The practices of the Siddha system of medicine are on display at the Siddha pavilion set up as part of a medical exhibition at the ongoing Santhigiri Fest at the Santhigiri Ashram, near here.
One of the practices on display is the ancient diagnostic practice called ‘manikkadai nool' in which the doctor would measure the circumference of the wrist and the length of the fingers of a patient, and use the measurement as a basis for identifying certain physiological patterns of the patient, a press note issued here said.
In another section, several machinery used for preparation and extraction of Siddha medicines are displayed. The earthenware apparatus are used for processes such as distillation and sublimation to extract the active ingredients of medicines. Raw materials such as conch, and rare minerals from which medicines are extracted are also on display.