India's first MBBS batch was passed in 1839; here's how Britishers shaped our medical education system

Indian Express

15 hours ago

It was a letter from the Medical Board of British Surgeons in 1822 to the then Secretary to the Government of India that called for a systematic education in medicine for Indians. The letter advocated establishing a structured system of medical education to maintain public health and provide qualified medical personnel for the British East India Company's service.
However, this wasn't the sole reason for them to train Indians. Training Indians in medicine was a need for the colonisers, as they could not trust the treatment conducted through Ayurveda and Unani, and they ultimately brought European doctors to the subcontinent. However, due to frequent warfare beginning in the mid-18th century, surgeons employed by the East India Company were largely engaged in military service. Indian soldiers enlisted by the Company were among the first in India to receive medical care from British surgeons. But many high-caste Indian soldiers resisted taking medicines prepared by Europeans, adhering strictly to caste-based restrictions.
To address this, the Company began employing Indian medical practitioners within newly formed Indian regiments to prepare and distribute medicines prescribed by British surgeons. Owing to this, India's first medical school in British India was established in 1835, Calcutta Medical College, earlier known as the Medical College of Bengal. But why was Calcutta chosen over other Indian regions? Calcutta holds strategic significance as the capital of British India and the hub of political and administrative authority; therefore, it provided them with easy access to resources and personnel.
With the establishment of a medical college, India moved towards a Western or formal training of Indians in medicine. However, as mentioned by Pati B and Harrison M in their book, Perspectives on Europe's encounter with Indian medical systems, during the initial years of the interaction between Western medicine, Ayurveda, and Unani, they did share common beliefs regarding the humoral makeup of the human body and the idea that disease stemmed from humoral imbalance.
Despite increase in MBBS seats, 2,849 remained vacant in 2024
This commonality indeed fostered mutual respect, with both of them showing a willingness to learn from each other; however, as rationalism gained prominence in Europe, with emphasis on empirical observation and scientific methodology over traditional knowledge, European doctors began to view their medical system as superior, states the book by the duo.
India's first MBBS education was of three years, unlike today, of 4.5 years with one year of mandatory internships. In the first year of the course, Indian students were taught lessons on Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology. In the second and third years, medical students were taught Medicine and Surgery. Students also have to devote time to the hospitals, the general hospital, the Company's dispensary, the eye infirmary and the department of the superintendent of vaccination for clinical teaching.
English was the mode of instruction in the classroom. The Medical College of Bengal, established in 1835, had students aged between 14 and 20 years. Currently, students must be at least 17 years old and pass the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) to gain admission to medical colleges. There's NEET PG for those planning to study after gaining their MBBS/ BDS degree.
As mentioned in a chapter written by Patterson T titled 'The interaction of Indian medicine and modern medicine (colonial period),' in the book Medicine and Life Sciences in India (2001), the study of Western medicine at first did not appeal to high-caste Hindus, largely due to its emphasis on human dissection. However, the ideas gradually receded after Pandit Madhusudan Gupta conducted the first human dissection. Gupta was a Bengali Baidya and Ayurvedic practitioner who was well-versed and trained in Western medicine.
Since the incident, many Indians from diverse social groups opted for the education due to the status of being a 'doctor' and a chance to get into the Company's medical service.
The first batch of the Medical College of Bengal was passed in 1839. The first principal of the medical college, Dr M J Bramley, felt the need to send some of the bright students should be sent to England to complete their education.
Dr SCG Chuckerbutty is claimed to be the first Indian medical graduate to join the Indian Medical Service in 1855. It was an editorial note on the Progress of Science that appeared in the Medical Times and Gazette, London, in 1852. The editorial note appreciated Chuckerbutty and his friends for their contribution to the progress of the science of medicine.
Chuckerbutty, along with Bhola Nath Bose, Dwarka Nath Bose, and Gopal Chunder Seal, left for England on March 18, 1845. The above facts are stated in a research paper titled 'Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chukerbutty: The First Indian Contributor to Modern Medical Science', written by PC Sengupta and published by Cambridge University Press.
However, the Bengal-based medical college had no library or lab equipment. Later on, a preliminary examination was conducted with approximately 49 students shortlisted. These students then underwent training lasting between four and not more than six years, after which they were required to take a final exam. Those who passed received certificates authorising them to practice both surgery and medicine. These Indian doctors were then called 'native doctors'. They were permitted to join the service, starting with a monthly salary of Rs 30.
As more hospitals were set up, the pattern of the exam to be a native doctor evolved. The course structure also changed with the introduction of short-term courses, enabling Indians to become medical subordinates in the British government services.
Initially, separate training programmes were organised for medical apprentices in the apothecary branch and for students from the native branch of the military sub-medical department, who were later appointed as dressers (subordinate medical personnel). The curriculum originally spanned two years and covered subjects such as Anatomy, Materia Medica, Medicine, and Surgery. Over time, the course was expanded to three years with the inclusion of Midwifery, Physiology, Ophthalmology, and Chemistry, reflecting a broader scope of medical education.
After Calcutta, more medical colleges were opened in Bombay and Madras, and the Royal College of Surgeons recognised all. It was after 1858 that the registration of the native doctors with the General Medical Council (GMC) was made mandatory, as mentioned by Jeffery R in his book Recognising India's doctors: The institutionalisation of medical dependency.
In the case of female medical education, the North India Medical School for Women in Ludhiana, founded by Dr Edith Mary Brown in 1894, was the pioneering medical institution in Asia dedicated solely to women's medical education. It started with just four women. It eventually became the Women's Christian Medical College and was later renamed Christian Medical College (CMC) Ludhiana.
When it comes to female pioneers in the field of medical education, two names are first highlighted: Dr Anandibai Joshi and Kadambini Ganguly. While many claim that Joshi was the first woman to go abroad and complete her medical education, only a few people know about Ganguly, who is the first one.
Born in 1862 in Bihar, Kadambini's father, Brajkishore Basu, was a headmaster of a school. Even in her school, she and a peer were the only two girls who aspired for higher education. She completed her BA from Bethune in 1882 and became the first woman graduate in Bengal, along with Chandramukhi Bose. After marriage, her husband became a supporter of her. This eventually led to the completion of her medical degree from Calcutta Medical College in 1886. Another woman, Anandibai Joshi, completed her medical education from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania.