Nathaniel Wallich Global Botany in Nineteenth Century India

Description

In March 1807, Nathaniel Wallich, a young Danish surgeon left his home in Copenhagen towards India. During the troubles of the Napoleonic Wars, it was not possible to foresee, that he was to emerge as one of the most prominent nineteenth century botanists. Wallich spent most of his adulthood in India and, as the long-time superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, gained extensive expertise on Indian flora. A truly global communication network emerged from his desk facing the River Hooghly, reaching out to eminent specialists as well as amateur researchers long forgotten today. He conducted research trips to Nepal, as well as to South East Asia and may be perceived as one of the founding fathers of tea production in Assam. This book is based on the enormous correspondence of Wallich, preserved in libraries across Calcutta, London, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Munich and many other places. It aims to approach a long career marked by biographical ruptures and contradictions, but at the same time by continuity. It furthermore explains the tight links between supposedly neutral botanical studies and the emergence of British colonial power in India. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Plates Acknowledgements Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction: Nathaniel Wallich—A Life’s Correspondence Chapter 2: Copenhagen Chapter 3: As a Surgeon to the Danish East Indies Chapter 4: Serampore Chapter 5: Calcutta Chapter 6: The Botanic Garden Chapter 7: Superintendent Chapter 8: Nepal Chapter 9: The Straits of Malacca Chapter 10: The Forests of India Chapter 11: London Chapter 12: Tea Chapter 13: The Medical College Chapter 14: At the Cape of Good Hope Chapter 15: Farewell to India Chapter 16: Final Days Sources and Secondary Literature Index