Vitus Angermeier. “On Epidemics: A Preliminary Critical Edition and Annotated Translation of Carakasaṃhitā 3.3.” Asian Literature and Translation 13, 1 (2026): 1–41. doi.org/10.18573/alt.95.
This is a preliminary critical edition and new annotated translation of the third chapter in the Vimānasthāna section of the Carakasaṃhitā. As the chapter’s title suggests, its primary subject is epidemics, a theme rarely discussed in pre-modern āyurvedic literature. The content is presented in the form of a lively scholarly dialogue between the teacher Punarvasu Ātreya and his pupil Agniveśa. Thus, the discussion naturally moves on to other, related topics such as general decay during the world ages (yugas), and the influence of force majeure (daiva) and human action (puruṣakāra) on the lifespan of people. The chapter’s underlying theme, which connects the various subjects, is dharma and its impact on human life – a topic that is not often addressed in the Carakasaṃhitā or in other medical texts of that period.