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From the first printed book on medicine to a decoction of pomegranate root for deworming
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In 1849, a Bengali book titled ‘London Pharmacopæia’ was published by the Bishop’s College Press in Calcutta. It was a lavish production, running into nearly 250 pages and priced at a princely three rupees and eight annas. The name of the translator was given as Madhusudan Gupta. The 1850 issue of ‘The Calcutta Review’ noted approvingly: “We hail this book as an instalment of better things: as preparing the machinery for a secondary class in the Bengali language in connection with the Medical College."
History remembers Gupta as the first-ever Indian trained in Western medicine to dissect a human corpse, and the first Indian to be appointed lecturer at the Calcutta Medical College, set up in 1835. Following its establishment, it was hoped that a stream of medical literature in Bengali would follow, challenging the considerable body of Ayurvedic literature already in the market. But the Macaulayization of Indian education had begun, and the ‘babus’ preferred writing in English. So some of the key medical texts of the period are in English rather than Bengali. For instance, J.R. Martin’s ‘Medical Topography Of Calcutta’, published in 1837.
In the meantime, the Ayurvedists made merry, taking to print with great alacrity, with titles such as ‘Ayurbbed Darpan’, compiled by Narayan Ray from Chanak village in 1840. The ambitious title page reveals that as many as 100 parts, each costing 1, would be issued (in reality, only three came out!). The following year, the first four numbers of ‘Chikitsa Ratnakar’ were published by Haladhar Sen from the Superior Press, while 1855 saw the publication of ‘Atmarakhsa’ by Rajkrishna Raychoudhury from the Samachar Chandrika Press.
Which was the first printed book on medicine in Bengali though? According to Reverend James Long, that indefatigable bibliographer of Bengali literature, a book called ‘Vidya Ninda’ appeared in 1818, ridiculing physicians with reference to the adage: “the destruction of 100 lives makes a physician, 1,000 lives a doctor." The following year, Ramkamal Sen wrote ‘Ausadh Sarsamgraha’, a treatise on disease and cures. This 95-page volume, published by the Hindustani Press, listed the use and application of 56 different medicines such as ‘jalap’, rhubarb, castor oil, ‘chiretta’, ‘calomel’, mercury, etc. Its high point was surely a decoction of pomegranate root, which cured a man of a nine-month illness and forced the egress of a worm 30ft long!
Shortly afterwards, Felix Carey, son of the legendary William Carey, began to publish an encyclopaedia called ‘Bidyaharabali’ from 1820. The first volume was devoted to ‘Byabachchedvidya’, or anatomy, a topic that was covered in 14 chapters. Each chapter ran to 48 pages, and was priced rather steeply at 2.
It was around this time that cholera broke out in Calcutta and began to spread across Asia and east Africa, leading to panic in Europe, and much later, a science fiction novel by Mary Shelley titled ‘The Last Man’. Dr Breton, the missionary, published a slim volume on cholera in 1826 titled ‘Olauthar Bibaran’, which was distributed free.
It is estimated that as many as 35 books on the medical sciences were published till 1867 in Bengali.
Abhijit Gupta teaches English at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and is director, Jadavpur University Press.
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