Empire and Leprosy in Colonial Bengal

This book traces the dynamics of the interface between colonial policy on leprosy and religion, science, and society in Bengal.

Leprosy, widely mentioned in different religious texts and ancient scriptures, is the oldest scourge of humankind. Cases of leprosy continue to be found across the world as the most crucial health problem, especially in India and Brazil. There are a few maladies that eventually turn into social disquiets, and leprosy is undoubtedly one of them. This book traces the dynamics of the interface between colonial policy on leprosy and religion, science and society in Bengal from the mid-nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth centuries. It explores how the idea of 'degeneration' and the 'desolates' shaped the colonial legality of segregating 'lepers' in Indian society. The author also delves into the treatments of leprosy that were often transfigured from 'original' English texts, written by American or British medical professionals, into Bengali.

Rich in archival resources, this book is an essential read for scholars and researchers of history, Indian history, public health, social history, medical humanities, medical history and colonial history.

Autorentext

Apalak Das is Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Rani Birla Girls' College under Calcutta University, India. He did his PhD from the Department of History, Jadavpur University on Leprosy in Bengal in 2022. His research looks broadly at the social history of medicine in colonial India. He was also a former Research Fellow of the History of Medicine Fellowship at the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, for a two-year term, 20172019.

Inhalt

List of Illustrations x

Foreword xii

Acknowledgements xiii

List of Abbreviations xvi

Glossary xviii

Introduction 1

1 Colonialism, Legislation and Leprosy: Bengal and Empire 16

2 Objectifying 'Lepers', Constructing Identity: Missionaries and Colonial Care in the Leper Asylums of Bengal 57

3 Empire and Institution: Leprosy Research in the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine (CSTM) 115

4 Nationalising Disease: 'Kustha cikitsha' and 'Kustha rogi' in Bengali Newspapers and Health Periodicals 155

Conclusion 193

Bibliography 206

Index 227 **