Colonialism, Tropical Disease, and Imperial Medicine

Book excerpt: For centuries, cultural imperialism has been practiced by Western colonizing nations seeking to extend their hegemony around the globe. In this insightful study, Hewa sheds new light on the often ignored role that Western medicine has played in this expansionist project. At the center of his analysis, the author cites colonial economic policies both as the facilitator of the spread of epidemic diseases in the tropics and as a vehicle for promoting the superiority of Western medicine that sought their cure. Sri Lanka is the geographical focus of the study, providing the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of European colonial policies on the health and disease of that population. Hewa concentrates primarily on the British and American cultural imperialism and how against this backdrop the intervention of Rockefeller philanthropy in Sri Lanka is examined.