Traditional Medicinal Fields Depicted from Old Pam Leaf Manuscripts: A Study Based on the Anuradhapura District.

Abstract

There had been a pronounced place for the art of palm leaf manuscript writing in Sri Lanka. History indicates that age Anuradhapura had been one of the very salient eras in the prevalent subject. There are palm leaf manuscripts in the areas like Buddhism, traditional medicine, agriculture, mythologies, chants, literary creations and so on. The principal objective of this paper is to investigate the traditional medicine fields depicted from old palm leaf manuscripts available in Sri Lanka and the study was specified to Anuradhapura district. This study based on the results of survey carried out on the palm leaf manuscripts related to traditional medicine. Sample selected from some of the areas selected from Anuradhapura district. This district was selected since the palm leaf manuscript are densely available in the area. A quite a number of old palm leaf manuscripts in traditional medicine were found from this district through private own collections, temple collections and the collections available with the Doctors who practice the traditional medicine. The very peculiar point found from the study that there were several outstanding traditional medicine fields and they are child medicine, gynecology, carcinoma and related treatment, treatment for boils and tumors, and wounds, asthma, gimmick art, mythological treatments, chemical treatment, surgery, Women Diseases, Nutrition, Nalaweteema, and ophiology and so on. It assumed that these traditional medicinal fields and their treatment methods have been conducted very scientifically based on long-standing norms and practices. Some fields and treatments are akin to presently medical practices. However, the time has come to preserve these collections for future generations use and the applications.