Medical Guide for Anglo Indians Book Report

The title of the book that I have chosen to write a report on is “Medical Guide for Anglo-Indians”. It was published in 1874 and was written by R.S Mair. I tried to search for the author on the internet but I could not find any source outlining his biography or any other works that he may have published.   All that I can say about RS Mair is what is written in the first few pages following the title page of his book.   He was a MD (Medical Doctor), fellow of the college of Royal Surgeons (Edinburgh), late Deputy Coroner of Madras, Surgeon Infantry Volunteer Guards and Member of Royal Asiatic Society. From the aforementioned information, it is fair to say that R.S Mair had considerable experience with the Indian way of life and most probably also had abundant knowledge of the diseases that Europeans could encounter while living in India. The purpose of his book is to act as a self-help guide for Europeans residing in India for long periods of time. It provides detailed information on the diseases that Europeans may come across during their stay in India and also outlines methods of disease prevention and treatment. The latter part of the book (pages 109-135) is dedicated to the management of European children in India during infancy and childhood. The use of the word ‘management’ struck me as something odd, it seems to be a very scientific definition of parenthood, as if parents were controlling children as subordinates of some organization instead of nursing or caring for them.   Nevertheless, the book discusses many topics ranging from climate, diet, detrimental effects of smoking and alcoholic beverages, diseases and (of course!) management of children. The book in essence dictates the way a European should live in India if he wants to escape unaffected from the horrific diseases that await him in the harsh climate of the subcontinent. Thus, the book may be likened to a westerner’s health bible, detailing commands that he must obey to keep his and his offspring’s...