
