English
Also a destructive papilloma is known which is probably a carcinomatous form, and which is ulcerative and in which the papillary growth upon the surface extends into and destroys the subjacent tissues. If any part of the body is lacerated by a blow, there is developed a painless, bright, skin-colored, non-suppurative, stone-hard and fixed tumor, due to the lesion of the tissues ; and it is called mamsa arvvucla., ( myxoma usually occur in submucous, subcutaneous or other connective tissues in the intermuscular septa between the bundles of nerves, in periosteum and in sub- serous fat, and has the general character of tumors of this group ). If a myxoma victim partakes of meat, this tumor becomes thickened DISEASES 351 and incurable. And of the benign-symptomatic tumors those which are infiltrative ( or malignant breast tumors ) are incurable. Of the above-mentioned tumors those which are exudative or develop in the vital organs or in the vessels (arterial, venous, lymphatic or nervous ) or those which do not move ( suppu¬ rate ?) are incurable. If a new tumor deve- lopes on another, it is called *adhyarv)vuda’ ( secondary or proliferation tumors that develop adjacent to each other as pairs are called ‘dvh'- arvvuda’ ( double tumors ). It is also incurable”. “Susrutall. 11. 2-15.^’^ 153. npr: I Idas',-?* fii5r; II ^ >5654^ gifyqiy' qr’Tsq^ i ?TiftstscqsETtft II II k n^sgift =siTfgf¥Rr II I 352 ANCIENT HINDU MEDICINE “A neoplasm or tumor is a new formations of tissue, which is atypical in structure, serves no useful purpose in the whole economy and the growth of which has no typical termination.” According to Cohnheim there remains in the adult enough of unappropriated embryonic residues which if activated by any mechanical or microbic irritant outstrip the normal calcu¬ lus growth and form a tumor possessing an unutilized and consequently an exaggerated power of proliferation, But the cells of the malignant neoplasms are themselves capable of starting new growths {metastases) if carried to srfvi^: i ITH <?'I II ?= fe;i II DISEASES 353 distant parts by circulation, as a malignant tumor of tbe breast may start new cancers far removed from the original lesion into the lungs, ribs, brain and the abdomen througli the lymphatic current. No microbic agent has yet been definite¬ ly identified with the tissues of the malignant tumor, though ‘mict'ococcus neoforfans' has been found in both benign and malignant neoplasms. However, the probability is that there is a specific pathogenic cancerous agent. Fortunately all neoplasms are not dangerous. The benign tumors are entirely harmless unless they are situated in a sensitive position, where by their growth they might cause pressure on the nerves or displace the vital organs. And they never reproduce themselves in distant parts by grafting like the malignant growths. And the fundamental difference between the two types, though the process of their growth has the same tendency of exxaggerated, abnormal proliferation and multi¬ plication of their own cells, lies in the fact that the benign tumor does not eat its way into the surrounding tissues, but remains closed in its own fibrous capsule. While a malignant tumor infilters into the neighboring tissues, causes destruction of the healthy cells, creates an ulcera¬ tive zone and therein transplants a new colony. 23 354 , AKCIENT HINDU MEDICINE But only sarcoma, endothelioma and carcinoma are malignant. However, between benign adeno¬ ma and malignant epithelioma there exist numer¬ ous transitions, and under certain circumstances, a benign tumor 2 nay turn into the malignant type as ‘destructive papilloma’. And though tumors may be observed in all ages, yet their frequency and nature vary considerably at r difPerent periods of life. In the defective develop¬ ment of the embryo, angiomata are frequently met. During early life sacromata are observed, located chiefly in the kidneys. At puberty exostoses are freqvmnt. In women at a later period, ovarian cysts belonging to the group of adenomata and epitheliomata are encountered. From tb.e age of fourteen onward, epithelioma becomes more and more common, reaching its maximum of freqe.ency between the age of fifty and fiftj'-five year's. Age exercises no less in¬ fluence upon the localization than upon the nature of the tumors. In children, they affect, in order of frequency, the eye where melanotic sarcoma is met with, the kidney, testicles and spleen. In adults the part of the body most frequently attacked is the stomach, uterus, liver, mamma and the intestine in the order mention¬ ed. . It is certain that the irritation alone,. DISEASES 355 inici'obic or mechanical,is not sufficient to develop tumor unless the organism is predisposed to it by heredity, or has aquired this characteristic through some morbid process of pathogenesis which is not vet understood. €/ The abscess {Vrona^furuncle^'ioiX or carbun¬ cle, differs from the furuncle or the boil in various * points. ( I ) It generally occurs singly and usually appears at the back of the neck, the back or the buttocks. ( 2 ) It is very large in size like a hen’s egg or even larger. ( 3 ) It contains more than one core ( necrotic tissue or suppuration points as in furuncle), due to ( corruption ) of the 'vayii, pitta, kapha and the blood’, produces intense burning, throbbing, tremulous and pricking pain, hyperreraia, sup¬ puration, redness, swelling and hyperesthesia; and it causes various kinds of pain and exuda¬ tion.” Stisruta IV. I. 20^^'*. “There are sixty treatments of ^vrancC (sup¬ purative tumor, especially furuncle) as follows: fasting (apatarpana) to facilitate the elimination of the toxic and the effete matter circulating in f 1 356 ANCIENT HINDU MEDICINE the blood which predisposes the tissues to *pyoge- nic infection ), epitliem ( alepa, to spread orer the boil to releive pain, congestion, to focalize the inflammation and to bring out suppuration), lotion ( pariseha, to wash the inflamed part for asepsis and to relieve pain ), salve ( abhyahga to smear over as an antiseptic and analgesic), fomentation ( sveda, as an analgesic and sup- purantia ), emollient ( vimldpana, to soften and beat the boil ), cataplasm ( tipanaha, as a sup- purantia), suppurantia ( pachana, to cause early suppuration ), leeching ( visravana, to apply sucking leeches to relieve congestion ), emulsion ( sneha, as a stimulating nourishment ), emetic ( vamana, to remove gastric irritants ), dissection ( chhedana, to remove the ulcerative parts of a non-suppurative tumor), incision (vedana— lancing to cause the drainage of the pus ), scari- Jtcation ( ddrana^ to soften the skin so as to cause spontaneous bursting of the abscess in the timid women and children who are afraid of lances and incision ), evacuation ( lekhana, to scratch and to wipe out the impacted caseous pus from the abscess cavity ), exploration {esana to find out the nature of the abscess cavity in a fistula), extraction ( aharana, to extract any foreign body from an abscess) (vgadhana. DISEASES 357 exploratory puncture of a cavity or a tumor with a hollow needle to determine the presence or absence of fluid or gas, and its nature, if present), suction ( mdravaria, to suck the liquid pus and exudation from an abscess cavity or serous fluid from hydrocele or ascites through a tube by exhausting the air in the front ), suture ( slmna, to reunite by stitching a wide-gaping, non-suppurative wound with a silk-thread), appo- sitional reunion ( sandhana, to put the wounded and operated parts in their proper place and to unite them together), compressive epithem ( p'idana, an epithem that draws the pus to the surface ), hemostatic ( sonitastlmpana, to arrest bleeding of a wound ), lenitive ( nirvvapana, to soothe and to relieve irritation), medicinal fomentation {utka/idkd, to provoke suppui'ation ), antiseptic astringent ( kasaya^ to cleanse the wound-cavity), collyrium ( vartti, as disinfect¬ ant ),mucilaginous paste (kalka, as a disinfectant), ointment (ghrta, as depurant ), oil ( taila^ as depurant ), chemical action [rasa kriya, of sesame decoction, thickened and made into paste wdth the mixture of iron sulphide ( surastrajam sakas'isarp, ), arsenic disulphide ( manahsila ) and arsenic trisulphide ( haHtala )] to be applied to the abscess— Stm'uta IV. I. 59 ], fine bland 358 ANCIENT HINDU MEDICINE poivder ( avacharnana, as a deodorant), fumiga¬ tion {vi'ana-dhTqxma, to expose the abscess cavity to medicinal gases ), vuliierarg ( ulsadana, to promote liealing and cicatrization ), inunction { avasadana^ to promote tissue formation and normal circulation in the cicatrized area ), emol¬ lient ( mrdu-karma, to soften tlie skin ), tissue- hardener ( ddruna harma, to harden the tissues with tannic astringents ), caustic ( ksara-haiona destroy a long standing ulcer, which is Itard to cure ), cautery ( agni-karma, to scar the ulcerated tissues which do not easily cure, especially in the bladder and the joints ), 'pigmentary ( krma- karma, to iiromote pigment cells in tile pale cicatrised area), pigmento-lysin {pdndii-karma^ to destroy the pigment, in order to bleach the dark¬ ened area ), pigment-normalUer {pratisdrana, to normalise the skin-color of the affected area ), hair-grower {roma-sahjanana, to promote the growth of hair, where the hair follicles have been destroyed), depilatory (lomapaharana, to cause the falling out of hair where it is not desirable, or by shaving ), clyster ( vasti-karma, as an antiseptic injection in a deep-seated abscess), irrigation {uttara-vasti, to wash out the purulent deep-seated abscess cavity ), bandage ( vanda, to protect the w