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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1912
The VANAUSHADHIDARPANA, or the Ayurvedio Materia (3) of Latin names. The first and secondo Medion, with gnotations and copione original pre- these three lists are printed in dupliente, thu scriptions from standard works, by Kavirajn Bhiraja
is, in Bengali and in Nagari characters. This Charan Gupta Kavibhusana, the Rajvaidya of Cooch
Apparently superfluous duplication is, no doub', Behar. With an Introduction by Mahamahopadhyaya
due to the fact that the work is primarily inten Kaviraja Bijaya Ratna Son Kaviranjana, S. C. Auddy & Co., 58 and 72, Wellingtou Street, Caleatta. Vol. I, ed for the benefit of the indigenous doctor 1908, Vol. II, 1909.
(Kuvirajas) of Bengal, who, as a rule, do not sees Those who are interested in the study of to be very familiar with the Nagari characters Indian Medicine may like to hear of the pub- For the same reason, the dissertations an! lication in India of this very useful compilation introductory chapters above mentioned, are on the indigenous drugs of that country. Ite written and printed in Bengali. But thong! author is Kiviraj Biraja Charan Gupta, who principally intended for Bengali practitioners, th: describes himself as the “Rajvaidya", or Court work is well worth the attention of all medical Physician, of the Native State of Cooch Behar. men and others in and out of India, who ar The first volume appeared in 1908, and the interested in the indigenous Indian system o second in 1909. The structure of the work is Medicine. The second list will probably be as follows. The drugs, i.e., the articles on them,
found particularly useful by the general practi
tioner. It enumerates in alphabetical order, all are arranged alphabetically, in the order of the
the well-known diseases of the Sanskrit medical Sanskrit alphabet; thus commencing with
texts; and under each disease it names the drugs Agaru and ending with Hilamochiki. But the
suitable to it. names of the drugs, beginning with and with The weak point of the work is in its English are all given promiscuously after those beginning portions, particularly the Latin botanical pon with P, instead of their proper places. There is
enclature. The English quotations abound in also an Appendix (Paribishta) to the second | misprints. A conspicuous example occurs in volume, pp. 355 f, giving a small number of the extract printed in Vol. II, pp. 102, 103. additional drugs, arranged similarly. As a rule, Here in 18 lines of print, there are no les the articles are made up in the following way. than eleven gross misprints; e g., "approdisiac" First, we have quotations from old Sanskrit for aphrodisiac ; "vatile" for volatile; "debsauthorities, such as Dhanvantariya and Raja trucut" for deobstruent, and so forth. Botanical Nighantu, Bliva Prakasa, Charaka, Susruta, names are often blundered; thus jigantea for Vagbbata and others, on the qualites, actions, gigantea, I, 32; fluxuosa for flexuosa, I, 51; nges, etc., of the drugs, printed in Nagarl subelatrem for subulatum, I, 124; phillippensis-for charnoters. Then follows a kind of Bengali com- philippinensis, I, 153; sempervires for sempervi, mentary on those quotations, apparently written rens II, 19; logopoides for lagopoides, II, 85, by the author himself, printed in Bengali charac- eto, eto. A nisiphalins Rumphii, I, 149, appear: ters. Finally there come some Englislı notes on to be intended for Anisifolium Rumphii, but n "Constituents, Actions and Uses ", quoted from such combination can be traced. The botanical various sources, principally from Dr. R. N. rule as to the use of initial capital letters is very Khory's Materia Medica of India. All this is often neglected; thus we find Feronia Elephan. excellent, and reflects much credit on the range of tum, for elephantum, I, 119; Rottlera Tinctoria reading and the industry of the compiler. The for tinctoria, I, 153; Uraria Picta for picta, Il.. latter are well shown also by the author's 85; Ficus Bengalensis, F. Indica for bengalensi, introductory chapter, which gives an interesting indica, II, 104, etc., etc. These errors are repeatsurvey of the ancient medical literature of India. ed in the lists appended to the two volumes. This chapter is followed by a series of shorter Another botanical rule, according to which the notices of mediaval Sanskrit and modern name of the author of the species should follow English works on Indian Materia Medica after the specific name, is invariably neglected. (Nighandre). To the second volume there are ap- It is a pity that there should be these blemishea pended other two useful dissertations on food in a work, otherwise so excellen). Though they stuffs in general (khadyu), and on what is suitable will not seriously interfere with its usefulness or unsuitable in certain diseases. Finally the for the Kaviraja, the author will do well to attend work is provided with three elaborate lista; vix, to their removal in a second edition, for which, it (1) of drugs, the names being given in Sanskrit, may be hoped, the occasion may soon arise. Bengali, and Cooch Behari; (2) of disenses; and
A. F. RUDOLY HOERNIE,
