Essentially Christian, eminently philanthropic

The Mission to Lepers in British India

Bibliographic Data

ID3088586
AuthorsD George Joseph (Yale University School of Medicine, USA, corresponding author)
Year2003
Volume10
Issuesuppl 1
Pages247-275
Publication date2003-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHistória Ciências Saúde-Manguinhos (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0104-5970 • E-ISSN: 1678-4758
PublisherFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/s0104-59702003000400012
PMID14650416
OpenAlexW2111060611
SCIELO_PIDS0104-59702003000400012
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited16

The early history of the Mission to Lepers in India is an interplay between politics, religion, and medicine in the context of British imperialism. The Mission pursued the dual but inseparable goals of evangelization and civilization, advancing not only a religious program but also a political and cultural one. These activities and their consequences were multi-faceted because while the missionaries pursued their religious calling, they also provided medical care to people and in places that the colonial government was unable or unwilling. Within the context of the British imperial program, the work imparted Western social and cultural ideals on the colonial populations they served, inculcated patients with Christian beliefs, and provided medical care to individuals who had been expelled from their own communities. Physical healing was intimately tied to religious salvation, spiritual healing, and the civilizing process

Archaeology · Christianity · Civilization · Colonialism · Context (archaeology) · Environmental ethics · Government (linguistics) · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Western culture · Gender Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Society, and Development

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