RAJA SERFOJI

SCIENCE, MEDICINE, AND ENLIGHTENMENT IN TANJORE

Introduction:
With the breach of treaty of 1769, the governor of Madras sent Schwartz ,as envoy
with the missionary
He had been chosen for the job because he had a good knowledge of hindustani, it
was about this time that that schwartz had the opportunity to meet Tulaja Raja of
Tanjore.
Schwartz observed that the king sits , as it were in a prison. His officers deceive him
and the whole country and resist to the utmost the settlement of a missionary here.
The British had taken the control over Tanjores affairs in early 1776 by dismissing the
troops of the Nawab of Arcot from the place and restoring Tulaja Raja as the ruler.
He was also heirless. To settle the succession problem, he adopted a boy called
Serfoji Raja, the son of sahaji, the son of subhanu raja, a near cousin . The ailing Raja
passed away soon after , but not before entrusting the boy prints serfoji to the care of
schwartz .
It was decided that Serfoji be made heir to the throne and Tulajas half Ameer singh
be appointed regent, under whose protection the minor would begin life in the palace.

Ihave no one to teach me therefore I do not know one letter, Serfoji

complained.
Governor ordered Ameer singh to allow the young heir to occupy a separate
residence
He along with the Tamil Christian poet, were among the earliest Indians to
receive systematic education in western science as part of European
schooling.
Serfoji was privately educated not just by Schwartz but also by Maratha
brahmans and atleast two European instructors.
The chief subjects of the study during the three years spent in Madras
included English, Marathi, Tamil, Arithmetic and Geography.
Serfoji arrived in madras accompanied by Schwartz.
He visited physician General James Andersons house, James was to instruct
them in the art of silk filature, inorder to introduce it in to the Tanjore country.
Three times a week Gericke would visit Serfoji at his garden house to instruct
him in english, Arithmetical Geography.
In addition a school master Mr. Ross visited Serfoji every Saturday to check on
his progress.

Serfoji was in a position to speak in english with the

new Governor.
Serfojis letters were read and corrected by Gericke.
Corrections were made by Schwartz.
Initially Serfoji was not up to the expectations.
Schwartz instructed school master Mr. Ross to
regulate his hours to include Tamil teaching.

RETURN TO TANJORE
After about three years in Madras he returned to
Tanjore.
Continued to communicate with friends in
Madras.

CENTRE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Serfoji- Man of letters
Tanjore-Centre of Enlightenment.
College of brahmins at Tiruvaloor-knowledge on
eclipses.
George Annesley visited tanjore court, it was his
passion for travel and national history that had
brought him India, accompanied by Valentia
arrived in tanjore.
It delighted Valentia that Serfoji could speak
english with such facility that he needed no
interpreter.

Alexander Johnston chief justice of the island of

Ceylon, arrived in Tanjore.
Serfoji arranged to send his performers with the
vinas to attend to Lt Col Blackburne.
An additional request was made for any book or
entire work of Arts and Science in his dominions.
In response Serfoji has sent Marathi translation of
the Aesops Fables.

MAKING SENSE OF HUMAN BODY

It was in Madras, Serfoji had the opportunity of making
acquaintance of physical general James Anderson.
On return to Tanjore he had began anatomical lessons, began
correspondence with Anderson.
To Serfoji, the study of anatomy was a goldly and scientific
pursuit.
Serfoji began Anatomy lessons under the residency surgeon
William S Mitchell, to teach him principles of European system of
medicine.
Serfoji began his Anatomical studies in earnest, but in less than a
week Mitchell was removed from Tanjore.

Serfoji was clearly disappointed and sent out a letter of complaint to

the resident.
The resident, however warned the raja against making a public
representation over Mitchells removal.
The absence of atutor did not, however, deter Serfoji from continuing
his lessons in anatomy and European medicine.
C S John head of Tranquevar mission, sent the raja, a prepared body
of a child, which would teach him more about blood vessels and
arteries.
Serfoji was examining prepared human bodies as early as 1805decades before the much cited first disection of the human body by
native student at the Calcutta medical college
Before the development of the microscopy and bacteriology , post
mortem was the only way of enquiring into the cause of disease and
death.
Almost all sections of Indian society held a deep dislike for the
western practice of this dissection.

This irrational loathing of dissection on the part of Indians was

considered a major obstacle to improvement in medical science.
Mitchell kept up a correspondence with his royal pupil, sending him
medical books.
In the early of 19t century, company was keen to train and employ
indigenous doctors as compounders, assistants and dressers to save
the expense of employing Europeans for such sub ordinate jobs.
By late 1805 Serfoji had satisfactorily studied the classics and some
contemporary teaching texts of medicine and surgery in Europe.

Science, Medicine and Enlightenment in Tanjore

P.Kumar, CH10B027

Plural and Enlightened Medical Practice

Reliable on Indians

First European physician to be employed by Serfoji at palace was a german

called Simon, who arrived in 1799 accompanied by his family.
the palace Arogyasala functioned both as dispensary and pharmacy.
Table of knowledge
Prescribtion was done after astringent test.
Training of Indian doctors in 1813.
Inspection of drugs.
Patient histories were not only used by the physician as a practical aid, but
they allowed them to see at work.
Case-histories allow a critical analysis of doctors in action

The vegetable body analogy

Sevestre used case narratives were as a pedagogic tool. To explain
Serfoji the nature of his granddaughter Camachiammas ailment,
caused by malnutrition.
He observed that by comparing the human body to vegetable bodies
would have risked labelled coarse by most people, but not the raja
who enjoyed the advantage of a highly cultivated mind, and a
capacity abounding in quickness and of discernment and clearance of
perception.

 the pulse is the great index

Sevestre was a staunch believer of pulse being index of health.
The Ars sphygmica, science of the pulse, dates far back into antiquity.
The earliest writings on the subject may be traced to a Spanish practitioner, Francisco
Solano de leque who in 1731 published lapis lydius Apollonis (the touchstone of Applo), in
which he described his new method of predicting crises by the pulse.
how ever, the use of a pulse watch as a regular procedure in the examination of patients
came into practice only after 1820.
Physicians during this period were often worried about their ability to provide complete
relief, especially when it involved elite patients such as Raja and his family, but they were
also yearing for professional dominanace.
On behalf of Sevestre, Blackburne made it clear to the Raja that all internal medical
complaints, namely, The state of pulse, of the eyes and of the tongue, but it is not
necessary in general that he touch the eyes, or the tongue or any part of the body
whatever ,except the waist.

Curing Female Disorders: A case of Hysteria

Case narratives throws light on how hysteria was understood and
treated in early nineteenth century.
Sevestre explained the nature of the psychosomatic disease to
Serfoji: The disease deriving its source so much from the mind, and
effecting the uterus by sympathy, I considered it essential that where
possible means of Amusement, change in air and change of scenes
should be attended to.
Alexander Hamilton, prof. of midwifery at the Edinburgh, had
suggested that hysteria occurred most frequently about the time of
the periodical evacuation between the ages of fifteen and forty five.

. A faithful Nurse as well as a watch full Physician

The tanjore case reveals that the resistance expressed by indigenous
patients was directed more towards the European surgeons touch
rather than to European medicines.
In earily 1821, sivaji had enquired from his Sarkel Babaji Ramaji
Pandithar whether Tatva Pillay could be sent to the palace for
administering English medicines, which they all needed.
It bothered the physician when disease persisted even after every
thing possible was done to cure the condition.
To cure the dysentery Sivajis wife was suffering from, Sevestre
advised an administration of castor oil in small but repeated doses.
Besides taking sudorific powders every hours.

It was distressing to the surgeon that there was little or no alteration,

even after ten days of following regimen, excepting a yellowness
about the eyes which rather indicates an attack of Jaundice.
Case narratives are ethnographies of illness, is best exemplified by a
medical report sent to the Raja in july 1821. it contained detailed
descriptions od shivajis skin ailment ans Sevestres persistant efforts of
bringing relief to the prince, in particular, by the use of blisters of
different kinds.
To protect the prince from Strangury or painful dripping of the urine, so
often brought on by absorption of the flies.
Case narratives allowed them to trace a pattern of gratification and
discontent underlying the physicians slow and troubled shift towards a
new modern wish of their calling.

Sevestre had learnt through practice that a degree of inflammation

may exist in a membranous part without being attended with pain,
but that it could only be discovered by the touch of Experience, the
pulse is the great Index and serves to point out organic disease in a
more satisfactory manner that all the descriptions that the patient
himself is capable of giving.
In addition to treating sivaji at the palace, Sevestre attended to the
ailing infant child of Rajas own physician Tatva pillay. Amongst the
palace servants who approached the doctor for treatment was a
gladiator.

Preserving and Improving Public Health

Serfojis earliest contribution to public health in Tanjore was in context of
vaccination.
The medical duties of the assistant surgeon, attached to the tanjore Residency,
were outlined by Resident Blackburne in a report to the government in 1816.
Sometimes, the surgeon also went out of the way to attend to medical needs of
just the Tanjore court but also that of Pudukottai.
Assistant surgeon Robert Hunter, who arrived in Tanjore on 3 sept 1815, visited the
palace frequently to give medical advice and assistance to the officers and servants
of Raja.
In 1819 Hunter was promoted as full surgeon as the sudden death of companys
surgeon Benjamen Heyne and Sevestre was appointed as the chief surgeon and
was responsible for keeping cholera under control when epidemic broke in 1819.
The subject of state intervention in public health and sanitation in India has been
examined solely with respect to the presidencies, under the assumption that such
notions were associated only with the civilising mission of colonial state.

Introduction of smallpox vaccination

In early 1805 resistance of vaccination among Indians.

According to Blackburne, the fraudulent returns filed by the native
vaccinators, abetted by the thalisdars, and had aggravated the
situation; the vaccinators were also incapable of distinguishing
between the true and the spurious forms of small pox vaccine, and
lacked the will to go ever the process second time.
The Tranquebar Commisioner made an appeal in 1811, for a
permanent vaccination establishment as a preventive against the
contagious malady of smallpox.
From the reports submitted by Blackburnes and Mitchell there was
hardly any resistance in pudukottai to vaccination.

Observations on Cholera

The epidemic of 1817-21 was known to have been the most terrible of all
the cholera epidemics.
No cases of cholera were reported from Tanjore, either under surgeon
Robert Hunter or the Tamil doctors attached to the palace.
It attacked any one, irrespective of class or caste and suddenly caused a
rapid and drastic loss of body fluid, cramps, vomiting and even death.
A cholera pill made of black pepper, asafoetida and ginger was used by
the native practioners.
European surgeons devised a four fold method for effective treatment.
1. The revival of patient through administration of sporitious liquors like
arrack
2. Use of relaxtants such as opium
3. .purgatives like calomel, Epsom salt were given to flush the toxics.
4. Intake of tonics and oil free wholesome food to restore health.

To determine the severity of cholera epidemic in Tanjore, Sevestre

compiled a caste wise returns of persons attacked within and outside
the line of the fort of Tanjore.
Cholera reports from Tanjore were regarded with same degree of
suspicion by the Madras Medical Board, as noted earlier. Not only did
they doubt the accuracy of reports compiled by indigenious
practitioners, but also concluded that a very small portion of cases of
epidemic fever and of cholera, were actually seen leading to closure
of the temporary cholera establishment in Tanjore, in june 1820.
Serfojis charitable institution (the chattram or choultry).

Enlightening the Public through Medicine

For the indigenous society, European medicine was an option onli in
the extreme cases, when all else failed.
Sevestres medical report to serfoji gives one the impression that he
endeared himself to the poor of Tanjore, successfully treating them of
a variety of ailments, some times self-inflicted.
To enlighten Serfoji on the valuable service he was rendering to the
Tanjore public, Sevestre sent an abstract of diseases not including the
Honble Companys servants or Sepoys out of 119 patients he had
treated, ninety seven had compled cured.
Schloarly accounts on the history of obstetrics in India are scanty,
although there has been a growing interest in the study of child
birthand reproductive health in recent years.

The case of Tanjore reveals that at least some company surgeons,

very early in nineteenth century, were assisting indigenous women i
childbirth.
Sevestres medical report of march 1822 spoke of rising confidence
amongst the Tanjore people in European medicine.
Sevestre had also attended to three dangerous cases of midwifery
during his time as Residency Surgeon of Tanjore each of which
involved a cross or preternatural childbirth, requiring manual
assistance to save the life of the mother and infant.

Raja Serfoji II: Science, medicine and enlightenment in tanjore

Natural philosophy
Mudavath Srinivas
EE10B019

Introduction
To Serfoji, the practice of medicine was not merely an intellectual
engagement,
but also a practical one involving activities like
the collection of medicinal plants, their propagation in gardens, preparation of a herbarium,
and the extraction and preparation of medicines.

Serfoji developed a medicinal garden Arogyasiala.

commissioned illustrations of plants from his artists to enable their easy
identification.

Combined 'native' and European knowledge to produce a single discursive

reality.
His aim was to produce new knowledge that would be relevant to the locality, which
in the case of natural history included medicine and agriculture.

Cont.
Serfoji also collected a large number of animals and birds
which he housed in a menagerie, and cultivated the science of veterinary
medicine and animal management.

Developed a distinct and modern way of describing nature

which combined empiricism with sympathetic and intuitive understanding of
living nature, rooted in Hindu tradition.

Collecting and exchange of plants

Earlier, agricultural records of food grains cultivated in Tanjore is a
rare little manuscript,
containing miniature-style paintings of plants done by a Tanjore moochy, held
in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London.'
The manuscript reveals that, in the 1790s, the Tanjore moochy was making
natural history paintings for Europeans.
naturalistic style adopted later.

Cont.
He was engaged in systematic collection and exchange of
useful seeds and plants through his large networks. Serfoji
in turn with unique and useful plants, cultivated in his
garden.
He had teak, coconut trees bought from Travncore.
Surgeon James Anderson sent mango saplings(pumplemoose,
sweet lime).
Took help of chennapatnam pallikondan maistry for planting.

Missionary C.S John sent exotic plants to design botanical garden

and 30 Jambu trees with description of cultivation.
Missionary kohlhoff sent two butterfly plants, two other curious
plants-botanists, hastingia. Loquat from chaina.
Complimented with curious plant doshamurday and fruits.

Cont.
He sent the john fyfe seventeen kinds of seeds and a boarah fruit. In return, fyfe sent
cheetahs

He even collected plants from rajha of tanjores garden, botanic gardencalcutta

Collecting animals
Various kinds of animals(exotic, rare) were purchased for palace
menagerie.

Bought horses from many palaces in large numbers-Male, Delft

Serfojis men were sent to procure from far off lands.
Camels from north; elephants, monkeys were bought from jaffna in ceylon.
Even purchased birds(behari) from hunters(annasami).
In 1829, large no. of Parrots, sparrows were purchased.
Birds of prey kind were captured by nets and sticky sticks.
Leopards, tigers, deers, cockatoo etc

Animals and Entrainment

Animals and birds are often circulated among his friends(europeans
too).
Bird shama was sent to resident blackburne with surviving
descriptions.
Common habits, peculiarities, food
In return wrote, a thanking latter and complimented with gifts.

Some times invited blackburne to chasing of bird bauz.

He, his entourage and hunting dogs go to banks of coleroon and
bilvanallur forests.
Auctioning for dead animals and Live animals are bought to tanjore
menagerie.

Veterinary medicine
Serfoji devoted a great part of his time and expense to the practice of
veterinary medicine,
employing some of the best farriers, Sheikh Adam. treatment of horses.
Expert elephant doctors, venkata mavuthan.
Elephants treated for weakness with greens, castor oil, indra jal and salt.--cold,
flatulence, injuries etc were treated for.

Animal Economy
Collection of birds drawings with descriptions.
These descriptions make them more special than illustration
like Five colored parrot,
a kind of elegant birde called ten chitto,
- It is a bird called thony kalamban The flesh is very taste the small
hawks are very fond To prey upon this bird.
- but a man could catch by a little trouble which cant run much.
- If It was caught,all this kind will fell in that place about 20 or 30.
- this knid of birds eat small insects.

His descriptions are so natural rather than intimacy and

sympathy.
He closely observed, interacted with animals and wrote
descriptions and drawings through his artistVenkatadoss.
Tigers, chittas, syagash, buffalo descriptions found
very interesting.

The empirical and mythological

Of all descriptions- cobra de capello is most
interesting, which incorporated symbols, myths,
magical and medical elements
Serpent treated as god, if any one killed it should make a
gold serpent(worshiped as god in home) or to make serpents
from stones (and establish in place of most sanctuary as
ramasweram with usual ceremonies) and pray subbramania
swamy. Then sin will be released.
Serpant in present age are the issues of sasha bagavan.
Who is a ornament for lord shivah and serves as bed and umbrella
to lord vishnoo.

Four poisoned teeths-calee, kalastree, thalanamen,

kalatooden
If bitten by four, will die ; else perhaps live by proper medicine.

Fishes, frogs and marine organisms

Many kind of them were collected from friends and complimented
with gifts and drawings- menagerie
Crabs, tiger prawns, squids, jelly fish, sea worms, all fishs

Philosophical experiments as rational

recreation
In early 19th century, electricity machines, chemical kits, air pumps,
and other philosophical instruments are used for expts.
Many books were purchased and also published.
Introduction to electricity, essay on theory and practice of medical electricity, philosophy
of electricity

Knowledge was circulated/shared.

Many papers were published in physics and chemistry as well.

Conclusion
Serfoji collected plants, animals, fishes etc. from his network.
Deloployed menagerie and Arogyasala.
Animals, plants, fruits are often circulated among his networks with compliments.

Maintained natural descriptions with drawings for every species.

Taken care of health, medicine and maintainance.

First contacts between Indian and European Medical

Systems:16th century Goa
M.N.Pearson

Until 16th century medical knowledge in Europe, Muslim world

and India was evenly spread.
Plague, Smallpox and Syphilis were the prevalent diseases of
the time in Europe in general as well as Portugal.
Plague epidemics had a high mortality as European medicinal
knowledge was incapable of dealing with it.
Muslim period of dominance in Portugal till 13th century. Of the
5 major texts,4 were Muslim in origin.
Coexistence of book based practice along with folk oral
traditions.
Ex-cure for diarrhoea was to rub egg whites on abdomen,use of
badger powders etc.

Important advances in surgery occurred during renaissance but

Portugal was not involved in this
Medical education in lisbon was traditional in the extreme
Open atmosphere of portugal was stifled by the new society of
Jesus in 1550s and later by the Inquisition
Before being forced to convert in the late 15th century, over
60% of doctors in portugal had been jews
Garcia drta and cristovao dcosta compiled lists of new
diseases and remedies but these were not considered in
portugal as acceptable knowledge

In the case of tropical medicine, Indian healers with their

experience were better
Syphilis in Goa was considered a Portuguese import.
Cholera was also present in 16th century goa and was a major
killer with repeated outbreaks in 1543,1563,1570,1580 etc
Of those afflicted ,only one in ten survived
One of the treatments was to burn the heels of the patient with
red hot iron until the heat was felt
Goa had a high mortality rate, especially for Portuguese. The
sea journey to India itself led to loss of may lives due to scurvy.

Reasons for high mortalityMedical practice of the time contributed

Porous soil of goa led to mixing of sewage and drinking water
Malaria incidences increased due to presence of stagnant water
Spread of syphilis brought by the Portuguese
Health situation got so poor that the capital was shifted to
panaji in the 18th century

Diseases like cholera and typhoid were new to the portuguese

Indian diseases believed to be different and should be treated
by indian methods
Unlike the british, portugal was relatively backward ,so they did
not try to blame the diseases on the locals and their customs
and medicinal practices
For certain diseases indian doctors were preferred over
Portuguese
Even the Governors used Hindu healers because of their
supposed better local knowledge-1548 an Indian Brahmin was
practising in the college of st. Paul and another vaidya was
doctor to governor barreto in 1574

Portuguese racism tried to limit the prestige of these Hindu

doctors by passing decreed to prevent them from going on
horseback or in palanquins
Most Governors also got their own doctors from lisbon when
they came for their 3 year term. These doctors were generally
made chief of the Royal Hospital but they knew nothing about
Indian diseases. By the time they gathered sufficient knowledge
they had to return back
Contradiction in policies- Discrimination against converted jews
and Indian doctors not allowed in the royal hospital, but the
treatments of indian doctors were preferred for ailments

Mixture of Indian and european practices were followed like

bleeding the patient and the feeding them up
Transfer of knowledge from India to EuropeDrugs sent to European dispensaries from India
Contribution to modern plastic surgery like rhinoplasty
Indians learning from portugueseRuler of Ahmednagar treated by Garcia drta
Indian doctors tried using Portuguese methods but somewhat
incorrectly like bleeding

Portuguese were more advanced in the field of health care

Several new hospitals in goa like the lepers hospital of st.
Lazarus
The royal hospital was very well maintained and the patients
were lavishly treated, this was done as they mostly treated
Portuguese soldiers and proper care meant they would not
desert the army
Garcia drtas colloquies on the Simples and drugs of India was
one of the first books published in goa in the 16th and 17th
centuries, he described many of the plants remedies used by the
locals in the book.
He was the first European to publish a description of cholera in
india

Drtas knowledge was not advanced. He believed that Cholera

was caused by a toxic humour and that it was caused by over
eating
To treat fevers he used the practice of bleeding but later gave
up on it
He learnt of local medicines through contact with local hakims
and vaidyas
Being a New Christian he had to tread carefully and not do
something very radical, Even after his death he was condemned
as a Jew by the inquisition and his remains dug up and burnt
The data he compiled was used much more by the other
European countries subsequently

Germs, Malaria and the invention of Masonian Tropical

Medicine: From Diseases in the Tropics to Tropical
Diseases
Micheal Worboys

Germ theory-the proposition that microscopic organisms were

the cause of specific infectious and contagious diseases
Pasteur, Koch and Lister were influential in bringing germs from
theory to fact
Masonian tropical medicine became synonymous with nonbacterial diseases caused by unicellular and multi-cellular
organisms, and transmitted by insects and other vectors-in short
parasitic diseases
Separation of bacteriology and virology from parasitology
meant they could not learn from each other
General objection to germ theory was that there was not a
single or simple germ theory

The body was viewed as soil and the germs as seeds.

Research into why these seeds produced such different results
in different people

Diseases in the TropicsIndividual health and sanitation of the european settlements

was given importance
Extreme humidity, Fluctuating temperature were believed to
weaken the constitution of Europeans and diminish the
metabolism of internal organs like the stomach and the livercausing various diseases

Initially believed that acclimatization would help but the

optimism dies down
Suggestion were given like blood transfusion with the natives,
or short regular trips to temperate climates
1850 onwards increasing attention was paid to sanitation in
European colonies. They noticed that even in the European
countries regions with poor living conditions suffered from
diseases similar to that in the tropics.
Parkes Manual of Practical Hygiene published in 1864 offered
an exemplary sanitary approach.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century doctors and sanitary
workers were confident about the potential of sanitary measures

It was argued that the diseases in the tropics were similar to

those in the temperate regions, and only differed in the degree
of severity

From Miasmas to MalariaMalaria was initially a generic term for miasmas, and later
began to refer to the specific disease
It was not a special problem of the tropics, being common in
Europe and North America, but the incidence had gone done
over time; the implication drawn was that it had declined with
advance of civilization or rather sanitary reform

These fevers were more prevalent on moving south

Initially believed that decaying matter in the soil was the cause.
It weakened the body making it more susceptible to the fevers
Chill theory- degree of variation and rate of change of
temperature and humidity were believed to be the cause
Possible combination of miasmatic and theory as the cause
Klebs and Tommasi-crudeli claimed to have isolated the gem
responsible for malaria- Bacillus malariae. In 1880 Laveran
offered a different germ Oscillaria malariae ,a protozoan
organism found in the blood of the victims as the cause
Finally Laverans germ won the argument

In Italy malaria was prevalent around Rome. And research was

the strongest here. It was found that the germ was killed by
quinine. The progress of the disease and its affects on the body
were also studied
Various things such as water,food,sewers and even cats and
dogs were suspected as carriers of the disease, until finally it was
found that the mosquito was the vector by Ross
It was also noted that exposure to the disease once did not
build up immunity as recurrences were very common.
It was also assumed that natives had built up immunity to
malaria even though there was enough evidence to the contrary

Utilizing the new knowledge of mosquito TransmissionThe British paid a lot of importance to malaria after Ross
discovery since it was a British doctor who had found the cause.
They wanted to claim a scientific victory as well as use it in their
political propaganda
But the fact remained that malaria was not confined to the
tropics, there were other diseases like typhoid which were
wrecking more havoc in the tropics
Thus tropical disease was not a scientific classification but
rather a useful and practical one
For diseases apart from malaria sanitary measures were
followed.

The late 1890s saw the development of preventive medicine

Efforts were made to build up the strength of the people so that
they could resist diseases. This was result of pressure on the
authorities to take action
But the implementation of preventative medicine was not very
eagerly done in the tropics, which was absent in the case of
sanitation. Thus selective choices were made by the colonial
powers
Isolation of the sick and the extermination of the mosquito was
the two pronged strategy adopted by the British

The transformation of malaria into a tropical disease was not a

consequence of its decline in Britain and Europe but due to the
redesignation of a disease which had been central to germ and
zymotic theories
The focus on the malaria parasite ,vector and transmission
meant that sufficient attention was not paid towards educational
programmes and self help on it.
Thus germ theory was somewhat shaped by the micro and
macro politics of British colonial imperialism and its medical
politics