Seminar paper from the year 2001 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 2 (B), University of Heidelberg (South Asian Ethnology Institute), course: Medicine Ethnology II: Health in South Asian Culture, language: English, abstract: "Medicine means the prevention of physical illness; medicine means the prevention of mental illness; prevention means to avert illness; medicine therefore is the prevention of death." This quotation is an interesting definition of medicine by Tirumular - one of the greatest and earliest Tamil Siddha. The Tamil Siddhas - so a lot of authors assume - have invented or developed the Tamil medical system named Siddha medicine. Till today this medical system exists totally unknown in India with a few geographical exceptions in the South - next to the popular Ayurveda medical system. The Siddha medicine is to find in the present time only in Tamilnadu and in a few parts of Kerala. There is a bulk of works on Siddha medicine exclusive in the Tamil language. A lot of these works are not yet studied, because of their secretive and symbolic language, their partially bad conditions and their difficult accessibility. Many questions about this system cannot be answered, yet. Till today it is not clear when and where the Siddha medicine exactly originated, why it was invented or developped, at all, and why it has not become as popular as Ayurveda. In this work I will explain in a very generalized form what the notion ́siddha ́means and what person a Siddha is like. I will try to find out when the Siddha medicine was developped, and I will give a short introduction of the fundamental principles of the Siddha medicine. Then I will show some problems of the Siddha medicine, and therefore why it could not be as popular as the Ayurveda system. Further I will give possible answers why the Tamil system was invented or developed, at all, and I will compare the Siddha medicine with the Ayurveda to show which of these two systems is probably

Despite the global spread of Western medical practice, traditional doctors still thrive in the modern world. In Recipes for Immortality, Richard Weiss illuminates their continued success by examining the ways in which siddha medical practitioners in Tamil South India win the trust and patronage of patients. While biomedicine might alleviate a patient's physical distress, siddha doctors offer their clientele much more: affiliation to a timeless and pure community, the fantasy of a Tamil utopia, and even the prospect of immortality. They speak of a golden age of Tamil civilization and of traditional medicine, drawing on broader revivalist formulations of a pure and ancient Tamil community. Weiss analyzes the success of siddha doctors, focusing on how they have successfully garnered authority and credibility. While shedding light on their lives, vocations, and aspirations, Weiss also documents the challenges that siddha doctors face in the modern world, both from a biomedical system that claims universal efficacy, and also from the rival traditional medicine, ayurveda, which is promoted as the national medicine of an autonomous Indian state. Drawing on ethnographic data; premodern Tamil texts on medicine, alchemy, and yoga; government archival resources; college textbooks; and popular literature on siddha medicine and on the siddhar yogis, he presents an in-depth study of this traditional system of knowledge, which serves the medical needs of millions of Indians. Weiss concludes with a look at traditional medicine at large, and demonstrates that siddha doctors, despite resent trends toward globalization and biomedicine, reflect the wider political and religious dimensions of medical discourse in our modern world. Recipes for Immortality proves that medical authority is based not only on physical effectiveness, but also on imaginative processes that relate to personal and social identities, conceptions of history, secrecy, loss, and utopian promise.

Arguably the oldest form of health care, Ayurveda is often referred to as the "Mother of All Healing." Although there has been considerable scientific research done in this area during the last 50 years, the results of that research have not been adequately disseminated. Meeting the need for an authoritative, evidence-based reference, Scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies is the first book to analyze and synthesize current research supporting Ayurvedic medicine. This book reviews the latest scientific information, evaluates the research data, and presents it in an easy to use format. The editor has carefully selected topics based on the availability of scientific studies and the prevalence of a disease. With contributions from experts in their respective fields, topics include Ayurvedic disease management, panchkarma, Ayurvedic bhasmas, the current status of Ayurveda in India, clinical research design, and evaluation of typical clinical trials of certain diseases, to name just a few. While there are many books devoted to Ayurveda, very few have any in-depth basis in scientific studies. This book provides a critical evaluation of literature, clinical trials, and biochemical and pharmacological studies on major Ayurvedic therapies that demonstrates how they are supported by scientific data. Providing a natural bridge from Ayurveda to Western medicine, Scientific Basis for Ayurvedic Therapies facilitates the integration of these therapies by health care providers.

This book highlights the medical importance of and increasing global interest in herbal medicines, herbal health products, herbal pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, food supplements, herbal cosmetics, etc. It also addresses various issues that are hampering the advancement of Indian herbal medicine around the globe; these include quality concerns and quality control, pharmacovigilance, scientific investigation and validation, IPR and biopiracy, and the challenge that various indigenous systems of medicine are at risk of being lost. The book also explores the role of traditional medicine in providing new functional leads and modern approaches that can offer elegant strategies for facilitating the drug discovery process. The book also provides in-depth information on various traditional medicinal systems in India and discusses their medical importance. India has a very long history of safely using many herbal drugs. Folk medicine is also a key source of medical knowledge and plays a vital role in maintaining health in rural and remote areas. Despite its importance, this form of medicine largely remains under-investigated. Out of all the traditional medicinal systems used worldwide, Indian traditional medicine holds a unique position, as it has continued to deliver healthcare throughout the Asian subcontinent since ancient times. In addition, traditional medicine has been used to derive advanced techniques and investigate many modern drugs. Given the scope of its coverage, the book offers a valuable resource for scientists and researchers exploring traditional and herbal medicine, as well as graduate students in courses on traditional medicine, herbal medicine and pharmacy.

Leprosy is a neglected topic in the burgeoning field of the history of medicine and the colonized body. Leprosy in Colonial South India is not only a history of an intriguing and dramatic endemic disease, it is a history of colonial power in nineteenth-century British India as seen through the lens of British medical and legal encounters with leprosy and its sufferers in south India. Leprosy in Colonial South India offers a detailed examination of the contribution of leprosy treatment and legislative measures to negotiated relationships between indigenous and British medicine and the colonial impact on indigenous class formation, while asserting the agency of the poor and vagrant leprous classes in their own history.

Parts of work presented at various conferences and seminars.

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Pharmacology and Society explores the social and policy sides of the pharmaceutical industry and its pervasive influence in society. While many technical STM works explore the chemistry and biology of pharmacology and an equally large number of clinically oriented works focus on use of illegal drugs, substance abuse, and treatment, there is virtually nothing on the immensely huge business (“Big Pharma”) of creating, selling, consuming, and regulating legal drugs. With this new Encyclopedia, the topic of socioeconomic, business and consumer, and legal and ethical issues of the pharmaceutical industry in contemporary society around the world are addressed. Key Features: 800 signed articles, authored by prominent scholars, are arranged A-to-Z and published in a choice of electronic or print formats Although arranged A-to-Z, a Reader's Guide in the front matter groups articles by thematic areas Front matter also includes a Chronology highlighting significant developments in this field All articles conclude with Further Readings and Cross References to related articles Back matter includes an annotated Resource Guide to further research, a Glossary, Appendices (e.g., statistics on the amount and types of drugs prescribed, etc.), and a detailed Index The Index, Reader’s Guide, and Cross References combine for search-and-browse capabilities in the electronic edition The SAGE Encyclopedia of Pharmacology and Society is an authoritative and rigorous source addressing the pharmacology industry and how it influences society, making it a must-have reference for all academic libraries as a source for both students and researchers to utilize.

On the life and works of Bōganāthar, one of the 18 Siddhars and Tamil poet.