Health and Disease in Medieval India

Abstract

Health remained one of the prime concerns of all civilizations across time-periods. Civilizations developed their own understanding about the problem and tried to find solutions. Society in medieval India also faced several diseases and health issues and tried to overcome them. Contemporary writings are full of information about these diseases and the understanding of medieval Indian society about their occurrence and mechanisms to overcome them. The state appears to have intervened and tried to ameliorate the situation. Different types of hospitals were established and physicians tried different formulations to overcome the diseases. The present paper is an attempt to study such health issues in precolonial India and state’s intervention during time of epidemics. The paper also provides an environmental perspective of the problem