¢ Fragmentary History of [mcnesgace cepts Sit tes inte ay | sealing with Indian eugenics and reforms discuss the centrality af eugenics Reproducti ive Health Ina of hw uch anit sont Meh epesting Seed onder ssalout health andl ‘reprodaction’ shaped agendas for ‘women’s bead In the following part of the volume, esas by Charu Gupta, Supriya ha and Anshu Malhotra investigate differential implications ofthe major kines by the colonial sate on population and birth contol forthe stratified ain society under colonial tle, For instance in the north Ini content, ‘Char Gupta finds char che ealy 204 century polities of population had eoder easte and communal implications fn contrast, Supriya Guba reveals vow sucesssadly dhe colonial emphasis on “hygiene ' had penetrated the urban middle clas Rengali cure, This wis marked by popularization and: demand for hygienic Rome births, Anshs Malhotra, in tarn, finds that he book under eview isan ourcome ofa eonlereave on * Population, | introduction of apparencly new midwifery practices became a tool for the Bisth Contral and Reproductive Healeh in Late Colonial India Krishna Soman REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH IN INDUA: HISTORY, POLITICS, CONTROVERSIES 2508, op. 264six, Bs. 620.00 snerging middie clases as upper case elites af eolonial Punjab in shaping Ine asthe Cente for the History ane! Cukure of Medicine, Scho | sheiridencty through replication ofthe colonial sates attack on the ‘native ‘of Oriental and Aftcan Stadies, University of London. Ie isako one in the | oF “tow caste dais as backwards dangerous and menacing srs of New Fespetns in Sou ian Hers | The volume is conciaded witha focus on tte debace on birth cota ‘This academic book un oll agenda. Anna Aryee incaduees the debave Beeween Mahauma Gandhi and Margares Sanger of the American labby group. This essay is sugplemented by the archival document of 1936. «| Satah Hodges in:oduction poincs out thatthe volume deals with the ‘of a wide range of schclars engaged ir not only social science | “bitory of reproduction’, which isa way of framing histary of insicutons, inquses in the isery of adisinebuc also plc het womens ight» | scours and races rund woe phen a tht suse Balt aznomg other aread of interess. The exensi which it alills their | 99 the agenda oF socal reform, medical sciences and colonial public health expectations, however, will be told by concerned sealers in tine, Edin! by | among others, SaraHodges he volume presentsa collection of sys Fi scholars reflecting on the hisory, poles and controversies 0 heath’ in India. The introd offers a cam of the 2st century when politics and conceuvensies conti 1 t0 shape and redefine notions of reproduction and reproductive health i lives changing neice, The volume — co observe te cootinuites and discontinuities of certain issues raised in Sarahs introduction and ther esays as well, For instance, ction “Towards a Higory of Repro the institacion of def" a calturlly rooted resource peal of local women play ofthe individual says. The esas cover almont for managing child bieeh, continues to be threatened by concemporary spanningbeoally heweer 1850 and 1950, Acwordingro theeditor, | medical knowledge, powerful lobbies and their influences on the state in thisis the period sson ‘modem India’. Beslesessysby individual | various accounts, “Safe motheshood’ gatherings in the present time offen the volume also presents an archival docu ical creas, the essays can be elubbed into ths for Sinilarly, women's health continues to be a low priority on the star’ ries in India, histories of the allecied stratified Indian | ageucla, while the importance and borin of ‘productive fcalth’ has society and simultaneous debates oa birth coool in the giobal sphere. raved beyond ifs earlier concern for child biceh. Anather sign of continuity Based on che offal medical work and writings in catly 20 century | howeves India, David Arnold, in his piece on official at ‘conteoland rpsroducive alt iacerprets that worn rp x time was a low priority on he state’s agenda. Rather, it was tly bflogical bur also social reproduction, agation of bir Wider aspees of wornen lives and thelr muleiple role soasiered asap wih. Colonial medical | paxtuetion and reproduction or in biological and social eeproducion were offices however, di aor blindly support this atisude of heir aimiaiscrxive | emphasized by the Narfonal Planning Cammittce in 1938. In presence of pars. Though the Bhoze r emphasized beticr | supportive lieeaturein these areas, Sarah ecas with women ‘reproduction’ th care for women, birch control was schlom considersd as 2 meats 10 | oF ‘reproguctive health in isolation. Against this gap, che introduction of improve tic hcaith, During the period under observation, while presence | the buok strugles to cune inc its catchy tte cofwomen doccorsin medical services was noticeable. there was na comensus | Assanifig to Sarah Hodges, ‘history of reproduction among pagation and promotion of bi in another essay, Barbara Ramusack finds thatthe att « thas the state's agenda of ‘women's reprosvctive healt’ file 01 ides to population, bith | take cognizance of the face thac women’ cll isan outcome of thie social luctive als | exer. It overlooks the social existence conc] that received much importance as this wis | Some of the isco by the time ‘macernal welfare’. ion and “cproductve heal and similar others. From this and physicians cowards birth control reflected similar hersulbsequert engagernenes with temssuch as ‘reproduction, eproductive ambivalence; whereas, Maneesha Lal lays down interestingly, how 98 health, i¢ is evident that she deals with bialogical slscourses on purda system in the late 19 cencucy was seen 36 thet io | seproducrion and histories of institutions, discourses and practices around ‘women health, She observes thae while the theest continued v9 prevail in | i. Statement such 3 "teproduction i always simltaneously physiological sodical knowledge, understanding of che relationship between dae"pacal’ | as well as social ac’ p.2) subsequently reflects on a narrow view of ‘social system and ‘pathology’ among women itself had changed! with time, For | act Instance, carlicrin the late 19 century, oh dh control messunss, | and concerns eapeured by terms like “procreation’, feof women | partu wntradicrions and | pundal system was viewed aan | Minally, dhe readers who are rooted ition to women’s aecess to health cars, while later in carly 1921 comtemporary discourses on health and wane « learn from history, need to go Joc and for in onder eo understand the rhetoric of women’ productive heath’ used in incerpreing the histony of biological reproduction in she 19 and early 20 centuries in India This is rather a fragmentary history roductive health in India ‘womens eprodiuc This academic book under review is topical at the beginning of the 2st century when polities and controversies continue to shape and redefine no: caduetive health in sions roduction and re nionionsSrreprorttiog Bee Krishna Soman is Assocte Professor, Pubic Health Insitute of Development the context of women’s lives in changing societies. Studhes, Kolkata, 2