Science of Sphygmica or Sage Kanada on Pulse

by K.R.L. Gupta

In the days of yore the Sphygmica, a science through which nature speaks to the physician by means of its organ, the pulse, was held in the highest esteem and glory by almost all the great and distinguished rishis – Ayurveda was not only considered as most useful and important by the scholars of the time gone by, but also it was the only sure channel through which the exact state of the entire human system was thoroughly known and realized by the aid of the three chief constituent; humours or elements of the body such as Vayu, Pitta and Kapha.

The utility of the science of pulse is also obvious, in the treatment of the infants as yet unable to speak, of maniacs, who are incapable of communicating their sensations and feelings to the physicians. The Sphygmica is indebted to the Ayurvedic medical works of Charaka and Sushruta for the results of their valuale researches and observations. The present work is a translation of the treatise on the science of the pulse by age Kanada. The translation includes original text with their notes.