Author: kirankumbhar

I am a medical doctor and health policy graduate, and currently PhD student at Harvard University (history of science). I write primarily about public health and the history and culture of medicine in India.
History of Medicine · Medicine & Doctors · Public health · Recommended movies, books etc.

Review of the book ‘Healers or Predators: Healthcare Corruption in India’ by Nundy, Desiraju, Nagral

kirankumbharLeave a comment

This review was published in Wire.in on 18 Oct 2018. Here is the full article. Below is an excerpt: As a former physician now studying the history of the medical profession in India, I found the chapters written by veteran doctors most interesting. M.K. Mani, who has been in medicine for the last 60 years,… Continue reading Review of the book ‘Healers or Predators: Healthcare Corruption in India’ by Nundy, Desiraju, Nagral

Culture & Life · History · History of Medicine · Religion

Why do some Indians like to obsessively make outrageous claims about ‘ancient Indian science’?

kirankumbharLeave a comment

I wrote the following as an answer to the question on Quora What were some of the global events that had the greatest impact on the history of India? I will write about a very obvious global event and its very under-appreciated impacts on India’s history. The event is British colonialism. The underappreciated impacts are… Continue reading Why do some Indians like to obsessively make outrageous claims about ‘ancient Indian science’?

History · History of Medicine · Medicine & Doctors

The time when ANYBODY could practise as a doctor in the United States

kirankumbharLeave a comment

I wrote this as an answer to a question on Quora, Has there ever been a time when doctors were widely mistrusted (as a whole)? It might be perhaps accurate to say that healers in general – or doctors as we would call them today – have never received complete, unadulterated trust from the public… Continue reading The time when ANYBODY could practise as a doctor in the United States

History · History of Medicine · Medicine & Doctors · Public health · Recommended movies, books etc.

The history of medicine in India: Some reading recommendations for doctors and other healthcare practitioners

kirankumbharLeave a comment

Over the last two years I have fortunately had the time and resources to read some excellent scholarship on the history of medicine and public health in India. These books and articles have immensely helped me to understand the historical beginnings and trajectories of the different aspects of healthcare in our country. For example, one… Continue reading The history of medicine in India: Some reading recommendations for doctors and other healthcare practitioners

Culture & Life

How to address the entrenched inequalities and injustices in India as an ordinary citizen

kirankumbharLeave a comment

I wrote the following as an answer to the question ‘What are the common forms of inequality prevailing in India‘ on the platform Quora: We have, in every city and town, and every village, a large section of people – of human beings, of folks like us – who do not possess even the basic… Continue reading How to address the entrenched inequalities and injustices in India as an ordinary citizen

Culture & Life · History · History of Medicine · Public health

The “oppressive” history of family planning and population control in India

kirankumbharLeave a comment

I wrote this for Swaddle on July 8 2018. Here is the original article. I based it primarily on the book ‘Reproductive Restraints: Birth Control in India, 1877-1947’ by historian Sanjam Ahluwalia of Northern Arizona University Below are some excerpts: Birth control began in India not as a free choice by individuals to manage their fertility, but as… Continue reading The “oppressive” history of family planning and population control in India

Culture & Life · History

A guide to finding historical images about India through free online resources

kirankumbharLeave a comment

During my research into the history of India and the history of medicine in India, I have often come across very useful resources for images and photographs from the past. Many of these are free and do not require any payment or subscriptions. Below is a list of those, and I will continue to add… Continue reading A guide to finding historical images about India through free online resources

History · History of Medicine · Medicine & Doctors

Dr PK Sen in 1968 – India’s first heart transplant in the time of Nehruvian science and self-reliance

kirankumbharLeave a comment

This was published in thewire.in on 30th June 2018. Here is the full article, and below is an extract. “When Sen decided to make cardiovascular history around early 1968, large scientific projects had already entered public imagination as modern ‘temples’ a la Nehru. In fact he had previously performed India’s first ever operation on the heart… Continue reading Dr PK Sen in 1968 – India’s first heart transplant in the time of Nehruvian science and self-reliance