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<p>Philosophers of medicine have studied the relation between environmental and bodily heat, especially during fever, since antiquity. The inexplicable conditions that made the&#xa0;body warm&#xa0;during fever have perplexed physicians until the nineteenth century, when germ theory became an accepted form of knowledge that explained causes and symptoms of fever. In most forms of traditional medicine, bodily heat has a deeper meaning&#xa0;that is often embedded within a larger chain of associations among elements, humors, and other body processes. The article first explains the concept of heat in Ayurveda and how it is relational and multilayered. It then explains the significance of the concept in the context of COVID-19. Finally, it reflects on the politico-social histories of two cities—Kolkata and Varanasi—to show how Ayurveda has acquired different significance and meaning in these cities over the past two centuries. Ayurveda is polyvalent. As scholars have recently shown, rather than being folded into biomedical assertions, Ayurveda often uses its theories and knowledge to rework, interpret, and even subvert biomedicine. The paper adds to this by showing how the histories of two cities are critical in that process and ultimately determine the meaning of Ayurveda.</p>

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The concept of heat in Ayurveda: Health, fever, and COVID-19 in Varanasi and Kolkata

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月29日

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  • Ashawari Chaudhuri

摘要

Philosophers of medicine have studied the relation between environmental and bodily heat, especially during fever, since antiquity. The inexplicable conditions that made the body warm during fever have perplexed physicians until the nineteenth century, when germ theory became an accepted form of knowledge that explained causes and symptoms of fever. In most forms of traditional medicine, bodily heat has a deeper meaning that is often embedded within a larger chain of associations among elements, humors, and other body processes. The article first explains the concept of heat in Ayurveda and how it is relational and multilayered. It then explains the significance of the concept in the context of COVID-19. Finally, it reflects on the politico-social histories of two cities—Kolkata and Varanasi—to show how Ayurveda has acquired different significance and meaning in these cities over the past two centuries. Ayurveda is polyvalent. As scholars have recently shown, rather than being folded into biomedical assertions, Ayurveda often uses its theories and knowledge to rework, interpret, and even subvert biomedicine. The paper adds to this by showing how the histories of two cities are critical in that process and ultimately determine the meaning of Ayurveda.