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| HISTORY
OF MYSORE MEDICAL COLLEGE: |
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The Mysore City once during the
British rule called the Birmingham of India has been a model
state under the able control of the Royal Dynasty of Wodiyars.
Krishnaraja Wodiyar IV (1902 - 1940) was the model king, with
his efficient efforts to improve the welfare of the citizens,
like organizing proper education, schools and colleges health
and welfare programmes. Although we were under the British
rule, he dared to introduce bilingual system of education with
Kannada besides English. Our Alma Mater Mysore Medical
College is the brainchild of Krishnaraja Wodiyar.
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| The First 25 Years - 1924-1949 |
| THE
BIRTH OF THE COLLEGE AND THE TRANSITION PERIOD |
Sri Krishnadevaraja Wodiyar was
the founder of Mysore Medical College in 1924. Prior to
1924 and as far back as 1881, there were no medical institutions
in the erstwhile state of Mysore, hence the concept of giving
Medical education was started in 1881 and to train the personnel
for this purpose students were being selected, they were called
the "Hospital Assistants" and were being given scholarship and
sent to places like Madras and Bombay to undergo a course in
Medical Colleges.
In the course of time due to certain constraints like providing
accommodation to students, the Madras Presidency expressed inability
to admit Mysore State students. "Necessity was the mother
of invention". The Government of Mysore sanctioned a scheme
in April 1917 at Bangalore to train the then called "Sub Assistant
Surgeons", and directed that the "Mysore Medical School" be
started. Although it was started at Bangalore, as it was
the 1st of its kind in the state of Mysore, if was named as
Mysore Medical School.
To start with 16 pupils were selected and were provided teaching
facility at the Victoria Hospital and the course was for 4 years
to be qualified for LMP. The medical officer i/c of Victoria
Hospital was the Principal. The Mysore Medical School
was managed by a council consisting of the Principal and 4 Lecturers
and the Senior Surgeon of Victoria Hospital was the controlling
authority. In the year 1924-25 this Medical School was
raised to the grade of a college called as the Mysore Medical
College; then the candidates were prepared for Medical Degrees
and the college was affiliated to the University of Mysore.
The King was keen on providing medical education in a serene
Royal city the Birmingham of India, the pensioners paradise,
the city of palaces and parks, hence at the behest of Sri Krishnaraja
Wodiyar the College was shifted from Bangalore to Mysore in
the year 1930.
The foundation stone was laid in 1930 by H.H. Krishnaraja Wodiyar
and the Majestic looking Mysore Medical College main building
was constructed by the then famous contractor of Mysore, Boraiah
Basavaiah & Sons
Our Alma Mater has been a gift by our Highness to us.
We are proud today, that we are the products of this illustrious
college, was the 1st of its kind in the state and the 7th in
the entire country in those days.
In the year 1930, 30 students were admitted to the college and
to start with anatomy and physiology Departments were established
and growing further they were given clinical training at the
K.R. Hospital and Cheluvamba Hospital which were functioning
at Mysore prior to Mysore Medical College at Mysore. The
then superintendent of the K.R. Hospital and a renowned personality,
Dr. J.F. Rabinson was selected as the Principal of the College
after Dr. S. Subba Rao. Dr. Shyama Sastry was the 1st
student to get 1st class in MBBS who retired as DMS.
From 1930 onwards for nearly 25 years our college remained as
the sole medical institution in the entire state giving outstanding
education with a proven excellency. During the 1st 25
years of its existence, it is worth remembering the names of
the teaching faculty who were indeed stalwarts, great mentors,
dedicated personalities and luminaries according to the tales
I heard from my teachers and seniors who taught them and inspired.
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| The following are some of the names
of those stalwarts. |
Dr. B.K. Naraya Rao,
Dr. Col. Nagendra , Dr. B.N. Balakrishna Rao, Dr. K. Srikantaiah
Rao Bahadur, Dr. B.T. Krishnan, Dr. J.F. Robinson, Dr. V.R.
Naidu, Dr. C. Krishnaswamy Rao, Dr. Y. Appaji, Dr. Adhikeshavalu,
Dr. T. Seshachalam, Dr. Hirannaiah, Dr. R.E. Heilig.
Some of them were Palace Doctors
Silver Jubilee of the College was celebrated in 1947, inaugurated
by Sri H.H. Jayachamaraja Wodiyar presided by Dr. A. Lakshmanswamy
Modaliyar, the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University and a pre-eminent
personality in the medical field and Dr. Amrith Kaur, the then
Union Minister for health was the guest of Honour.
During the Silver Jubilee celebrations, the Student Secretary
was Dr. K.C. Pani who is a living legend witnessing the Platinum
Jubilee celebration along with us who contributed lot of information
and portraits of the past.
The Silver Jubilee period for 25 years has been an era of Stalwarts.
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| The Next 25 years (1949-1975) |
This period has been the era of
growth and development. This has been a golden era in
the history of Mysore Medical College. It is during this
period many Mysore Medical College graduates moved to various
parts of the world mainly USA, UK, Canada. Many of them
have proved their excellence and distinguished themselves in
various fields as clinicians, academicians and administrators,
etc..
The teachers were eminent and devoted who had involvement in
their respective fields, quotable among them were Dr. Rajagopal
from the Department of Anatomy who dissected Elephant for comparative
Anatomy, Dr. Krishne Urs had a Silver tongue in teaching Anatomy,
Dr. Thakar Nayak as a sober Anatomy teacher.
From the Department of Physiology, Dr. Narayan Setty was famous
for his explaining the "Theory of Equilibrium". Dr. B.V.
Puttaraj Urs by his majestic look and teaching, Dr. Sampathkumaran,
Professor of Physiology is a living legend, Dr. D.S. Shivappa
from the Department of Pharmacology who had unique quality of
writing medical terms in Kannada. Dr. Krishna Bhargava
and Dr. Saraswathi Bhargava, Dr. Charles D'souza were committed
teachers in Pathology. Dr. S.P. Anikar in the Department
of P&SM was a great witty teacher.
There was a galaxy of eminent teachers and clinicians in the
clinical side (other side of the road as we used to call) consisting
of Medicine, Surgery, OBG, Pediatrics that included Dr. Govinda
Setty, Dr. Basavaraj Urs, Dr. K.G. Das, Dr. Y.P. Rudrappa, Dr.
N.A. Jadhav, Dr. M.V. Govindappa, Dr. Gurupadappa from the department
of medicine and Dr. A.K. Gopal Rajan, Dr. H. Nanjarajaiah, Dr.
R.H.N. Shenoy, Dr. Narayanaswamy, Dr. Jeevandharakumar, Dr.
P.R. Sathyanarayan Setty from the Department of Surgery.
From the Department of OBG: Dr. Leelavathy Reddy; Dr. Vyjayanthi,
Dr. Lalitha Lingaiah and Dr. Jayalakshmi Iyer.
From Pediatrics : Dr. Indira Amla, Dr. Anke Gowda and Dr. Manikya
Raju.
During the first half of this quarter academically it was exemplary.
Many brilliant and outstanding students like Dr. M.V. Govindappa
who took 1st class in Final MBBS after a gap of 32 years next
to Dr. Shama Sastry's record in the Mysore University.
Many other brilliant students were trained, mentioning all names
is impossible but may be available at University Gazetteer.
As there were no private teaching institutions and Corporate
Hospitals were yet to come up, the Mysore Medical College with
its attached Hospitals like K.R. Hospital, Cheluvamba Hospital,
was in the forefront to serve the needy persons at large.
The Krishnarajendra Hospital at Mysore was constructed at a
cost of Rs. 3,65,000/- and started as a 100 bedded Hospital
with X-ray apparatus.
Silent tributes to the aesthetic sense of our Royal Dynasty
who created things of beauty, because of the strong British
influence on the Princes, the structures built during their
rules are still engineering feats incorporating architectural
designs, our K.R. Hospital is one among them evoking nostalgia
of the past.
The royal family was very much concerned about the health of
their citizens hence they built this hospital. The last
ruler of Mysore Sri Jayachamaraja Wodiyar was once treated in
this hospital when he got injured while hunting in the forest
is an anecdote.
Cheluvamba hospital is already 120 years old, built in 1880with
24 beds, was first named as Vanivilas Hospital, when it was
upgraded to 200 bedded hospital with 2 storied building in 1939
it was renamed as Cheluvamba Hospital. Further expansion
in 1954 to 3 storied building named as women and children block.
New OPD Block of OBG built in 1997 is added Dr. Mrs. Hanumattekar
was outstanding teacher and improved the standard of Hospital.
The post of the Dean was created in 1961 vesting in him the
administrative charge of both the college and the attached teaching
hospitals with a view to ensure co-ordination of both teaching
and hospital administration assisted by Vice-deans from K.R.
Hospital and Cheluvamba hospital and this system existed for
14 years until 1974 when the post of Principal was redesignated
with Superintendents I/C of the Hospital. The Unit system
came into force from 1961.
Ending with platinum Jubilee and just coinciding with the end
of this millennium - This era has been a vibrant period in accordance
with the global changes in scientific advancements and the use
of gadgets, the administration has been trying its best to march
ahead, establishing cold storage mortuary, expansion of the
buildings, equipping the departments with modern instruments,
modernizing the blood bank, establishing Burns ward. Superspeciality
departments like Plastic Surgery. Urology, nephrology,
cardiology, Laser Surgery, Emergency O.T. etc., are introduced.
One of the most modern bedded Air conditioned ICCU is now established
since 1998 in the ground floor of newly built multistoried OPD
building towards Dhanvanthri Road is a massive structure behind
the spacious special wards of our days.
For the past 25 years of the history of our Alma Mater, I have
tried to narrate the story partly with the best of my knowledge
and the information I gathered through the present Principal.
Mysore Medical College - our college has sailed through the
SAGA of 75 years, during this journey, the various expansion
programmes and academic achievements which culminated in the
development of this illustrious institution that is academically
on par with any in the nation, is founded by H.H. Krishnaraja
Wodiyar, nurtured and guided by series of eminent teachers and
23 administrators - Deans and principals like
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- Dr. S. Subba Rao
- Dr. H.B. Myalvagnam
- Dr. B.K. Narayana Rao
- Dr. J.F. Robinson
- Dr. C. Krishnaswamy Rao
- Dr. B.T. Krishnan
- Dr. Y. Appaji
- Dr. G.S. Raghunatha Rao
- Dr. B.N. Lingaraju
- Dr. J.J. Dharmaraj
- Dr. T. Manickam
- Dr. Lalitha Lingaiah
- Dr. B.V. Puttaraj Urs
- Dr. V. Ramachandra
- Dr. Indira Amla
- Dr. R.H.N. Shen
- Dr. N.K. Channappa
- Dr. D. Chamaraj
- Dr. D. Shankar Raj
- Dr. D.C. Parthasarathy
- Dr. A.M. Krishne Urs
- Dr. B. Lakshmi Bai
- Dr. R. Seethalakshmi
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Incidentally 23rd administrator
of the college is the present principal Dr. R. Seethalakshmi
who is blessed with 3 gifts - being the Chairperson of the alma
mater celebrating Platinum Jubilee, the last Principal of this
millennium and the 1st Principal of the next Millennium in a
fortnight from now. We see in her the dedication and commitment
to the development of our institution.
I have done my best on behalf of the Alumni of Our Alma Mater.
I take this opportunity to offer pranams to all those who have
rendered service to tradition, our college will grow from strength
to strength and in the annals of Medical Colleges and Hospitals
of the country a special place is reserved for our Alma Mater.
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