Doctors Between Civilisation and Wilderness: Medical Geography in Pre-modern South Asia

Description

Usually theories on disease causation and treatment in early Āyurveda focus on the individual patient, his diet, and his lifestyle. There are however certain contexts, in which the locality or origin of factors jeopardising health is significant. Some climatic regions are understood to constitute more unhealthy surroundings in relation to others. Also, water flowing from certain mountain ranges is made responsible for the spread of specific ailments. Furthermore, the profession of the physician is inherently positioned on the intersections between civilisation and nature, between the orthodox tradition and the heterodox others. Healers have to find their medicines in the wilderness and draw on the special knowledge of those who live in the forests. Their well-paying patients, however, belong to the civilised world. Because, in the exercise of their profession, physicians come in contact with impure substances they have a low status in society – at least according to the rules of Dharmaśāstra literature. This socio-religious rejection naturally positions them close to heterodox ascetics and other forest dwellers. However, because of their precious knowledge and the ability to save people from illness and death, they can also become highly respected by the elites. In this talk I want to present some peculiarities of the geography of disease and healing in pre-modern South Asia and theorise on the religious, cultural and social backgrounds of these connections and attributions. What is the greater significance of geographical localisation of disease origins? How was wilderness vis-à-vis civilisation perceived by early āyurvedic physicians? What do these views tell us about their attitude towards people living in places understood to be either wild or civilised? Where have they positioned themselves and where have others positioned them?

Period	18 Jun 2024
Event title	Narratives of Exclusion: The Othering of Indian Forest-Dwellers in Pre-Modern Textual Sources
Event type	Conference
Location	Ghent, BelgiumShow on map