Kadambini Was the fi Rst Native Female Medical Practitioner Of
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B.K. SEN Kadambini was the fi rst native female medical practitioner of RTICLE western medicine in India. A David Kopf , the American historian aptly wrote, “Ganguli’s wife, Kadambini, was appropriately enough the most accomplished and liberated Brahmo woman of her EATURE time.” F 1861-19231 ADAMBINIADAMBINI GangulyGanguly (née Bose) (1861-1923)(1861-19223)) isis oneone of thethhe fi rst Educa on and Professional Career Kttwo female f l graduates d t of f the th Bri B i sh h EEmpire. i SheSh alsol seems tot Kadambini ini ally received English educa on at the Brahmo Eden be the fi rst na ve female prac oner of western medicine in India. Female School, Dacca; subsequently, at Hindu Mahila Vidyalay, Kadambini was born on 18 July 1861 in Bhagalpore in a Ballygunj, Calcu a which was renamed as Banga Mahila Vidyalay Brahmo family. Her father, Brajakishore Bose, was a headmaster in 1876. In 1878 the school merged with Bethune School (f. 1849). of a local school. Kadambini’s ancestral home was at Chandsi in At the Bethune School, Dwarakanath Ganguli, a staunch Brahmo Barisal district of Bengal (now in Bangladesh). Kadambini married and an ardent supporter of women’s emancipa on movement, in 1883 her teacher and mentor Dwarakanath Ganguli, a 39-year was her mentor. old widower. She had fi ve children of her own, and three children When Kadambini became eligible for the Entrance Examina on from the earlier marriage of her husband. In all, she had to raise of the University of Calcu a (CU), the University at that me was eight children. Among her children Jyo rmayee was a freedom not admi ng female students following the prac ce of Oxford and fi ghter and Prabhat Chandra was a journalist. Cambridge. At the same me another Chris an Bengali student 53 SCIENCE REPORTER, JULY 2014 FEATURE ARTICLE Somehow, Florence Nightangle came to know about Kadambini. On 20 February 1888, she wrote to a friend: “Do you Kadambini remained a very active know or could tell me anything about Mrs Ganguly, or give me medical practitioner till the last day of any advice? … (she) has already passed what is called the fi rst her life despite her high blood pressure. licen ate in medicine and surgery examina ons and is to go up for the fi nal examina on in March next. This young lady, Mrs. Ganguly, On 3rd October 1923, she visited married! a er she made up her mind to become a doctor! and has a patient and conducted a critical had one, if not two children since. But she was absent only thirteen days for her lying-in!! and did not miss, I believe, a single lecture!!” operation. When she returned home, she Nigh ngale also wrote in the le er that she had been asked to was practically wilting. She breathed her recommend Kadambini to Lady Duff erin “for any posts about the female wards of Calcu a”. last the same evening at the age of 63. In 1888, Kadambini was appointed at the Lady Duff erin Women’s Hospital, Calcu a on a decent salary of Rs. 300 per month. Soon she realized that she was being looked down upon from Dehra Dun called Chandramukhi Basu also applied to CU for by the Bri sh lady doctors as she did not have the MB degree. She permission to appear at the Entrance Examina on. Dwarakanath started private prac ce but was not successful. At mes she had to Ganguly fought prac cally tooth and nail for obtaining the required suff er humilia ons. permission from CU and succeeded. Once she was called upon by a rich family to a end a teenage As a result Kadambini and another girl called Sarala appeared girl during her childbirth. A er the delivery when the mother and in the entrance test in 1877. In 1878 Kadambini cleared the test child were doing well, Kadambini and her assistant were served missing the fi rst division by a single mark while Sarala could not food at the verandah as if they were maidservants. Moreover, appear for the test as she got married. Chandramukhi was declared they were asked to clean and wipe the place. At that me na ve by the Junior Board of Examiners to have a ained the entrance people considered a lady doctor not more than a dai (an untrained standard in the examina on of 1877. midwife). Kadambini got admission at the College Class of Bethune In 1891, the orthodox magazine Bangabasi projected her School, and Chandramukhi at the Free Church of Scotland College. as a despised symbol of Brahmo womanhood and indirectly In 1880, both passed First Arts (FA) examina on. Kadambini called her a ‘whore’. Dr Nilratan Sarkar, Shibnath Shastri as well wanted to get admission at the Medical College, Bengal (The as Dwarakanath Ganguly took the ma er seriously and went to College was popularly known as Calcu a Medical College) but court not only to defend Kadambini but also to support libera on was denied as the door of the College was yet to open for female of women from the strangula ng forces of dreadful customs and candidates. Eventually she took admission at Bethune College evil prejudices of the then society. The court delivered a judgment along with Chandramukhi and in 1882 both of them graduated in favour of Kadambini. Mahesh Chandra Pal, the editor of the from the University heralding a new era of women’s educa on in journal Bangabasi, was slapped a fi ne of Rs. 100 and six months the country. When the two Bengali women received their degrees imprisonment. in 1883, they became the fi rst women graduates in the en re It seems the prevailing circumstances prac cally forced Bri sh Empire. Kadambini to take a momentous decision to go to England to Till 1882, Calcu a Medical College (CMC) was not admi ng acquire further medical degrees. In 1893, it was not at all easy any female student, though Madras Medical College had started for an Indian lady to travel to England, especially leaving behind a admi ng female students from 1875. Again Dwarakanath Ganguly number of children. Her indomitable will, Dwarakanath’s un ring fought for the admission of Kadambini at CMC and succeeded. eff orts, unwavering support from Brahmo Samaj, and the gracious Thus Kadambini became the fi rst woman to get admission at help of her cousin Monomohan Ghosh (a London-based barrister) the CMC in 1884. The following year the government off ered her a saw Kadambini leaving for England all alone on 26th February scholarship of Rs. 20 per month with retrospec ve eff ect. However, 1893, leaving her children to the care of her elder sister. Kadambini’s admission in medical college was intolerable to a She reached London on 23rd March 1893. On 13th April 1893, sec on of Brahmos as well as Hindus. Even Kadambini’s marriage she fi lled up the form for appearing for triple diploma courses to Dwarakanath, a widower, gave rise to bi er controversies and a in medical sciences at the Sco sh College at Edinburgh. She sec on of the Brahmos did not recognize their marriage. a ended classes at the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal The professors at CMC were also not happy at her admission College of Surgeons. By virtue of her BA degree from CU and GMCB at the Medical College. With all these adversi es she con nued her from CMC, she could complete the course within a very short me study. It is said that one Bengali professor was dead against female and was allowed to appear only for the last examina on. She was educa on and failed Kadambini in the paper Materia Medica awarded the Triple Diplomas of the Sco sh College in July 1893. and Compara ve Anatomy. This prevented her from ge ng the Among the 14 successful candidates of the year she was the only cer fi cate of the fi rst MB examina on held in 1888. As a result, female candidate. she got only the cer fi cate of First LMS examina on from CU. For the triple diplomas she appeared for the subjects Before CMC came under the jurisdic on of CU, the Principal of the medicine, therapeu cs, surgery, surgical anatomy, midwifery and Medical College used to award the Graduate of Medical College of medical jurisprudence. The three diplomas she obtained are – Bengal (GMCB) diploma to the successful students. Licen ate of the College of Physicians, Edinburgh (LRCP), Licen ate As Kadambini completed the medical course, the Principal of of the College of Surgeons, Glasgow (LRCS), and Licen ate of the the Medical College, Dr. J.M. Coates, awarded her GMCB diploma Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Dublin (LFPS). She specialized that gave her the right to do private prac ce. in gynaecology and pediatrics as well. SCIENCE REPORTER, JULY 2014 54 FEATURE ARTICLE She was hailed by Annie Besant for being a symbol signifying the uplift of India’s womanhood. In the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress (1890) also Kadambini delivered a lecture in English. She organized the Women’s Conference in Calcutta in 1906 in the aftermath of the partition of Bengal. organized and presided over a mee ng at Calcu a for expressing sympathy with Satyagraha workers of Transvaal, South Africa. At that me, she took ini a ve to form an associa on to collect money for helping the workers. She presided over the mee ng of the Sadharan Brahma Samaj, held in Calcu a in 1914, in honour of Gandhi during his visit to Calcu a.