The use of disease and vaccines as a tool for colonization pt.2

The rise and fall of the Indian Ocean Trade

The Indian Ocean trade route was one of the most influential routes that was at its height between 1200-1400. Trade was exclusive to the Afro-Asian area that connected the Middle East, East Asia, India and Africa, fostering the exchange of goods, culture and knowledge. However, during the 1500’s, European nations interrupted this ancient trade route, initiating wars over lands and goods. Diseases like smallpox and cholera were weaponized during this conquest, particularly by the British, who used them to dismiss local customs as superstition under the guise to “civilize” and bring cleanliness to these cultures.

Cholera as a weapon of colonization

Cholera ravaged the Indian Ocean trade, with five major epidemics occuring during British military campaigns against the Maratha Empire in the 19th century. The British exploited the epidemic by camping in sacred sites and ignoring caste rules, demeaning Hindu rituals for handling disease as superstition. Thereby, cholera widely spread, an opportunity for the British to let the poor die and alter the class structure to win the war by 1818.

Western appropriation of eastern health practices

Today, many health practices from India have become popular in the West. Yoga and herbal remedies, once belittled by colonizers, are now embraced, though often without respect for their origins. The west has no understanding of the spiritual aspect of yoga (in most studios) and no knowledge of herbal formulations from traditional medicine. Turmeric, a staple in Indian tradition, is now a trendy “natural” remedy, found in the form of shots, pills and even coated in assorted nuts. This often leads to over or under dosing spices and herbs for healing, and their misuse.

Conclusion

The destruction of the Indian Ocean trade by the Western powers, particularly, through the spread of diseases like cholera, reveal a tragic pattern of conquest and cultural erosion. Today’s widespread adoption of Eastern health practices such as yoga and herbal remedies highlights both the influence of these ancient cultures and the continued disconnect in understanding their true significance.