Hardiman, David (2008) Review of Old potions, new bottles : recasting indigenous medicine in colonial Punjab, 1850-1945, by Sivaramakrishnan, K. Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Vol.82 (No.2). pp. 464-465. ISSN 1086-3176

Abstract

Old Potions, New Bottles shows how indigenous medical practice in north India became polarized during the late colonial period into three separate systems, each of which claimed an antique heritage and was associated with a particular language tradition and religion. Ayurveda came to be seen as a system rooted in Sanskrit and Hindi and was practiced and used by Hindus. Yunani Tibb was depicted as an Arabic system, associated with the Urdu language and Islam. Punjabi Baidak claimed itself to be a distinctively Punjabi system, rooted in Sikh culture and religion. In the process, each tried to associate itself with particular nationalisms—Indian, Pakistani, and Punjabi Sikh. Although the nationalist leaders themselves were not always enthusiastic in their response—as they generally believed in the superiority of biomedicine—these systems gained some recognition after independence in 1947, with government-regulated colleges, degrees, and systems of registration.

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item