Medicine and the Raj: British Medical Policy in India, 1835-1911

An AltaMira Press Book 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 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.