INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF WESTERN MEDICINE IN MUFASSIL BENGAL; A CASE STUDY OF HOOGHLY IMAMBARA HOSPITAL (1836-1900)

Abstract

British colonial authority controlled not only the education but also the body of the colony. The type and extent of that control was not unidimensional. Lack of adequate knowledge of the climate, natural environment and geography of the Indian subcontinent at the beginning of the empire building, the colonial government was forced to rely on Indigenous medical systems and medicinal herbs for relief from tropical diseases. The concept of 'Tropical Medicine' emerged from this colonial obligation; the 'Native Medical Institution' was established in Calcutta. Additionally, Unani and Ayurveda were introduced in Calcutta 'Madrasa's and Sanskrit Colleges respectively. But as the empire grew stronger, especially after 1835 AD, there were noticeable changes in the company's educational and medical policies. The practice and application of Western medicine began at the Calcutta Medical College. On the other hand, the practice of Indigenous medicine gradually became dimmed. Throughout the 19th century, dispensaries were developed in the Western style not only in Presidency towns, but also in Mofussil towns or district headquarters. Government control was over all the levels of medical section. The proposed research article intends to explore the informative story of the development of Western medical infrastructure in one such district headquarters - 'Hooghly-Chunchura', which has been recorded in official document. The story revolves around Imambara Dawakhana, adjacent to Hooghly Imambara, which was a well-established institution of Unani or Hakimi medical practice in the area. Later, it has been popularly known as Hooghly Imambara Dispensary or Hooghly District Headquarters Hospital. This paper studies how a local medical institution was developed as an institution of Western medicine by utilizing the charity fund of Haji Mohammad Mohsin, a well-known businessman of Hooghly and the patron of Eastern Islamic culture, and the so-called doctors with the Kabiraj or Hakim of this country. The article under discussion attempts to provide a sociological explanation of how regular exchange of ideas gave rise to mutual assistance and conflict. Based on scattered information from the government archives and the municipality records, the article analyses the progress of the Hooghly Imambara Hospital from 1836 AD to 1900. In addition, middle-class mindset and the reaction of the Muslim community of the district Hooghly to the Westernization of Indigenous medicine can be investigated.