"This volume discusses, for the first time, the nature of the interaction between western medical science and local knowledge and practices in late 19th-century Bengal through excerpts from important Bengali medical and scientific journals published between 1850 and 1900. The articles reproduced in this volume not only reveal the various ways in which western medicine combined with local practices, but also depict the customs, traditions, social practices, religion and economy of 19th-century Bengal."--Jacket.