A Comparative Analysis of the Diagnosis and Curative Treatment According to Causative of Disease in Tipitaka and Lanna Medicine

Abstract

This research has objectives (1) to study the diagnosis and curative treatment according to causative of disease in Tipitaka and in Lanna medicine (2) comparative analysis of the diagnosis and curative treatment according to causative of disease in Tipitaka with Lanna medicine.  The documentary research was conducted by using the primary data from the Thai version of Tipitaka, Lanna manuscripts (Pupsa, Bailan) and secondary data about Lanna medicine.

The result showed that the similarities in the Tipitaka and Lanna medicine found as follows: (1) the diagnosis the cause of illness from unbalance of "the element", weather, age, behavior and karma, besides check patient history lead to recognize symptoms, name of disease, and causative of diseases (2) The treatment of diseases consisted of herb, heat, and food.  While the differences found as follows: (1) in Tipitaka, the diagnosis and examining patient case history are done by supreme knowledge of the Lord Buddha. The knowledge-based symptoms and name of disease lead to curative treatment. The healing that only appeared in Tipitaka includes the Dhamma medicine, use therapeutic rituals with pray and holy water, herbal medicine, food for extrication and surgery (2) in Lanna medicine, the diagnosis is inherited and done by Lanna medical doctor. The diagnosis does not separate clearly from curative treatment.  The diagnosis is based on the patient's symptoms linking to common symptoms of group diseases lead to identify disease by added on information from medical history to find out trace of diseases, considering the nature of the symptoms, physical touch, age calculation to check karma,  calculation of element (tathu) to determine the balance and choice by lot. The healing that only appeared in Lanna medicine included rituals as an inherited way of life, use of local herbal without processing, food for health, and body treatment.