grouped under two sub-heads, such as the specific and the general. The general characteristics are as follows:—The ulcer, which is marked by pain and swelling and presents a raised or bloated aspect like a water bubble, assumes a dark brown hue and appears soft to the touch. The seat of the ulcer is seen to be studded over with pustular eruptions and a constant bleeding sets in from its inside. The specific symptoms, which mark a Shalyam lodged in the skin, are the hardness and extended character of the local swelling and the darkness (discolouring) of its skin.
In a case where the arrow (Shalyam) is lodged in the flesh, the swelling increases in size and the incidental ulcer refuses to be healed and cannot bear the least pressure. Suppuration sets in and the ulcer is characterised by a sort of sucking pain.*[1]
All the preceding symptoms, with the exception of swelling and sucking pain (thirst according to others), manifest themselves in a case where the arrow (Shalyam) has penetrated into a muscle. Similarly, the distension, aching and swelling of a vein mark a case of an arrow-lodged vein. An upheaval and swelling of its fibres together with intense pain characterise a case where the shaft (Shalyam) has lodged in a ligament. The internal passages or channels (Srota) of
- ↑ *According to certain authorities the patient is tormented with a sort of unquenchable thirst.
