History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization: Medicine in India: Modern Period (Volume IX, Part I)

The volumes of the Project on the History of Science, Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization aim at discovering the main aspects of India’s heritage and present them in an interrelated way. These volumes, in spite of their unitary look, recognise the difference between the areas of material civilization and those of ideational culture. The Project is not being executed by a single group of thinkers and writers who are methodologically uniform or ideologically identical in their commitments. In fact contributions are made by different scholars with different ideological persuasions and methodological approaches. The Project is marked by what may be called ‘methodological pluralism’. In spite of its primary historical character, this Project, both in its conceptualization and execution, has been shaped by many scholars drawn from different disciplines. It is for the first time that an endeavour of such a unique and comprehensive character has been undertaken to study critically a major world civilization like India. The present volume is an outcome of extensive research over several years in the area of history of medicine in India and represents a substantial contribution to the scholarship in the field. The study of the history of medicine is important for a deeper understanding of the theory and practice of medicine. It tells us not only about health and illness, but also about prevalent philosophy, science and social conditions. Unless we know the past, we cannot fully comprehend the present or the future. An example of this is the resurgence of many diseases that afflicted mankind in the past, and were then curbed but reappeared again in modern times. The work deals with modern medicine extensively, but also delves deeply into the indigenous systems of medicine—Ayurveda, unani, homeopathy, nature cure, faith healing and yoga. The result is a comprehensive historical treatise on the evolution of medical services, medical education, medical research and public health in India over the centuries in the context of the social and cultural atmosphere of the times.