Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty: the first indian contributor to modern medical science.

AN EDITORiAL note on the Progress of Science appeared in the Medical Times and Gazette, London, in 1852; this reads as follows: 'It is with sincere gratification that we today place before our readers an ably-written communication of considerable interest, by a native of our Indian empire. Dr. Chuckerbutty is, we believe, the first native of that clime who has contributed to the progress of the science of medicine; and his friends-and he left many in this country-will rejoice that the high pronmise that he held out when a student here bids fair to be well fulfilled.' The communication in question1 was on a singular case of epilepsy admitted under the care of the author Dr. Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty into the Medical College Hospital, Calcutta, ofwhich he was the Assistant Physician at the time. During the next two decades S. C. G. Chuckerbutty rose to be a prominent figure in Calcutta but today, little is known about him and his scientific contributions. Soorjo Coomar Chuckerbutty, son of Radhamadhab Chuckerbutty, a pleader at Dacca, was born in 18262 (? 1824w, ? 18274) at Kanaksar, a village in Dacca district. He lost his parents at the age of six years and was then obliged to make his own way in the world. He studied initially at the village pathshala (school), where he learnt the three Rs in his mother tongue Bengali and elementary Sanskrit and Persian. 'He was 13 before he heard English, but at that time the visit of an official excited his attention. He determined to make himself master of the language. With a few clothes and a little parched rice for food, he set off on a journey of sixty miles to the nearest English school." This was at Comilla where he stayed along with several other students at the house of a well-to-do Indian gentleman, Shri Golok Nath Sen who was an official at the district court there. As was usual at the time, Chuckerbutty and other students had to cook their food in turns.5* Subsequently he came to Calcutta and was a student of the Hare School. In 1843, he tried unsuccessfully to get admitted into the Medical College of Bengal with the help of a Bengal civilian Mr. Alexander, who offered to bear his expenses as a student of the College. Next year, however, he succeeded, probably on the recommendation of Professor Henry Goodeve of the College. He proved to be a hard-working and bright student of the Medical College. In 1845 he was selected to go to England for further studies. Dr. M. J. Bramley, the first Principal of the Medical College of Bengal (established in 1835) had felt that some of its bright students should be sent to England to complete their education. (In this he had followed the example of M. Klot Bey who had earlier taken a few Egyptian students to Paris for similar purpose). Following Dr. Bramley's untimely death, Professor H. Goodeve put forward this project for consideration