Medicine man's pocket notebook, circa 1700-1850.

Format:

• Manuscript

Language:

Sanskrit

Subjects (All):

• Buddhist mantras.
• Magic--Burma.
• Medicine, Burmese.
• Medicine--Burma.
• Medicine.
• Magic.
• Burma.

Genre:

• manuals (instructional materials)
• drawings (visual works)
• diagrams
• Manuscripts, Burmese.
• Manuscripts.

Physical Description:

1 item (21 leaves) : paper ; 33 x 51 cm

Contained In:

Collection of Southeast Asian Manuscripts. Item 19

Place of Publication:

circa 1700-1850.

Language Note:

In Sanskrit (Devanāgarī)

Summary:

Manuscript is small pocket notebook by a sei-saya (medicine man). It contains spells using mantras (words and phrases of power); inn (cabalistic squares and figures) associated with the occult sciences to protect against vulnerability from evil spirits, firearms, and weapons; riddles and formulas concerning alchemy; and calculations for directions of the head of a serpent (naga) by astrology so that one could avoid aliments and catastrophic accidents. Contains remedies from plants and astrological calculations for healing. There are drawings of figures and animals, tables, and diagrams throughout.

Notes:

• Title supplied by cataloger.
• 21 leaves.
• Mistakes blacked out; some corrections and additions in margins.
• Manuscript was folded six to eight times to create a portable pocket notebook.
• Formerly housed as Ms. Coll. 390, Item 2967.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Coll. 990, Item 19.

OCLC:

988027397