A Closer Look: Princely States and Medical Institutions

Early medical institutions, especially in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, were curated and funded by the colonial government, missionaries and philanthropy. While the role of the British Colonial Government and missionaries is better known, the role of individual and other philanthropic institutions, such as royal families and princely states are often overlooked. In this episode, we have Radhika Hegde discussing the role of princely states in the institutionalisation of health and medical practices in South Asia with a case study of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore and its royal family, the Wodeyars. The foundations of this research project are based on archival material preserved at the Major Gen. S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, supplemented with resources from the Karnataka State Archives and the Mythic Society.

The series, 'Rooh', is the outcome of a Foundation Project within the purview of the Archives and Museums Program of the India Foundation for the Arts in collaboration with the S.L. Bhatia History of Medicine Museum, Library and Archives, Bangalore, to explore the many themes of the History of Medicine. Part funding was also provided by the Parijat Foundation.

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