Synopsis The Essentials of Medical Astrology is the standard book on Vedic astrology which lays down detailed principles relevant to the analysis of a horoscopic chart, with disease and its various aspects as the main focus of attention.  Some of the prominent features of this work are: Standardisation of approach to analysis of a charg related to disease; Use of four vargas, or divisional charges, and two dashas to ensure an accurate assessement of the charg; Discussion of principles of sound and unsound health; Indications for congenital ailments; An elaborate approach to ensure accurate timing of onset of disease and its outcome; Hints about the possible site of disease as well as the nature of disease using the significations of houses and planets, and the Drekkanas; A detailed account of the principles of Balarishta and Arishta-Bhanga; The use of such subtle principles of Vedic astrology as the twenty-second Drekkana, the sixty-fourth Navamsha, the Sarpa Drekkana, and Gulika or Mandi, to decide on the onset and outcome of illness; Classical combinations indicating some of the common ailments, and the scientific approach to application of these principles to actual horoscopic charts.