The Unseen Germs of Power: Medicalization, Coercion, and the Contested Public Sphere in Colonial Punjab (1860–1947)

Abstract

The local people in the Punjab faced profound, multidimensional distress due to British discriminatory medical policies, which functioned as a sophisticated tool of governance and control during the major epidemics of 1860–1947. Four major outbreaks—malaria, smallpox, cholera, and plague—provided the pretext for the colonial state to deploy "medicalization," extending surveillance over non-medical realms such as local customs, religious rituals, and personal behavior. The core problem lies in the deliberate use of racial and class stereotypes to justify coercive measures, strict movement restrictions, and the systematic suppression of marginalized groups like Tawaifs and Hijras. This alliance between state power and medical professionals sought to reinforce colonial hierarchies, protect European personnel, and advance Western medical knowledge while actively discrediting and dismantling indigenous Ayurvedic and Unani healing systems. The impact was disastrous, resulting in high mortality, widespread emotional trauma, economic disruption, and intense local resistance against medical authoritarianism.