Preventive medicine in early 20th century colonial India saw the conscious promotion of 'sanitary consciousness'. Several voluntary organisations attempted to educate the public on western notions of sanitation and also tried to combat challenges posed by tuberculosis, infant mortality and venereal disease. This paper, through a regional focus on Bombay, looks at the hitherto unexplored role of semi-official and private bodies in health care. While their method was primarily educative and their reach limited to a few cities, the collaboration between officials, doctors and philanthropists in tackling public health challenges proved significant in the long run.