Recipes for immortality : medicine, religion, and community in South India / Richard S. Weiss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weiss, Richard S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Medicine, Siddha--Social aspects--India--Tamil Nadu.

Medicine, Siddha.

Tamil (Indic people)--Health and hygiene.

Tamil (Indic people).

Group identity--India--Tamil Nadu.

Group identity.

Physical Description:

ix, 260 p.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2009.

Summary:

In this book, Weiss seeks to illuminate the present success of traditional doctors by examining the ways that siddha practitioners in Tamil South India have won the trust and patronage of patients. They do this, he shows, by offering affiliation to a timeless and pure community, the fantasy of a Tamil utopia, and even the prospect of immortality.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Autonomy of Tradition: Creating Space for Traditional Medicine

3. The Miraculous Origins of Siddha Medicine

4. The Invasion of Utopia: The Corruption of Siddha Medicine by Ayurveda

5. Reviving the Utopian Character of Siddha Medicine

6. Secrecy, Hereditary Education, and the Immortality of Siddha Medicine

7. The Loss and Recovery of Medical Knowledge

8. Conclusion: The Holy Science of Siddha Medicine

Notes

Bibliography

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [229]-246) and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9780199715008

0199715009

OCLC:

463186357