From Bangkok to Philadelphia: “Samut Kamphi Ratcharangsarid sangkhro” and the lost seasonal disease treaties of Wat Pho medical stone inscriptions

Abstract

This article explores the study of Samut Kamphi Racharangsatthi Sangkhro Wa Duai Laksana Dhatu Rok Borichet 1, housed at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania. Authored by Phraya Bamreurat, a royal physician appointed to oversee the medical stone inscriptions at Wat Pho during the reign of King Rama III, the manuscript presents newly discovered evidence linked to the lost content of these inscriptions.

The study reveals that the majority of the contents in Samut Kamphi Racharangsatthi Sangkhro Wa Duai Laksana Dhatu Rok Borichet 1 align closely with those found in the Wat Pho medical inscriptions. Moreover, while the current Wat Pho inscriptions retain only three treaties on seasonal diseases, this manuscript preserves all six in their entirety. This discovery enables the partial restoration of lost medical knowledge once recorded at Wat Pho, shedding new light on its historical significance.