The Making of Modern Nutrition Science in India: Institutional Contributions of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), 1906–1974

Abstract

The last few decades have witnessed flowering of interest in the history of modern science in colonial and post colonial India. The study of the knowledge forms of non-western societies is a rapidly emerging research field that could have a lasting impact on the disciplinary history of science. This paper examines the nature of the development of modern nutrition science in India between 1906 and 1974, with particular emphasis on the institutional role of the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN). Beginning as a modest ‘Beri-Beri Enquiry Unit’ under Sir Robert McCarrison, the institute evolved into a premier research body shaping nutritional policies and scientific understanding across colonial and postcolonial India. This paper scrutinizes key phases of maturing, including colonial research priorities, the blossoming of deficiency disease frameworks, post-independence expansion, and the institutionalization of public health nutrition. It argues that NIN played a foundational role in transforming nutrition into a scientific discipline and a policy instrument in India.