Medical_Guide_for_Anglo_Indians_Book_Report

The title of the book that I have chosen to write a report on is “Medical Guide for Anglo-Indians”. It was published in 1874 and was written by R.S Mair. I tried to search for the author on the internet but I could not find any source outlining his biography or any other works that he may have published. All that I can say about RS Mair is what is written in the first few pages following the title page of his book. He was a MD (Medical Doctor), fellow of the college of Royal Surgeons (Edinburgh), late Deputy Coroner of Madras, Surgeon Infantry Volunteer Guards and Member of Royal Asiatic Society. From the aforementioned information, it is fair to say that R.S Mair had considerable experience with the Indian way of life and most probably also had abundant knowledge of the diseases that Europeans could encounter while living in India. The purpose of his book is to act as a self-help guide for Europeans residing in India for long periods of time. It provides detailed information on the diseases that Europeans may come across during their stay in India and also outlines methods of disease prevention and treatment. The latter part of the book (pages 109-135) is dedicated to the management of European children in India during infancy and childhood. The use of the word ‘management’ struck me as something odd, it seems to be a very scientific definition of parenthood, as if parents were controlling children as subordinates of some organization instead of nursing or caring for them. Nevertheless, the book discusses many topics ranging from climate, diet, detrimental effects of smoking and alcoholic beverages, diseases and (of course!) management of children. The book in essence dictates the way a European should live in India if he wants to escape unaffected from the horrific diseases that await him in the harsh climate of the subcontinent. Thus, the book may be likened to a westerner’s health bible, detailing commands that he must obey to keep his and his offspring’s physical health intact. The book in essence can be used as primary source and presents many opportunities for the historian, in particular for someone who is researching on the state of medical awareness of dangerous diseases in colonial India. It could also prove useful for scholars who are trying to compare the medical knowledge in colonial India to current medical practices. It is, in a way, a concise encyclopedia of the diseases that affected Europeans in colonial India and ways prescribed to treat these diseases by a qualified doctor living in the late 19th century. Primary sources, such as the book under discussion, give us first hand insight into the past and are essential for scholars as they act as the principal supporting evidence to any argument. R.S Mair’s book could be a very suitable primary source, as mentioned before, for someone researching the State of Medical Awareness of Dangerous Diseases in Colonial India. The book can effectively serve as a gage for determining the level of medical awareness that an average Englishman possessed. The reasons for this are simple. It is a book specifically written for the layman with little or no prior medical background. It provides detailed information on the diseases encountered by the English in India during the late 19th Century. The book has been written by someone who has been actively engaged in medicine within India and someone who is experienced with the diseases that affect Englishmen in the Indian climate. Thus, the book allows us to analyze and assess the general public’s level of medical awareness as well as the level of medical expediency possessed by doctors living in the late 19th century. The researcher may find the description of Cholera (pages 43-49) beneficial in supporting a thesis that argues that Englishmen did have sufficient medical awareness of dangerous diseases in Colonial India: “Cholera is, without exception, the most dreaded of all diseases. Its invasion is so sudden, its course so rapid, and its fatality so great, that it is little wonder its appearance in any district should excite more or less fear and consternation.” The author goes on and describes: “In large cities, and densely populated villages, where ordinary sanitary laws are disregarded,- in other words where drainage and ventilation are bad,- the disease every now and then breaks out and spreads with great rapidity.” Contemporary medical science tells us that the major cause of the rapid spread of Cholera is inadequate sanitary conditions. Cleanliness is above all the major component in controlling the spread of Cholera, and this is mentioned several times by the author under the section describing Cholera. The aforementioned quote could be employed effectively by someone researching the state of medical awareness in Colonial India and could support a hypothesis that states that there was sufficient medical awareness of dangerous diseases in late 19th century India. In essence it supports the hypothesis claim that medical awareness of dangerous diseases in colonial India was not so different from our knowledge today. Furthermore, the author’s description of the symptoms of Cholera is close to what a contemporary doctor would recite (cite): “The symptoms of an ordinary attack of epidemic cholera, are as follows; a feeling of distension and uncomfortable rumbling in the stomach and bowels, followed soon after by nausea, vomiting, and purging. The discharges are at first commonly bilious in appearance, followed shortly by copius evacuations, resembling rice (congee) water, cramps in the fingers, toes, calves, thighs, muscles of the abdomen, and loins.” By analyzing the information above the researcher can conclude that Cholera was indeed a well-known disease in 19th century India and that physicians were knowledgeable about its causes and effects. This could act as further evidence supporting the opinion that the state of medical awareness of dangerous diseases was adequate in 19th century India. On the other hand someone disagreeing with the hypothesis proposed before could argue that the author’s praise of coffee as an agent that “oils the machinery” and “diminishes the wear and tear of the system” is unfounded and not really supported by any medical fact. The passage below seems to be more suggestion rather than sound medical advice. Contemporary medical science portrays coffee as something bad rather than good. It can cause cancer and also causes anxiety and sleep changes. “ Lehman has ascertained by experience that coffee greatly diminishes the wear and tear of the system; it oils the machinery as it were, and checks the waste of function; for those who use it find that during active exercise the destruction of tissue is prevented, and that there is less demand for food; in fact with a maximum of work to perform, and a minimum of food to accomplish it, he will best sustain his solid powers who resorts now and then to a cup of tea or coffee.” The book presents the historian with many opportunities and can be a good primary source to support whatever hypothesis the researcher may derive from reading it. The examples above are just some of the countless ways this book can be used as a source. Obviously, as with all sources, R.S Mair’s book also contains some flaws that may hinder it from becoming an effective historical source. The first problem that I encountered was the inherent racial bias prevalent in the last few pages of the book. It is mostly centered in the section about choosing Amahs (wet nurses) for English infants. The English mother is warned that when choosing an Amah she should look for the following features: “If she is moderately plump, has a fresh clear complexion, clear cheerful eyes, deep red coloured lips, well-formed moderately firm breasts, with nipples free from soreness or eruption, she possesses all the external indications of a suitable amah.” Analyzing the quotation above, it seems as if the author is indirectly trying to compare an Indian woman to an object rather than perceiving her as a human being. Awkward comparisons turn into racial bias and the author starts to make comments on the general nature of Indian female servants, labeling them as “notoriously untruthful and deceitful” and that if a European child is left under their care “his perception of right and wrong is seriously impaired”. This comment tells the reader that author believes all Indian female servants to be untruthful and deceitful. Which as common logic tells us is not true. “They (native female servants) are notoriously untruthful and deceitful, and the European child, if left entirely under their charge, can hardly fail to be so imbued with the same characteristics, that in course of time, his (English Infant’s) perception of the difference between right and wrong is seriously impaired, if not destroyed.” The following quotations have illustrated the racial bias in the writing of R.S Mair but an explanation should also be given as to why racial bias hampers the effectiveness of a historical source. The reason is simple, racial bias does not give us a balanced opinion of the topic in research. It portrays some people in a negative way while praising others. In this case, the people of India in general have been portrayed in a negative manner as “notoriously untruthful and deceitful”. Historians have to be careful when reading sources and should try to form a balanced opinion on any issue. In addition to racial bias, I feel that R.S Mair’s writing is vastly based on suggestion in many occasions rather than sound or empirical medical advice. The following quotation taken from the book illustrates this: “Uninterrupted residence of European children in a tropical climate, from birth upwards, is inimical to health, and antagonistic to the development of a sound, robust constitution.” The author has mentioned that the health of a European child is adversely affected by the climate and is “antagonistic to the development of a sound, robust constitution”, but the author provides no real evidence to support his assumption. This raises a question in the readers mind regarding the validity of the statement. Another example of R.S Mair’s suggestion based method of writing is below: “Sleeping during the night in the open air at any time during the year is most objectionable, and particularly so when the person is exposed to the rays of the moon, as blindness has sometimes resulted from such exposure; while paralysis is occasionally produced by the direct action of the land winds, which set in early in the morning.” Examining the statement above the following questions pop up in my head: How can the rays of the moon cause blindness when a person is not staring at them directly' How can paralysis result from winds in the early morning' The author explains little in this regard in the book, there is no medical reason given to why paralysis occurs from early morning winds or why the rays of the moon cause blindness. It seems as if the author is reciting hearsay rather than authentic medical advice. An additional example, provided below, illustrates the author’s praise for the Anglo-Saxon race: “Perhaps no race has such wonderful power of adapting itself, for a time, to almost any climate as the Anglo-Saxon.” The author engages in self-praise and provides little to back up his statement, why is the Anglo-Saxon better at adapting himself to the climate than other races' No empirical evidence is given to support this assertion. The Medical guide for Anglo Indians can be used as a good source despite its shortcomings. R.S Mair’s style of writing seems to be based on suggestion rather than sound medical advice in many parts and the contemporary reader may find some of the recommendations given in the book amusing and incorrect by today’s standard, however it should also be noted that the book was published in 1874 and what we may consider as common knowledge today was still unheard of then. Furthermore, the content of the book is fascinating and a lot can be learned about the state of medical knowledge in 19th century India by performing a careful examination of the book. Bibliography: Mair, R.S. Medical Guide For Anglo Indians. London: 1874 World Health Organisation, "Cholera vaccines. A brief summary of the March 2010 position paper." Accessed October 7, 2011. http://www.who.int/immunization/Cholera_PP_Accomp_letter__Mar_10_2010.pdf. Ames BN, Gold LS. "The causes and prevention of cancer: the role of environment". Biotherapy 11 (2–3): 205–20. .(1998) doi:10.1023/A:1007971204469.PMID 9677052. Thangh et al. Study, Narcolepsy and caffeinated beverages. ." Accessed October 7, 2011. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2919675/ -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page iii [ 2 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 43 [ 3 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 43 [ 4 ]. World Health Organisation, "Cholera vaccines. A brief summary of the March 2010 position paper." Accessed October 7, 2011. http://www.who.int/immunization/Cholera_PP_Accomp_letter__Mar_10_2010.pdf. [ 5 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 45 [ 6 ]. Ames BN, Gold LS (1998). "The causes and prevention of cancer: the role of environment". Biotherapy 11 (2–3): 205–20.doi:10.1023/A:1007971204469.PMID 9677052. [ 7 ]. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2919675/Study, Narcolepsy and caffeinated beverages, Authors Thangh et al. [ 8 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 18 [ 9 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 112 [ 10 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 125 [ 11 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 127 [ 12 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 31 [ 13 ]. Mair R.S. Medical Guide for Anglo Indian (London: 1874), page 4