Page:A Short History of Aryan Medical Science.djvu/45

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Chap. II.]
HINDOO MEDICINE.
37

in Madra Desha (in North-West of India), "a jewel of physicians and master of the Shastras." In his work he summarises the practice of all the best previous writers on Medicine. The clearness of his style and the excellence of his arrangement have thrown a flood of light on many obscure and disputed passages of the ancient writers ; and his important compilation marks the last revival of Ayur Vedic literature among the Hindoos. The work is highly esteemed by native doctors in all parts of India as an invaluable treatise on Hindoo medical science. It is considered a thesaurus of useful information gleaned from the vast field of medical literature of the past. In the time of Bhava Mishra, India had commenced to come into contact with some of the European nations, notably the Portuguese, who were attracted to India by commercial pursuits. A syphilitic disease, in which hands and feet are affected, was common among the Portuguese. Bhava Mishra treats of this affection at length under the name of Firanga Roga, i.e., Portuguese disease. The absence of a corresponding Sanskrit term, and the name ("Firanga Roga") given to the malady, would suggest that it was introduced into India by the Portuguese. Bhava Mishra describes three stages of the