Page:Sushruta Samhita Vol 1.djvu/205

Chap.XIII.] capable of speedy locomotion. The Shankhamukhis are marked by a blackish red hue like that of the liver, are provided with sharp elongated mouths, and are capable of sucking blood with the greatest swiftness. The Musikás are coloured like the common blind moles, and emit a fetid smell from their bodies. The Pundarimukhás are coloured like the Mudga pulse and are so called from the fact of the resemblance of their mouths to the full-blown lotus lilies (Pundarikas). The Saravikas have cold bodies marked with impressions like lotus leaves and measure eighteen fingers' width in length, and they should be employed in sucking blood from the affected parts of lower animals. This exhausts the list of non-venomous leeches.

The countries, such as Turkesthan (Yavana), the Deccan (Pandya), the tract of land traversed by the Ghaut mountains (Sahya), and Pautana (modern Mathura), are the natural habitats of these leeches. The leeches, found in the aforesaid countries, are specifically non- venomous, strong, large-bodied, greedy and ready suckers.

The venomous leeches have their origin in the decomposed urine and fecal matter of toads and venomous fishes in pools of stagnant and turbid water. The origin of the non-venomous species is ascribed to such decomposed vegetable matter, as the petrified stems of the several aquatic plants known as Padma, Utpalam,