James Ranald Martin
Encyclopedia
Sir James Ranald Martin (12 May 1796 – 27 November 1874) was a surgeon in India who worked in the service of the Honourable East India Company and was instrumental in publicising the effects of deforestation
, and finding links between human and environmental health.
Medical Service on 5 September 1817. He obtained commission of assistant-surgeon through the interest of his uncle, Sir John MacDonald.
at the port of Calcutta in June 1817 by ship, the Lord Hungerford, and reported for duty with the Bengal service on 2 December 1817.
In 1818 he served in his Majesty's 17th and 59th Regiments forming the garrison of Fort William
. Here he came to see the effect of Cholera
. He was then sent to Orissa
where a malignant fever had prevailed and destroyed more than half the inhabitants of Ganjam
. He saw action in a number of military engagements during the 1820s. The most notable of these was the First Burmese War
from 1823–26. His war experiences, especially the fact that diseases affected the natives and the Europeans
differently, led him to believe that mapping of the medical features of the empire in much the same way as topography
was critical for military and economic development. His notes on the medical topography of Calcutta pioneered a genre of works that explored linkages between climate, public health and development. He was made the President of the East India Company's medical board in 1843. In 1856, he substantially re-wrote and extended the then well-known treatise on diseases in the tropics, Influence of Tropical Climates originally authored by James Johnson
. He was also appointed as a member of the Sanitary Commission and contributed to the report of the Commission published in 1863.
Smallpox
vaccinations had been started in India around 1803, well before his arrival but Martin was the first major advocate of preventive medicine
. He proposed in 1835 that Company medical officers should collect statistics of places so that they could be collated for study. His pioneering report on the need for public health
measures and the universal provision of clean water in Calcutta in 1836 called for a whole series of medico-topographical reports on India by the medical service. During the Burma War, a number of his colleagues in the Medical Department of the Bengal Army wrote topographies of Rakhine State
, and in the following years other Company surgeons began to follow suit, producing detailed medical surveys of their town or district. The Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta
, of which Martin was a prominent member, and its counterparts in other presidencies, encouraged the publication of such reports in their transactions. Many of these reports spoke about the rapid rates of deforestation since the early 1820s. Such reports were instrumental in institutionalization of forest conservation activities in British India through the establishment of Forest Departments and the Indian Forest Service
.
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
, and finding links between human and environmental health.
Early life
Born in the Isle of Skye in one of the oldest families living on the island, his father was Rev. Donald Martin and his mother was the daughter of Norman Macdonald and sister of Lieut-Gn. Sir John Macdonald. Martin was educated at St. George's and Windmill Street School. He became a C.C.S. in 1811 and entered the BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
Medical Service on 5 September 1817. He obtained commission of assistant-surgeon through the interest of his uncle, Sir John MacDonald.
Work
He reached IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
at the port of Calcutta in June 1817 by ship, the Lord Hungerford, and reported for duty with the Bengal service on 2 December 1817.
In 1818 he served in his Majesty's 17th and 59th Regiments forming the garrison of Fort William
Fort William, India
Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
. Here he came to see the effect of Cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. He was then sent to Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
where a malignant fever had prevailed and destroyed more than half the inhabitants of Ganjam
Ganjam
Ganjam is a town and a notified area committee in Ganjam district in the state of Orissa, India.-Geography:Ganjam is located at . It has an average elevation of 3 metres .-Demographics:...
. He saw action in a number of military engagements during the 1820s. The most notable of these was the First Burmese War
First Burmese War
The First Anglo-Burmese War was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese Empires in the 19th century. The war, which began primarily over the control of northeastern India, ended in a decisive British victory, giving the British total control of Assam, Manipur, Cachar and...
from 1823–26. His war experiences, especially the fact that diseases affected the natives and the Europeans
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
differently, led him to believe that mapping of the medical features of the empire in much the same way as topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
was critical for military and economic development. His notes on the medical topography of Calcutta pioneered a genre of works that explored linkages between climate, public health and development. He was made the President of the East India Company's medical board in 1843. In 1856, he substantially re-wrote and extended the then well-known treatise on diseases in the tropics, Influence of Tropical Climates originally authored by James Johnson
James Johnson (surgeon and writer)
James Johnson was an influential British writer on diseases of tropical climates in the first half of the nineteenth century. Born in February, 1777, in Derry, Ireland, at the early age of 15 he became an apprentice to a surgeon-apothecary in Antrim for 2 years...
. He was also appointed as a member of the Sanitary Commission and contributed to the report of the Commission published in 1863.
Smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
vaccinations had been started in India around 1803, well before his arrival but Martin was the first major advocate of preventive medicine
Preventive medicine
Preventive medicine or preventive care refers to measures taken to prevent diseases, rather than curing them or treating their symptoms...
. He proposed in 1835 that Company medical officers should collect statistics of places so that they could be collated for study. His pioneering report on the need for public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
measures and the universal provision of clean water in Calcutta in 1836 called for a whole series of medico-topographical reports on India by the medical service. During the Burma War, a number of his colleagues in the Medical Department of the Bengal Army wrote topographies of Rakhine State
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
, and in the following years other Company surgeons began to follow suit, producing detailed medical surveys of their town or district. The Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta
Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta
The Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta was a society of British officials, mostly physicians, formed on March 1, 1823. The society published a quarterly journal and met at the Asiatic Society. The journal published articles on diseases prevailing in India and their links with environment and...
, of which Martin was a prominent member, and its counterparts in other presidencies, encouraged the publication of such reports in their transactions. Many of these reports spoke about the rapid rates of deforestation since the early 1820s. Such reports were instrumental in institutionalization of forest conservation activities in British India through the establishment of Forest Departments and the Indian Forest Service
Indian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service is the Forestry service of India. It is one of the three All India Services of the Indian government, along with the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service; its employees are recruited by the national government but serve under the state governments or...
.
Sources
- Grove, R. H. (1997) Ecology, Climate and Empire The White House Press, UK, pp. 237
- Sir Joseph Fayrer, Life of the Inspector General Sir James Ranald Martin (London, 1897) D.N.B., 12, pp. I 165-6.