Medicine and the Raj

The coming of the British to India marked the entry of 'modern' science and technology into the country and the beginning of the subjugation of traditional scientific systems. The British, in fact, used science and technology as a tool for maintaining and expanding the Empire. Against this background, Dr. Anil Kumar unravels the political linkages and sociological interactions between Western medical science and the British Empire, focusing on the period 1835-1911. The author traces the introduction and spread of medical education including the dissemination of homeopathy, and examines the underlying imperial motives and expediences. He discusses various issues such as the natue and growth of the hospital system and pharmacies, the vairous kinds of medical services which were set up in India to cater to the needs of the imperial masters, the racial discrimination practised against Indians in various spheres and the crucial question of the Indianization of the medical services. The author provides a contemporary critique of the imperialist-nationalist debate on research in medicine and also outlines the course of action the British ought to have taken to ameliorate suffering in India. With its broad sweep, this book will interest historians, political scientists, sociologists, and those involved in studying the interface between science, technology, and society.