A Spirit of Liberal Enquiry

A Spirit of Liberal Enquiry – Dr James Anderson M.D. The Life and Times of a Medical Botanist in Eighteenth Century India by Robin Arnold, follows the life and career of Medical Botanist and East India Company surgeon, Dr James Anderson.

Practicing in India during the Madras Presidency between 1758 and 1809, Dr James Anderson, Surgeon General, played a pivotal role introducing the smallpox vaccine into India. He was also involved in research into pervasive diseases of the era, such as cholera and scurvy. Anderson, the ‘surgeon botanist’, made many medical and scientific contributions – a medically trained individual who also carried out research on local and imported flora and fauna.

Dr Anderson practiced during an important era in the history of medicine as concepts of health and disease were gradually changing. He was a humanitarian, making concerted efforts to change the lives of impoverished Indians through engagement with local industries. Using Anderson’s numerous surviving publications, correspondences with renowned botanist Joseph Banks, the British Library’s East India document collection, records of the Survey of India, surviving newspapers of the time and many others, Robin Arnold has masterfully documented Dr Anderson’s work, which has had a lasting impact on medical science to this day.