Note 5 — V
Reading edition
It is noted5 in connection with the various classes of Nambūtiri Brāhmans that “the Vaidyans or physicians, known as Mūssads, are to study the medical science, and to practice the same. As the profession of a doctor necessitates the performance of surgical operations entailing the shedding of blood, the Mūssads are considered as slightly degraded.”