Once a garden house in quiet suburbs of Calcutta - now a major hospital upon teeming thoroughfares, this account is an attempt to reconstruct the past block by block as it narrates how the city was gifted with a public institution with a mission to serve the people of Bengal. A prominent landmark today, it redefined the city's skyline and it's topography - once and for the times to come.
Rough Seas
Of all the early notes of European explorers in late 17th century, Calcutta goes fairly unnoticed as it wasn't striking in any sense. This is hard to believe for us and leaves us imagining the transformation that took place for over some three centuries. When the English finally arrived in 1690, Calcutta was a far cry from a city with what it was later known for - beautiful garden houses, palaces and wide avenues. The town was noted for having an insalubrious climate and unsanitary living conditions. Some three miles to the northeast of the English establishment in Calcutta lied salt-water lake that overflowed in the months of September and October. When the water level receded, the fish were left dry and with their putrefaction, the air was affected with thick stinking vapors. These vapors were carried by the northeaster winds to Fort William which caused considerable mortality. Not all years, however, were meant to be bad as we learn in a general letter from the Court dated 26 January 1698 -
We rejoice to hear Chuttanuttee improves in healthiness and much more that by a praiseworthy temperance our people had shut up that door through diseases and mortality have broken in upon our servants in Bengal, as it will do in most temperate climate
One reason for the improved health was the draining and filling up of several tanks around the factory wall. Having said that, the fact remained that the general health of seamen and sailors was compromised and mortality was high.
Since 1652, i.e. close to 60 years prior to the English contemplating an idea of a hospital in Calcutta, the adventures of these men in Bay area always had seen the company of a surgeon. Voyages taken by the Company to Asia to trade goods such as spices, fabrics, tea and porcelain could take several months. While these trips were profitable, they were also very dangerous. As well as crew and passengers, the ship carried soldiers and cannons to defend itself against foreign enemies or pirates. There were extreme weather conditions to contend with, which brought about shocking and widely reported shipwrecks. The lack of hygiene was also dangerous to the crew.
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Surgeon's Tools, 1617. Courtesy: British Library |
We find the earliest name in the list of surgeons in Bengal being Edward Whiting who was transferred from Madras to the Bay factories in February 1662/63. It cannot be mentioned with certainty as to when he left the service. Down few decades, we find the Calcutta Consultations of 24th September 1691 mentioning:
Discharged the Dutch surgeon from the honourable Company's service, on his own request, he declaring himself sick and uncapable to serve.
This referred to the first surgeon Calcutta had. Unfortunately, there are no records which mention his name. The Consultations of 19th November 1691, record a payment, presumably to this Dutch surgeon. It stated - 'Order'd that the Doctor receive Rs 100 in part of his Account brought in, till it be adjusted'.
During 1698 to 1706, William Warren was the surgeon of the New English Company at Calcutta. Although he held a position of high repute during the eight long years he spent in Calcutta, his personal life was mired with controversy. The Reverend B. Adams, who was appointed Chaplain of Fort William in 1699, in a letter to the Court, accused Mr. Warren of having contracted a bigamous marriage with a widow, Elizabeth Binns. The chaplain referred to Mr. Warren as 'a man of most pernicious principles and debaucht manners'. Despite these revelations, Mr. Warren was able to hold his sway over the community as his service was critical to the Company. All these years till 1705, the medical needs were taken care by one surgeon only - this was becoming overwhelming to the Surgeon and the Company and given the high mortality and unfavorable climatic conditions, it called for the addition of another surgeon. In context to this, Michael Gray was appointed as the Second Surgeon of Calcutta. Fort William Consultations of 20th August 1705 mentions -
The place and season being very sickly renders it impossible for one Doctor to attend all the sick, and that none may perish for want of due attendance in sickness, there being no Mates or assistants to Doctor Warren and he very sick, it is unanimously agreed that Mr. Gray who was surgeon to Masulipatnam Factory for the New Company be taken into Service at the same salary.
An Infirm Hospital
With the company expanding its operations and having an increasing influx of Europeans, seamen and soldiers in Calcutta; it demanded a proper institution to be set up for treating the sick and wounded - i.e. a hospital. The earliest records stating the genesis of the first Company hospital in Calcutta can be found in Consultations of 16th October 1707. In it, the Council can be seen arriving at a decisive resolution -
Having an abundance of our soldiers and seamen yearly sick (this year more particularly our soldiers), and the doctors representing to us that for want of a hospital or convenient lodging for them, is mostly the occasion of their sickness, and such a place will be highly necessary as well for the garrison and sloops as the Company's Charter Party shipping to keep the men in health, it is therefore agreed that a convenient spot of ground near the Fort be pitched upon to build a hospital on, and that the cashiers pay out of the Company's cash for the said occasion towards perfecting it the sum of 2000 rupees, and what more may be gathered in by subscription from the Commanders of European and Country shipping and the inhabitants, which is to be forwarded and gathered in by Mr. Abraham Adams, who is to look after the building of the same under the direction of the Council.
The Fort referred here is the Old Fort William which lied in the space between the present day GPO and Railway Headquarters, Fairlie Place in Dalhousie Square, Kolkata. In late 1707, Abraham Adams held the post of Secretary to the Company. Earlier to this, from February to August 1707, Mr. Adams held the office of Collector or Zemindar. Ralph Sheldon, in 1700, became the first Collector of Calcutta. After a series of successors, on 14th February 1707, Abraham Adams took charge of this office and was empowered to collect revenues from the three towns and bazaar. Later in 1709, we find that Mr. Adams was promoted to be the member in Council. In addition to this, he shared the post of Chairman and Cashier along with John Russell.
At the time the need of the hospital was being talked about, it is learnt that the Company was struggling with one surgeon to meet the medical needs of the settlement. Philip Richardson who resigned from the service of Company's Surgeon on 11th Jan 1710/11 was succeeded by William James. While Mr. James was in service, the Consultations of December 27th 1711/12 says -
We being in great want of another Surgeon for to tend all the Honourable Company's Servants and Soldiers of this Garrison, and William Hamilton being out of Employ, agreed that he be entertained upon the same allowance and privileges as William James our present Surgeon.
On 27th December 1711, William Hamilton was appointed the Second Surgeon. After that date, Calcutta always had two Surgeons, as well and one or more Surgeons' mates. With William James taking leave from service, Richard Harvey was appointed in his place. The duo of Hamilton and Harvey would, over the next couple of years, go on to lay the founding pillars of the infirm hospital.
The Consultations entry of 20th August 1713 by William Hamilton and Richard Harvey details out some interesting articles for regulating the infirm hospital. It states that every soldier had to shell out 4 annas a day while being admitted sick in the hospital for his own treatment. This amount would be 6 annas for a Corporal and half a rupee for a Sergeant. As if this was not enough, all unmarried soldiers were bound to be involved in the repair work of the hospital while being treated there. There were some humane rules too - The Honorable Company would supply the hospital with 30 cots and bedding, 20 gowns and 20 pieces 'gurrah' (coarse Indian muslin). The rules were unanimously agreed to, being for the better preservation of the sick soldiers health as the Doctors would be able to attend the patients often and the service could be centralized at one location instead of them having to visit the sick at their own lodgings which would be far off. Further to these, in 1716, regulations were established which mentioned that the Company would pay for the medicines bought out of the stores in Bazaar upon furnishing the prescription of the Doctor, cots for the sick, cloth for the rags, wood and charcoal pots, pans and the cost of two washermen. The patients however, had to bear the charges for their own diet which was to be deducted from the soldiers monthly pay, the charges again not exceeding 4 annas a day. William Hamilton was highly regarded by Warren Hastings - next only to Job Charnock for his services to the Company. Having cured Emperor Farruk Siyar, William Hamilton was showered with gifts and more importantly the Emperor granted permission to the Company to purchase zemindary rights of multiple villages in addition to those they already held. This had a great impact in changing the fortunes of the Company. Hamilton died in Calcutta in 1717 and was buried in St John's Churchyard which was then the only burial ground in Calcutta.
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William Hamilton's Epitaph at St John's Church. Courtesy: readinggames |
The Company has a pretty good hospital in Calcutta, where many go in to undergo the Penance of Physic, but few come out [to] give an account of its Operation.
It was thus, as can be seen, not a fond experience to remember for the few who were discharged from the hospital. This was primarily because of the unsanitary conditions and extremely primitive way of treatment. As these facts remained, we shall eventually see the contributions of Hamilton and Harvey in forming of the primitive hospital would go a long way - the benefits of which we are reaping to this date.
The Hospital turns Old
The infirm hospital, the first of its kind in Calcutta was situated at today's Garstin's Place in B.B.D Bagh, Kolkata. The present Foreign Consulate office at Hare Street is built on what was probably part of the hospital compound. Adjacent to this (south) is St John's Church. However, during its years of operation, what stood then in place of the church was a burial ground and gunpowder magazine. Thus, the patients had a not-so-pleasing neighbor in the dead of the burial ground which was overwhelmed by the number of burials. Living in Calcutta in those days was nothing short of a terrible experience. As Cotton puts in 'The settlement literally reeked with malaria. Mortality was so extraordinarily high, that death literally overshadowed every soul'. To the west of the hospital and extending as far as the modern Hare Street was a large tank. The main hospital building was about 175 feet long and 60 feet wide and was initially a single storeyed one.
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| Old Garstin Buildings - Where the Infirm Hospital once stood |
By 1710, the hospital had turned partly into barracks as Old Fort William was unable to contain the increased numbers of soldiers. This created an orderly chaos within the hospital as a result of which Consultation of 13 February, 1710 decided
There being a great many English soldiers in the garrison who, if they lodge about the town as usually, will create sickness and other inconveniences to themselves and others, therefore it is agreed the hospital be walled round and that barracks be made in it for the soldiers to lodge in, and that some of the officers do likewise lodge there, and see a good decorum kept amongst them.
Within two decades, the hospital was reduced to an unsatisfactory condition. In 1730, in a survey done by Thomas Snow and John Aloffe, they wrote - 'All the Beams and most of the window and door frames rotten, in so much that we apprehend that the roof will be in danger of falling in next rains unless timely prevented by shoring all the beams'. John Aloffe was an engineer and Surveyor at Works who along with Foresti, an Italian engineer, in 1742, crafted a plan (one of the earliest) of Calcutta with a view to improve defense and fortifications of the establishment. Following the hospital survey of Snow and Aloffe, the Old Hospital was repaired at a cost of Rs 1020-7-6 and in 1735-36, a couple of upper rooms were added for the accommodation of a resident doctor and a medicine shop. By 1754, the hospital building had again deteriorated (partly due to lightning) and was in urgent need of repair. The survey report was prepared by the Bakshi - Paul Richard Pearkes who insisted that
the whole hospital must be speedily whitewash'd and plaistered as being entirely Cutcha building shou'd the rains get into the walls it will carry all the mud from between the bricks and in danger of the whole
The final blow came in 1756 with Siege of Calcutta when the hospital was almost destroyed. When in January 1757, Calcutta was retaken by the English, treating the patients in the hospital - ravaged by war, posed a stiff challenge. By 1762, it was reported that the building if not repaired immediately, would collapse in the course of the year. As it became increasingly obvious, on 31st March 1766, Council decided to sell 'the Company's Old Hospital, the small house for the Assistant Surgeon and the House that lately occupied by Mr. Gray'.
Somewhere in between
The establishment was now bereft of a hospital. Given its critical need, this had to fixed soon. In September 1766, a temporary building inside Old Fort William was turned into a hospital. This is, as we understand, the second hospital of Calcutta. The Council, with a futuristic plan to spread its wings, was well aware that the makeshift hospital arrangement within the Old Fort would not fuel distant miles. The one at Old Fort barely served its purpose and added to the inconvenience of all. Intentions were clear for 'a commodious one be erected as soon as possible'. On 5th May, 1766, an order was passed in Consultation for converting the Old Fort into a Custom House. As the vision of the New Fort became clearer, the possibility of a permanent and large military hospital saw taking shape. As a step in the right direction, the Council asked Lieut-Col. J. Fortnom, the Civil Architect, to come up with plans for building the new hospital. Mr. Fortnom thought that the hospital could only be set up on the other side of the river i.e. Howrah and for this he suggested two sites. One, opposite Surman's Gardens (in the vicinity of Khidderpore) and the other was opposite to the town. This idea, however, did not fly. The reason it was rejected could probably be due to logistical issues of ferrying the sick across the river to the proposed hospital and a high cost estimate of five lakh rupees. Another theory which does come up is that with Robert Clive leaving India and Harry Verelst taking his place, the same board members who had promptly given their approval to the grand hospital earlier was now not that keen given that the dominant influence of Clive was no more.
J.Z. Kiernander & General Hospital
The quest to expand medical facilities for the military and European was however still on and the English looked beyond the makeshift hospital. By then, an important story had gathered pace. John Zachariah Kiernander, a Swedish missionary, was sent to India from London with the purpose of promoting Christian knowledge. With reference to Mr. Kiernander, Cotton said - 'whose name was destined to be imperishably connected with the city'. Kiernander arrived in Calcutta in 1758 as the first Protestant missionary in the city on being invited by Robert Clive to establish a mission. He is famously remembered as the one who set up the Protestant church in the city which stands till date - The Mission Church or Beth-Tephillah (the House of Prayer) and the one who had set up a Mission School. We shall soon learn the other vital role he had to play in context of this detailed read which has erased from public memory.
By 1768, that is just a decade after retaking of Calcutta by English, people were venturing out of the known boundaries of the settlement towards southern extremity to build garden houses. One reason of this was since no buildings could be built on the esplanade of the new fort. Kiernander, a speculative builder, had by 1767, i.e. within a decade of his arrival in Calcutta, built a sprawling garden house which was supposedly outside the limits of the esplanade of the New Fort William. In the Consultation of 16th November 1767, we find the first reference to the site of the General Hospital being decided on. President Harry Verelst brought it to the notice of the Board members that Mr. Kiernander had built a commodious garden house which could be used as the site of the General Hospital at the owner's consent. It was thus agreed to have the building surveyed and the value be estimated.
The next step was to transform Mr. Kiernander's garden house into a hospital by making necessary additions/alterations to the existing building. For this purpose, the Civil Architect and the Committee of Works was roped in. The plan was laid out by Civil Architect but the Board wanted the Committee of Works' approval before proceeding further. Likewise, upon review, the Committee floated an advertisement for contracting the additional buildings to form the hospital. They received multiple proposals but it was that of Mr. Kiernander which was approved. Thus, the missionary was tasked to transform his house to Presidency General Hospital. For this purpose, the Committee offered a sum of 98,000 Rupees to Mr. Kiernander to be paid in progressive stages of completion of the additional buildings. This negotiation between the Board and Mr. Kiernander went on for some time after which a deal was reached. The conflict was primarily on the partial payment structure that the Board had proposed versus what Mr. Kiernander demanded. He also managed to buy in the Board's approval for him to stay in the garden house till the time the hospital construction was completed - the allotted time being two years. Mr. Kiernander was allowed to stay in his house (technically it was no more his as the Company had already paid the agreed amount) till the time Company thought it was not of any use for government affairs.
When the construction work commenced after some precious time being lost in these deliberations, monsoon was about to make way in Bengal. The challenge was non availability of sufficient quantity of bricks and as rains ushered in, Kiernander made it clear that the work can continue only after the rains have ceased - as a result of which the completion timelines would be deferred. Besides this, we learn that Mr. Kiernander had faced unfavorable circumstances which hampered his work. The New Fort William was at that time also a work in progress. We find complaints of Mr. Kiernander that the coolies and workmen who were working for the hospital construction were pressed to contribute to the Fort building as well. On top of this, entire absence of lime (chuna) at times and delay in payments of third and fourth advances posed a major hindrance. Kiernander pleaded with the Board to provide protection to the masons working for hospital against being forced away by those in charge of building the New Fort. These were the times when masons, carpenters and coolies were not available in abundance and the Company was more inclined in getting the defense of the city in order after the siege of Calcutta in 1756 had destroyed it.
The Company believed that a building purchased and reconstructed into a hospital would be inexpensive compared to building an entire new one. This prompted the idea of acquiring the Garden House of Kiernander with a plan that the house itself would be transformed into the Central Block of the hospital and East and West Wing buildings were to be added to it. By 3rd August 1769, as the additional buildings of the hospital were being constructed, we find records that Kiernander had to do multiple rounds of follow up with the Company for advance payment. Kiernander's trouble did not end soon with getting his task accomplished. It appeared that the priority of building the hospital was low - indicated clearly in the delayed procurement and supply of lime and payments which did not flow as per the contract. In one of the representations, Kiernander wrote to the Council -
Upon this I was told that orders were given to the Treasury Banyan (read Banian), but he pretended not to have any cash and I wait till August 31st when I received a small sum in part.
By now, we must have a clear impression that though the idea of the General Hospital was mooted out by the Board, it was Mr. Kiernander's will and perseverance that carried it through. There were instances when letters sent by him to the Board pleading for advance money went unanswered and Kiernander paid out of his own pocket to keep the construction work on. A letter sent on 8th January 1770 says -
Having had no answer as yet to the contents of my last letter, not received order for the payment of the last advance for the Hospital buildings, for which I send you a bill dated 15th December last.
Mr. Kiernander had a two year contract to build the hospital precisely till 13th June 1770 and these delays did not help in getting the job done within the agreed time. On 13th January 1770, Company paid the fourth and final installment of the payment for building the hospital. The fully operational Central Block was handed over in June 1769. The West Wing was thrown open on 2nd April 1770 and the East Wing on 2nd June the same year.
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| General Hospital & Surgeon's Buildings, 1800 by James Moffat. Courtesy: British Library |
By the time the hospital was complete, Warren Hastings had succeeded Harry Verelst as Governor General of Bengal. Along with him, majority of the Board members were new and none of them knew John Kiernander nor the hardship he faced in building the hospital. His final request of paying the interest on the money he had put in to build the hospital was rejected as the Board observed that there was not enough proof to support this. Presidency General Hospital was now the first major hospital in Calcutta for treating the military but its chief architect's name faded into oblivion.
The Makeover
Presidency General Hospital turned out to be the principal European Hospital in Calcutta by the turn of the century. In the 1820's, the New General Hospital was rebuilt and enlarged, on the site of the Old General Hospital. Since its early years of operation till 1870, the Central Block of the Hospital was used as Civil Hospital (for Europeans only), the Eastern Block as a European Military Hospital and the Western Block as a Hospital for the Sepoys. This arrangement went on till the European Military Hospital was transferred to the Old Sudder Court Building and the Native Military Hospital to a building specially constructed for the purpose at Alipore. Since then, the institution continued as a General Hospital for Europeans.
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| General Hospital by Frederick Fiebig, Photographic Print, 1851. Courtesy: British Library |
However, by 1897, we learn that the European and Eurasian communities, for whose use it was built, were not satisfied with its services. On 14th April 1897, a note published in Calcutta Gazette highlights the complaints against the General Hospital. It was alleged that there was delay in admitting the patients brought into the hospital. Besides this, the Resident Surgeons were not always in attendance; medical and nursing staff were insufficient; food was bad and cooking arrangements were defective; supply of bed linen and clothing was unsuitable and inadequate; that the stock of instruments were out of date; fittings and arrangements of the operating room were untidy and neglected and finally that the Superintendent did not devote much time to the work of the hospital. The Government took notice of this and ordered an enquiry. Given the nature of the allegations, these complaints were addressed and measures were taken to improve the service standards. Closely related to these complaints was the state of hospital buildings which by then had turned unsuitable. The unsatisfactory nature of accommodation was already detrimental to its functioning and needed urgent renovation as well. In Dec 1896, a column published in Medical Gazette mentions that General Hospital buildings were in quite deplorable state and in need of repair for a very long time. In February the same year, Dr. Alexander Crombie along with Surgeon-Lieutenant-Col Cobb drew attention to the acknowledged defects in the structural arrangements of the hospital and submitted proposals to improve and add to the existing buildings.
The idea gradually emerged to renovate the existing hospital into a new one with all modern amenities at par with European standards. On 3rd February 1898, in a ceremony attended by hundreds, the then Lieutenant-Governor laid the foundation stone of the new block of buildings to contain the men's wards on a site east of the hospital building. The expansion was in line with modern requirements and a comprehensive plan. The Committee formed to oversee the changes stated that multiple new buildings had to be constructed viz. separate blocks for a)paying patients b)women and children c)adult male patients d)infectious diseases e)administrative offices f)lying-in cases and that new kitchens, a steam laundry, a new mortuary and other subsidiary buildings for efficient functioning of the hospital. The Committee insisted on modern science to propose these buildings. The designs were prepared by Mr. W. Banks-Gwyther, an architect of Public Works Department. In addition to the building renovation work, Dr. Alexander Crombie suggested that the hospital should provide cool filtered air to the patients. The suggestion was in line with a practice followed in English hospitals to provide pure and warm air in patient wards. Calcutta, however had a climate contrary to that of Europe with long summer months. To address this issue, Mr. Banks-Gwyther was instructed by the Governor to draw an idea from the Birmingham Hospital to implement a scheme opposite to what was followed there. The Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Alexander Mackenzie accepted all but one recommendation of the Committee - that there would be no special provision to accommodate wealthier class in a public hospital at the expense of tax payers' money. This view of the Governor earned praise as it was believed it followed a practical approach and would have an enduring effect on the comfort and health of the European community. However, the age old challenge of funding this ambitious project surfaced. Upon constant negotiations of Sir Mackenzie with the Government of India, this eventually sailed through.
In 1899, a Committee was appointed to study and inquire into the dietary arrangements at the General Hospital which were admittedly in need of improvement. The task of this Committee was to come up with proposals on improving the diet. The proposal laid out the following recommendations viz. a) provisioning a new kitchen b) It also noted that the cooking staff were unsuited to the requirements. It was proposed to change the entire cooking staff as until done, it would be impossible to improve the comfort of the patients c) Increase and improve the stock of cutlery and crockery. The recommendations also give us an interesting idea about the class categories and diet rates of patients who were treated here. There were three class of patients viz. 1) Paying patients who subscribe Rs 2 or Rs 3 a day according to the rooms they get 2) Seamen for whose maintenance the Port Dues Fund paid at the rate of Rs 2 per head per diem 3) Free patients. For Class (1), the Committee recommended to fix the maximum rate of diet at Rs 2 from 12 annas. To compensate this, the paying patients would be charged at Rs 3 to Rs 4 instead of the earlier rates. The diet rate for Class (2) remained unchanged and that for Class (3) was thought to be increased from 8 to 12 annas bringing it at par with that of Class (2).
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| Hospital View, Courtesy: Jean Rae's Personal Collection |
In line with the plan proposed earlier, on 9th May 1901, Englishman reported -
The European residents of Calcutta and their friends in the mofussil will learn with satisfaction that they are within measurable distance of seeing the completion of the new and magnificent block of buildings which is to form the principal adjunct to the Presidency General Hospital.
The construction work of this new block was carried out rapidly under the supervision of Lieutenant Battman, Assistant Engineer, P.W.D. Every element of this new construction was lavish and up-to-date style. The new block was three storied building with 550 ft in length; extreme breadth being 128 ft and having a height of 62 ft from basement to parapet. This was perhaps the main block of the Hospital which stands to this date. At the time of its completion, it had six main wards, each ward being capable of accommodating 24 beds, in the three floors, while there were eight private wards on each floor. That the new block was elegant could be well gauged from the list of the best-in-class vendors and their appliances. At the main entrance, in addition to a handsome wooden staircase leading to the three floors, stood an Otis electric lift. There were service lifts as well for conveying the food from basement to the upper floors. Messrs. Balmer Lawrie & Co. had provided the electric power for pumping hot and cold water throughout the lavatories and wards besides illuminating the hospital with electricity and electric fans throughout the hospital wherever it was necessary. Messrs. Kilburn & Co. supplied some of these fans as well. Quite well known in Victorian period as 'art porcelain' manufacturers, Minton, provided the tiles in the operating room up to the ceiling. The main wards had marble floorings; the nurse's tables and ward room tables had marble tops. The lavatories were antiseptic and the drainage of the whole block and surroundings were entrusted to and provided by Messrs. J.B. Norton & Co., a well known name in plumbers and contractors of Calcutta. As per Dr. Crombie's suggestion, a large plot of land to the east of the hospital was acquired for the purpose of building the houses of Superintendent of Hospital and those of Assistant Surgeons. The total cost of this grand layout was a whooping nine lakhs. The building was an engineering marvel in itself as iron joists and lintels were used instead of arches which laid strength and solidity to the building. Thus Presidency General Hospital got a much needed makeover and the new building block was a noble addition to the existing splendid buildings which had ornamented Calcutta.
On 31st August, 1901, Lieutenant Governor, Sir John Woodburn declared the new building open for European public in general. This was a grand event being attended by distinguished ladies and gentlemen of European community. Mr. Woodburn was accompanied by Mr. Hammond, his Private Secretary and Captain Henderson. They were received by the then Superintendent of General Hospital, Major Pilgrim (I.M.S) and other medical officers. While addressing the gathering, Mr. Woodburn said -
And I trust that when you go over the wards, you will be satisfied with the provision that has been made for the accommodation of the sick. I myself have seen most of the hospitals in India, and I venture to think that in these respects your new hospital is at least not behind any hospital in this great country.
The European in Calcutta welcomed this as it seemed that after years of complaints, the Government had finally paid heed to their demands. Even after this, down few years, there was a complete roadmap to invest more on this hospital for bringing up wards for distinct purpose and need. Sir Woodburn died on 20th November, 1902 and did not live long enough to witness the further enhancements. John Woodburn was appointed to Bengal Civil Service in 1862 and being a zealous and conscientious worker, he secured prominence and rose higher in ranks in quick succession. In 1898, he was appointed the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal. Pall Mall Gazette wrote
Sir John Woodburn was a man of great personal charm of manner and vast knowledge of India and its people. There have been greater Lieutenant-Governors of Bengal before him, but not one that will be remembered with more sincere affection and respect.
In coming years between 1902 - 1908, a new block was built and was likely named after him - which we now know as Woodburn Block. Today, the refurbished Woodburn Block gives a good run for money to its private counterparts in the city.
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| The refurbished and swanky Woodburn Block. Courtesy: The Telegraph |
IPGMER & S.S.K.M (P.G Hospital) we know today, was sculpted in this manner. Today, colloquially and quite famously known as P.G (Presidency General) Hospital, Kolkata - it is a public medical school and tertiary referral Government Hospital for the state of West Bengal and is a National Research Institute. It is currently one of the best super-specialty hospital in West Bengal and located on AJC Bose Road/Harish Mukherjee Road, Kolkata.
General Diseases & Hospital Practice
A brief idea of the diseases that plagued Calcutta and India in general during the late 19th Century could be gained from Dr. Crombie's address to the Indian Medical Congress in January 1895. Dr. Alexander Crombie of Presidency General Hospital, Calcutta, was the first to have started using hypodermic morphine in 1880 for smoother course of chloroform anesthesia. Morphine, as we would know is used to treat severe pain. Speaking at the Medical Congress, he mentioned that although it is cholera which is much talked about as the cause of great distress to Indians, it is secondary in terms of mortality rate to fever. For a medical practitioner, it was treatment of fever which gave them sleepless nights. By then, doctors have been able to comprehend that fever could broadly be classified under two categories. One would be where there was more or less perfect period of pyrexia (fever) and could be controlled by quinine. This was the malarial fever. The other category was that of continued fever where quinine had no effect. Dr. Crombie says -
With regard to the first, our knowledge is precise and almost complete; with regard to the second it is still hazy and to a large extent conjectural, and yet it is in this second group that are found the fevers, the fatal character of which goes so far to swell the death-rate of India to its huge proportions.
Indian Medical Gazette reports that on 30th July 1909, there was a cholera outbreak among nurses of P.G. Hospital. By early 1900s, it seemed that cholera was under control as cases dropped and no major outbreaks were reported. Thus, this incident and reported from a premier European hospital was quite a news in the city. Of the 17 infected patients (including nurses, a sweeper and few children), 10 died of which 2 were children. Mr. R. Macrae (Inspector General of Civil Hospitals, Bengal) writes a detailed account on the cause of this, remedial steps to contain the outbreak and treatment of the sick. Major Waters, I.M.S (Indian Medical Service) was then the Surgeon-Superintendent of the General Hospital. Among the Committee formed were Major W. W. Clemesha (I.M.S, Deputy Sanitary Commissioner), Mr. Haffkine (a well known bacteriologist) and Dr. Pearse (Health Officer of Calcutta). A thorough investigation began in order to identify the source of the infection.
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| Alexandra Ward, P.G. Hospital. Courtesy: Jean Rae's Personal Collection |
By then, it was an established fact that cholera commonly gains access to the human body through food and drink, with the almost universal mode being drinking water. In this case however, the chief suspicion was on contaminated food and not water which was on the basis of few observations. All the nurses who got infected were part of a common meal on July 28th. The nursing staff of General Hospital were accommodated in its grounds - in building known as 'Canning Home'. A sweeper who got infected with cholera also received a portion of the meal. It was unlikely that the meal on 29th caused this as couple of nurses (later found to be infected) did not took the meal. Also, the incubation period of cholera varies from few hours to few days but usually being put at 1 - 3 days. It being established that the infection had spread through food, the next was to identify the food item which caused this. All the items served were freshly prepared and served hot except one - custard which was a regular on the menu. Mr. Haffkine's study proved invaluable to uncover this. The study revealed that the cholera virus which had infected the nurses had its origins in one of the 'masalchis' (they were in charge of few mundane activities) who did not show any symptoms. He concluded that the virus travelled from an infected person's hand to ice (they handled) and in turn to the water which was being used to prepare the custard. Mr. Haffkine's study established the fact that cholera virus (Comma Vibrios) could be transferred from a disease carrier and infect others. It proved that the contagion could travel from the bowels to the hands of asymptomatic persons, further from the hand to articles handled by them including hand to ice to water transmission and likewise. There were few children in Alexandra ward who got infected from the nurses as well. Mr. Haffkine could not continue further observations on the identified masalchis as they felt they were being subjected to some sort of witchcraft and left Calcutta never to return.
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| Inoculation drive against Cholera, Calcutta 1894. Mr. Haffkine is seen behind Mr. Simpson. Courtesy: Wellcome |
Triumph over Malaria
Today, as countless common men in hope of better medical treatment flock towards S.S.K.M (P.G.) Hospital from Rabindra Sadan and to destinations beyond this institution, a legacy right on the AJC Bose Road happily goes unnoticed. On Friday, January 7th, 1927, Lord Lytton, Governor of Bengal unveiled a commemorative gate in honor of Sir Ronald Ross near to his old laboratory in General Hospital. Today, this memorial is on the wall of P.G. Hospital and a few yards from its main entrance. The memorial, in need of restoration, is still in its original form though, with a gateway bearing the bronze medallion of Sir Ronald Ross in the center above the arch; while on the left is an inscription to the effect and to the right is a quotation from a poem written by him when he first found that the malarial parasite underwent development in a mosquito.
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| The lines from poem written by Ronald Ross is part of the commemorative gate |
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| Ronald Ross (seated at Center) and researchers at Liverpool University 1903. Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons |
P.G. Hospital has always been in forefront in pioneering medical discoveries and research. The one which stands out among them is a simple yet giant leap for mankind. In the hot weather months of 1898, Surgeon Major Ronald Ross found out how malaria is conveyed by the mosquito. The birth place of this discovery was in a small laboratory 70 yards south-east of the gateway. The laboratory has been converted into a heritage building and a plaque mentions its rich legacy. In 1902, he was awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology for his discovery - 'Cycle of Malarial Parasite'. Ross was years ahead of his times; in those days the suggestion that the disease could be controlled by suppressing mosquitoes provoked a sarcastic smile and Mr. Ross was regarded as an enthusiastic visionary. The consequences of this discovery which seems to us so simple, so obvious today, have had far reaching results. Memoirs of Sir Ronald's life reveals his versatility, idealism and his perseverance in the face of difficulties and obstruction. It was his self assigned mission to make India free from malarial fever and to achieve this, he put unrelenting efforts in spite of disappointment and obstacles.
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| Ronald Ross Sarani glides past Race Course and connects A.J.C Bose Road and Fort William |
The Forgotten Chapel
Rev. Edward Ralph Johnson, son of Mr. William Ponsonby Johnson of Castlesteads, Cumberland was one of the longest serving Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He took charge as the Bishop in 1876 and retired in 1898. After his retirement, in May 1898, a testimony to the work which Bishop Johnson accomplished in India was borne by those who took part in a meeting which was held in the Dalhousie Institute in Calcutta. The meeting was presided over by Lieutenant-Governor, Sir John Woodburn where it was decided the best ways in which the memory of Bishop Johnson could be perpetuated. This, as was decided, was to be in three fold form. One of these was to erect a chapel in the compound of Presidency General Hospital in place of the old and unsuitable buildings. The idea was to have a place of worship for the patients within the hospital area. Going by the active involvement of Bengal Government in reforming the hospital buildings, the chapel named 'Bishop Johnson Memorial Chapel' is likely to have been built in the early 1900s. We find records mentioning Rev. C. G. Stokoe as the chaplain of Presidency General Hospital in 1901 who also was the junior chaplain of St. Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta.
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| The Chapel |
Today, to an unsuspecting eye, the chapel, tucked away in a remote corner, would be hard to locate inside the sprawling compound of PG Hospital. As I tread through the crowded campus on a hot and humid day in search of the chapel, I ended up at an obscure end of the hospital behind the mortuary. A list of inconspicuous objects lied around the chapel building which still looks majestic although barely visible behind a network of trees. It isn't too much to ask for if one could visit inside the chapel. However, I learned that the caretaker was off that day which made it obvious that I couldn't enter its premises. Not accustomed to visitors, I was an unwelcomed guest to the dog who stands guard to the chapel. As I made it outside the hospital gates, I was greeted by the usual cacophony and traffic snarls - by a world oblivious of its past.
~ Souvik Bhattacharya
Bibliography:
1. Wilson, C.R. - Old Fort William Volume I, II
2. Wilson, C.R. - The Early Annals of the English in Bengal Volume I, II
3. Ray Choudhury, Ranabir - A City in the Making
4. Archives of British Library and British Newspapers
5. Indian Medical Gazette Articles
6. Bengal Past & Present, Volume 6 & Volume 109
7. Crawford, Lt-Colonel D.G. - A History of the Indian Medical Service
8. Transactions of the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta, Volume 4
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