Abstract
Dr. Suresh Prasad Sarbadhikari (1866–1921) was a leading surgeon and a gynaecologist of colonial Bengal who left his mark not only in medical science, but also as an educationist and social worker. Born into an affluent and educated family, Sarbadhikari graduated from Calcutta Medical College and became a well-known doctor, contributing to ovariotomy and medical research. His name spread worldwide when he presented the impactful paper ‘Ovariotomy in Bengal’ at the first Indian Medical Congress in 1894. His reputation as a gynaecologist who could operate on patients at their homes, gradually replaced the monopoly of European doctors in Bengal and brought brilliant Bengali doctors into prominence. Sarbadhikari played a prominent role in establishing Carmichael Medical College in Kolkata and actively participated in the senate of Calcutta University. He formed the Bengal Ambulance Corps during WWI, comprising Bengali medical men who played heroic roles in Mesopotamia. He earned fabulously but donated generously to social causes. Brilliant, highly professional, honest, and patriotic- Sarbadhikari became a role model for many subsequent generations of doctors. Yet, the present generation has nearly forgotten the name of this great son of Bengal. This article is a homage to Dr. Sarbadhikari.
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DOI links have been provided for online resources wherever available. Archives of journals like Indian Medical Gazette etc. (freely available) have been used extensively for collecting research materials. Other online materials are available through archieve.org. Printed books and other material are available in various libraries. Some information have been used from Wikipedia.
Notes
Susobhan Sarkar has described the Bengal Renaissance as, ‘The impact of British rule, bourgeois economy and modern western culture was felt first in Bengal and produced an awakening known usually as the Bengal Renaissance. For about a century, Bengal’s conscious awareness of the changing modern world was more developed and ahead of that of the rest of India. The role played by Bengal in the modern awakening of India, is thus comparable to the position occupied by Italy in the story of the European Renaissance.’ (Sarkar, 1979, p. 13).
For a detail contribution of Gopaul Chunder Roy, please see: Sanyal, 2022b, pp 287–316.
Please see, Football in Bengal. Website of Indian Football Association. http://www.ifawb.com/archives.php.
A story goes like this: One day, while Dr. Suresh Prasad was driving his car, it accidentally collided with a tram car. The tram company dragged the doctor to the court for careless driving. In the court, Dr. Suresh Prasad, without the help of a professional lawyer, pleaded for himself so knavishly that the judge was stunned. The incident was reported in the next morning’s newspapers. (Ghosh, 1930, pp. 461–466).
‘The Indian Medical Service (IMS) was a military medical service in British India, which also had some civilian functions. It served during the two World Wars, and remained in existence until the independence of India in 1947. Many of its officers, who were both British and Indian, served in civilian hospitals.’ (Wikipedia). The first native Indian to join the service was Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty (1855). IMS began in 1763 as Bengal Medical Service. After 1857, the Medical Services of Bengal, Bombay and Madras Presidencies merged to form the Indian Medical Service (IMS).
Surgical removal of an ovary, or removal of an ovarian tumour (Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. (2003). Retrieved 26 November 2022, from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ovariotomy).
Anti-septic surgery pioneered by British Surgeon Joseph Lister (1827–1912).
Uma Mukherjee has spelt the first name as ‘Jyotindranath,’ which is a bit uncommon.
Interested readers may refer to ‘India, Empire, and First World War Culture: Writings, Images, and Songs’ by Santanu Das. Cambridge University Press, 2018, where the author has extensively used two war writings, such as Kalyāṇ-Pradīp (In memory of Kalyāṇ), a memoir written in Bengali by the 85-year-old grandmother of Dr. Kalyan Mukherji, who served as a doctor in Mesopotamia in Bengal Ambulance Corps and died as a POW, and Abhi Le Baghdad (Take Baghdad Now, 1958), the memoir of Sisir Prasad Sarbadhikari, a lawyer cum medical volunteer in Bengal Ambulance Corps (also a nephew of Dr. S P. Sarbadhikari) who survived the war.
The London Gazette, (1 January 1916). Supplement, pp 84 and Edinburgh Gazette, (1 January 1916). Supplement, p. 6.
The London Gazette, 13 August 1920, p. 8412 reports, ‘The KING has approved the grant of the (honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Indian) Medical Service to the following gentle man: Dr. Suresh Prasad Sarbadhikari, C.I.E., B.A., M.D. 25th Sept. 1919.’
Notes (1940). Proceedings of the Meeting dated 29 July 1940, of Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh.
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Acknowledgements
The Author is indirectly indebted to Dr. Hemotpaul Chaudhuri, grandson of Dr. Sarbadhikari and son of his second daughter Late Sulata Chaudhuri, whose Wikipedia article (now unavailable) and some other publications aroused interest in the Author about the life and works of Dr. Sarbadhikari and encouraged him for further research on this great son of colonial Bengal.
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Sanyal, I. Dr. Suresh Prasad Sarbadhikari (1866–1921): A legendary surgeon and a Bengali pioneer of ovariotomy. Indian J Hist. Sci. 59, 46–57 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-024-00114-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-024-00114-7