➥ camma:

• for camma:
  • fascia
  • hide
  • an animal’s skin
  • leather
  • leather shield
  • leather soundboard
• camman: fascia
• cammaṁ: fascia; hide; leather shield; leather soundboard
• camma:
• camma:

Chavi and camma: human skin and fascia

Chavi and camma are the superficial and deep layers of human integument. In translation they are usually called ‘outer skin’ and ‘inner skin.’ We will show that in humans:

• 1) chavi is skin
• 2) camma is fascia.

Fascia lies below skin. Fascia is not skin.

Cammi: animal hide

In animals, cammi is equivalent to English ‘hide’ because it means not only the skin of the living animal, but also the leather produced from that skin. Animals do not have chavi. In animals, hair grows on cammi; in humans it grows on chavi.

• Again, one kind of noble thoroughbred horse is not quickened nor does it acquire an earnest attitude [to its work] when it sees the shadow of the goad, nor when its hairs (loma) are struck by the goad, nor when its hide (camma) is struck by the goad. Only when its bone is struck by the goad is it quickened and it acquires an earnest attitude [to its work].

Puna ca paraṁ bhikkhave idhekacco bhadro assājānīyo na heva kho patodacchāyaṁ disvā saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati napi lomavedhaviddho saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati. Napi cammavedhaviddho saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati. Api ca kho aṭṭhivedhaviddho saṁvijjati saṁvegaṁ āpajjati. (AN ii 114)

• At the moment the Blessed One saw her, that extensive wound was healed, and (her thigh became covered in) healthy skin (chavi) with hairs (loma) growing on it.

Tassā sahadassanena bhagavato tāva mahāvaṇo rūḷho ahosi succhavi lomajāto. (Vin.1.218)

Integumentary system

The integumentary system is the two layers that cover human bodies. The outer layer is ‘skin,’ and the inner layer is called by anatomists either:

• 1) subcutaneous tissue, or
• 2) hypodermis, or
• 3) superficial fascia.

‘Skin’ is comprised of epidermis and dermis. In animals, dermis, the lower part of skin, is the source of leather. Dermis rests on superficial fascia.

If skin is removed, it leaves superficial fascia (or ‘hypodermis’ or ‘subcutaneous tissue’). This superficial fascia is the lowermost layer of the integumentary system.

Anatomical dissection of the integumentary system

In the anatomical dissection of the integumentary system, skin is first stripped from superficial fascia. Consider these quotes:

• ‘Incisions will be made on the back, and four large flaps of skin will be reflected laterally, exposing an underlying fatty layer known as superficial fascia’ (http://wings.buffalo.edu/smbs/ana/first.htm).
• ‘Place the cat on its ventral surface. Massage the skin of the dorsal neck region to separate it from the underlying muscles and make a small longitudinal slit through the skin in the midline. Do not cut through the superficial fascia under the skin’ (http://core.ecu.edu/biol/singhasc/cat-muscles.htm).

References:

(Subcutaneous_tissue).

(Integumentary_System).

Dissection of the integumentary system by Prince Pāyāsi

Prince Pāyāsi dissected the integumentary system like this:

• Then I tell them to strip away the man's skin (chaviṁ), and perhaps we shall see his soul emerging. They do so, but we do not see any soul emerging. Then I tell them to strip away his fascia (cammaṁ), and perhaps we shall see his soul emerging.

Tyāhaṁ evaṁ vadāmi tena hi bho imassa purisassa chaviṁ chindatha appevanāmassa jīvaṁ passeyyāmā ti. Te tassa purisassa chaviṁ chindanti nevassa mayaṁ jīvaṁ passāma. Tyāhaṁ evaṁ vadāmi tena hi bho imassa purisassa cammaṁ chindatha appevanāmassa jīvaṁ passeyyāmā ti. (DN ii 338)

Three types of fascia

Superficial fascia is the connective tissue and fat under skin. It is attached to deep fascia and visceral fascia. Fascia is therefore of three types:

• 1) superficial fascia: underlies skin (=hypodermis or subcutaneous tissue).
• 2) deep fascia: surrounds muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels.
• 3) visceral fascia: suspends organs within their cavities.

Fascia has been called ‘the biological fabric that holds us together.’

In this Glossary we call superficial fascia ‘fascia,’ because it is obvious which fascia we mean.

Reference: www. anatomytrains.com/fascia.

Leather: dermis not fascia

Like humans, animal integument has these layers:

• 1) epidermis (1% of integument thickness)
• 2) dermis (85% of integument thickness)
• 3) fascia (14% of integument thickness)

To produce leather:

• 1) The epidermis with hair and fur is removed (except by furriers).
• 2) The fascia is removed.
• 3) The dermis is processed to obtain leather.

Stripping epidermis from dermis is a complicated process.

Reference: www. leatherresource.com/whatisleather.html.

Camma: leather goods

Camma (‘hide’) and cammakhaṇḍaṁ (‘piece of hide’) are sometimes used as the name of leather objects. For example, camma can mean ‘leather shield’ or ‘leather soundboard.’ Cammakhaṇḍa can mean ‘leather bucket’ (Vin.2.122) or ‘leather mat’ (Vin.4.41).

Taco

Taca is practically equivalent to chavi (i.e. comprised of epidermis plus dermis):

• this very body… covered in skin (taca).

imameva kāyaṁ… tacapariyantaṁ. (AN iii 323)

• as a snake sheds its old, worn-out skin (tacaṁ).

urago jiṇṇamiva tacaṁ purāṇaṁ. (Snp 17)

• a bhikkhu with golden skin (taco) is good to look at.

Kalyāṇadassano bhikkhu kañcanasannibhattaco. (Snp 551)

Illustration: camma, hide

Having removed the hide and then covered the cow again with the same hide, he might say ‘This cow is joined to the hide just as it was before.’

vidhunitvā bāhiraṁ cammakāyaṁ teneva cammena taṁ gāviṁ paṭicchādetvā evaṁ vadeyya tathevāyaṁ gāvī saṁyuttā imināva cammenā ti. (MN iii 274-5)

Illustration: camma, skin

Eighty-four thousand chariots with upholstery of lion skins, tiger skins, leopard skins

Caturāsīti rathasahassāni adāsi sīhacammaparivārāni vyagghacammaparivārāni dīpicammaparivārāni. (AN iv 393)

Now at that time the Group-of-Six bhikkhus thinking, “High beds and luxurious covers are objected to by the Blessed One,” used large skins: a lion’s skin, a tiger’s skin, a leopard’s skin

Mahācammāni dhārenti. Sīhacammaṁ byagghacammaṁ dipīcammaṁ. (Vin.1.192)

➥ camman: (main article see: camma)

Illustration: camman, fascia

When the Blessed One’s body was burned, of whatever had been skin, fascia, flesh, sinews, and synovial fluid, neither soot nor ash was discernable; only bony ashes remained.

Jhāyamānassa kho pana bhagavato sarīrassa yaṁ ahosi chavī ti vā camman ti vā maṁsan ti vā naharū ti vā lasikā ti vā tassa neva chārikā paññāyittha na masi sarīrāneva avasissiṁsu. (DN ii 164)

➥ cammaṁ: (main article see: camma)

Illustration: cammaṁ, fascia

Suppose a strong man wrapped both one’s leg with a strong horsehair rope and pulled it tight, it would cut through the skin, the fascia, the flesh, the sinews, and the bone, until it reached the marrow..

Seyyathā pi bhikkhave balavā puriso daḷhāya vālarajjuyā jaṅghaṁ veṭhetvā ghaṁseyya sā chaviṁ chindeyya chaviṁ chetvā cammaṁ chindeyya cammaṁ chetvā maṁsaṁ chindeyya maṁsaṁ chetvā nahāruṁ chindeyya nahāruṁ chetvā aṭṭhiṁ chindeyya aṭṭhiṁ chetvā aṭṭhimiñjaṁ āhacca tiṭṭheyya. (SN ii 238)

Love for sons, bhante, cuts through the skin, the fascia, the flesh, the sinews, and the bone, till it reaches the marrow.

Puttapemaṁ bhante chaviṁ chindati. Chaviṁ chetvā cammaṁ chindati. Cammaṁ chetvā maṁsaṁ chindati. Maṁsaṁ chetvā nāhāruṁ chindati. Nahāruṁ chetvā aṭṭhiṁ chindati. Aṭṭhiṁ chetvā aṭṭhimiñjaṁ āhacca tiṭṭhati. . (Vin.1.83)

Illustration: cammaṁ, hide

A bull's hide stretched with a hundred stakes so it is wrinkle-free.

āsabhacammaṁ saṅkusatena suvihataṁ vigatavalikaṁ. (MN iii 105)

Then that unvirtuous lay-follower, having slaughtered that calf, having skinned it (‘removed its hide’), gave it to that unvirtuous bhikkhu.

Atha kho so pāpūpāsako taṁ vacchakaṁ vadhitvā cammaṁ vidhunitvā tassa pāpabhikkhuno pādāsi. (Vin.1.193)

Illustration: cammaṁ, leather shield

The robber Angulimala, having grabbed his sword and leather shield

coro aṅgulimālo asicammaṁ gahetvā. (MN ii 99)

Illustration: cammaṁ, leather soundboard

'This lute, sire, consists of numerous components, a great many components, and it gives a sound when its numerous components are played upon; that is, in dependence on the body, the leather soundboard, the stem, the pegbox, the strings, the plectrum, and the appropriate effort of the musician.

ayaṁ kho bhante vīṇā nāma anekasambhārā mahāsambhārā anekehi sambhārehi samāraddhā vadati seyyathīdaṁ doṇiñca paṭicca cammañca paṭicca daṇḍañca paṭicca upaveṇañca paṭicca tantiyo ca paṭicca koṇañca paṭicca purisassa ca tajjaṁ vāyāmaṁ paṭicca. (SN iv 197)

Comment:

The first guitar-like instrument was the tanbur. It was built of polished cedar, had a soundboard made of leather, and resembled a crude guitar. http://gibsonguitarek.wikispaces.com/