Leprosy in ancient India.
Résumé
In India, the Sanskrit word "kustha" is used to denote leprosy. The word "kustha" occurs frequently in the Atharva Veda (c.1400 B.C.), Kausika Sutra, and other Vedic texts, where it has been used to denote the plant Cestus speciosus or C. arahicus which grew in the mountains along with "soma" on the high peaks of the Himalayas. It is reputed to cure headache, diseases of the eyes, bodily affliction, fever and consumption and should not be confused with leprosy. In Maitrayani Samhita, "kustha" is used to mean a measure equal to one-twelfth. The term "kilasa" occurs in the Atharva Veda and the Vajasneyi Samhita and means white leprosy, in which the skin becomes spotted without ulcers, probably a type of tuberculoid leprosy. References to "kustha" disease, identical with leprosy, are available in Buddhist literature. Vinaya-pitaka mentions that men and women suffering from "kutta" (Sanskrit "kustha") were not eligible to get "upasampada" or admission into the order of monks. "Pabbaja" or going abroad was also prohibited for them. Vinaya-pitaka (Mahavagga) records that this was one of the five diseases prevalent among the people of the Magadha empire. Jain texts, "Acaranga" (6th century A.D.) and Vipaka-Sutra (12th century A.D.), also mention leprosy. This paper reviews in detail the knowledge about leprosy in ancient India.