Govt general hospital completes 355 years
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com
Chennai:18.11.2019
The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital completed 355 years on November 16. Apart from its rich history, the hospital was also the first medical institution in the world to admit women.
“In the British era, women from European countries came here to study medicine since they were prohibited from studying in their own countries,” said Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, novelist and historian.
The hospital was opened on November 16, 1664 by Sir Edward Winter to treat soldiers of the East India Company. It was initially housed at Fort St George but was later moved out after the Anglo-French War to its present place. By 1772, the hospital had begun training Europeans, Eurasians and Indians in allopathic methods of diagnosis, treatment and methods of preparing medicines and assist qualified doctors. A private medical hall run by Dr Mortimar was regularised as a medical school and was opened on February 2, 1835 by then governor Sir Fredrick Adams.
In 1842, the institution began allowing Indian students. The teaching staff increased, senior courses spanning five years was started and from October 1, 1850, it was christened as Madras Medical College. The first batch of students graduated from the college in 1852 with a diploma of graduate.
Mary Scharlieb, the first woman physician and gynaecologist in the world, also graduated from the institution in 1878.
The institution is only four days younger than the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, established on January 28, 1835, the oldest in Asia.
“Both institutions would have been inaugurated the same day, but it is said that the plaque meant for MMC was not delivered on time, hence the delay,” said Ramakrishnan.
Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, vice-chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University who graduated from MMC in 1977, said it was the institution’s history and service that amazed her. “All boys and girls were treated equally. This helped us develop team spirit, we spent more time together, learned life lessons. It’s hard to put my experience in a sentence. I’m sure other alumni would agree.”
NOSTALGIA: A photograph of the hospital in the 1930s
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com
Chennai:18.11.2019
The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital completed 355 years on November 16. Apart from its rich history, the hospital was also the first medical institution in the world to admit women.
“In the British era, women from European countries came here to study medicine since they were prohibited from studying in their own countries,” said Venkatesh Ramakrishnan, novelist and historian.
The hospital was opened on November 16, 1664 by Sir Edward Winter to treat soldiers of the East India Company. It was initially housed at Fort St George but was later moved out after the Anglo-French War to its present place. By 1772, the hospital had begun training Europeans, Eurasians and Indians in allopathic methods of diagnosis, treatment and methods of preparing medicines and assist qualified doctors. A private medical hall run by Dr Mortimar was regularised as a medical school and was opened on February 2, 1835 by then governor Sir Fredrick Adams.
In 1842, the institution began allowing Indian students. The teaching staff increased, senior courses spanning five years was started and from October 1, 1850, it was christened as Madras Medical College. The first batch of students graduated from the college in 1852 with a diploma of graduate.
Mary Scharlieb, the first woman physician and gynaecologist in the world, also graduated from the institution in 1878.
The institution is only four days younger than the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, established on January 28, 1835, the oldest in Asia.
“Both institutions would have been inaugurated the same day, but it is said that the plaque meant for MMC was not delivered on time, hence the delay,” said Ramakrishnan.
Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, vice-chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University who graduated from MMC in 1977, said it was the institution’s history and service that amazed her. “All boys and girls were treated equally. This helped us develop team spirit, we spent more time together, learned life lessons. It’s hard to put my experience in a sentence. I’m sure other alumni would agree.”
NOSTALGIA: A photograph of the hospital in the 1930s
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