Malabar History journal

Background

Perspectives regarding the cause of diseases varied in Malabar before the advent of modern medicine. Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and folk medicines were among the early forms of Indian medicine that were available to the people of Malabar. Modern medicine came into Malabar intricately intertwined with the British colonialist agenda. Following the transfer of power from the British East India Company to the Crown in 1858, European doctors became prominent figures, representing European knowledge and the ideals of progress. Their stethoscopes symbolised modernity, and they were seen as ‘agents of rationality’ in the colonial state.

Backed by the same reasoning, modern medicine was dispensed to the local population of Malabar through hospitals. These Medical institutions were not only centres of healthcare but they also provided job opportunities to several sections of society.

As this new form of medical practice came backed by state patronage, it competed with the indigenous medical practices of India. On the one hand, it maintained its alien character to exhibit its superiority over Indian medical practices; on the other hand, it had to negotiate with the indigenous medical practices at times when western medicine could not find a suitable remedy for certain diseases. However, it gradually attracted the population and found a significant place in the healthcare discourse. Western medicines gained popularity due to their comparative palatability, quick relief, and absence of dietary restrictions.

Spread of Modern medicine

In the initial stages of the introduction of modern medicine, not many healthcare systems existed in Malabar. During times of epidemic, the shortages of medical personnel were acute, and the state medical institutions in the affected areas had to be closed down to deploy the medical personnel for ‘epidemic work’. In 1916, Malabar had only 29 midwives. In 1917, a programme was started to train the indigenous midwives belonging to the barber community in the local hospital. Malabar did not have a training facility until 1917, and those who wanted to take up the medical profession had to go either to Madras or Tanjore, where medical education was provided for the whole Presidency. In 1917, a medical school was also established at Calicut.

Further, hospitals came to be viewed as a form of medical institution that would make possible systematic treatment or observation of people’s health. Thus, through hospitals, the colonialists were in a position to impress the native people. Of all the branches of Western medicine, surgery was the most popular and most sought-after. The hospital records of Calicut, Palghat, and others highlight that there was a good demand for surgical operations in the hospitals. Further, by the second half of the nineteenth century, western medical practice had become a dominant system of illness treatment in Malabar. The system claimed to provide treatment for all types of diseases, along with preventive measures. The institutionalization and professionalization attempts continued throughout the nineteenth century. They included, the building up of a hierarchy among the providers of treatment; creating specialized departments for various parts of the body, age-groups and gender, fixing standards for practitioners, classifying different stages of treatment, etc.This new method of treatment was accompanied by new ideas about health and hygiene in society, as well as about one’s own body.

In the initial stage, there was great resistance to operations such as smallpox vaccination, treatment of women by male doctors, etc. However, people increasingly come to prefer the Western form of healthcare. Besides these efforts by the state and missionaries, those of the English-educated and powerful sections of people in the native state influenced the common people. All of this contributed to the acceptance of the Western medical system in Malabar, paving the way for the internalisation of newly circulated notions of the body. As a result, while western medicine was initially imposed by the government, different segments of society demanded access to this new system of treatment over time.

Criticism

As the 20th century dawned, Western medicine faced criticism for its narrow biomedical orientation. This period marked a key shift in the relationship between Western and Indian medicine, with a growing recognition of the need for a more holistic approach to healthcare.

It was emphasised that the colonialists perceived the traditional medicine in pre-British Malabar as superstitious and archaic, which gave way to the acceptance of western medicine.

References

Mamatha, K. (2014). Institutionalisation of Health Care System in Colonial Malabar. Indian History Congress, 75, pp. 848–859. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44158469

Guy Mazars. (2006). A Concise Introduction to Indian Medicine. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, New Delhi, p.18.

Karinchan, S. (2022). Science and Society in Colonial Malabar, 1847–1947 [Doctoral Dissertation, Department of History, Kannur University Campus, Mangattuparamba].