VELLORE: The first batch of licensed medical practitioners - all women - who graduated in 1922 from what we now know as the Christian Medical College were sent out into the world, armed not just with knowledge and science but empathy and a higher purpose.
“You will not only be curing diseases but will also be battling epidemics, plagues, and pestilences and preventing them. Face trials with a smile, with head erect and a calm exterior. If you are fighting for the right and for a true principle, be calm and sure and keep on until you win,” Dr Ida Scudder told them.
The ethos of this remarkable woman, a third-generation American missionary, has germinated in the students, staff and alumni of the CMC. The Vellore institution founded by Dr Scudder, with just two books, a microscope, a skeleton, and a bullock cart, has become one of the most respected and impactful institutions in the country, renowned for its excellence in healthcare, education, and research.
Internationally reputed, not-for-profit healthcare organisation, with a network of primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care hospitals, has around 3,675 beds spread across seven campuses in and around Vellore, as well as in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.
The History of CMC and Its Impact on Medical Education
Dr Scudder, born in Ranipet in 1870, hailed from a well-known family of American missionaries but, in her youth, she never dreamed of a life of service especially after witnessing a famine in her childhood.
“Ammal, Ammal! Pasi, Pasi!”
Pasi. Hunger. A word that clung to her memory like a shadow. The image of hundreds of tiny, trembling hands reaching out like fragile claws, haunted her nights. Starving children, just like her, desperate for bread. As many pieces as she tried to tear it into, it was never enough. Some hands were too weak, and she had to press the bread into the little mouths. All around her, the desperate chorus echoed: “Pasi… Pasi…”
But a single night once she was back in India in 1890, altered the course of her life. Three men, she has written, approached her home that night, seeking her help for their young wives dying in childbirth. Untrained in medicine, she urged them to take the assistance of her father, a doctor, instead but the men refused: no man could see or treat their wives. She wrote that all three women died that night. Dr Scudder couldn’t turn away.
At a time when women were discouraged from even dreaming of higher education, let alone medicine, her decision to become a doctor was nothing short of revolutionary. She faced scepticism, resistance, and ridicule, but her resolve never wavered. In 1899, she graduated from Cornell Medical College in New York, part of the first batch that admitted women. Just a year later, she started a tiny clinic - a one-bed dispensary. In 1902, she opened the 40-bedded Mary Taber Schell Memorial Hospital in Vellore. To ensure that the rural poor were not left behind, in 1906, she started operating ‘roadside clinics’ – bullock carts stocked with medicine. Unshakeable resolve and tireless innovation in service of the poor, ailing and often forgotten has marked CMC’s endeavours ever since.
But Dr Scudder’s goal was not to just treat but also train. Training for compounders began in 1903, nurses in 1909 and doctors in 1918 with a Licentiate of Medical Practitioner Course for women. After changes in government policy, she upgraded her school to a medical college - the CMC - in 1942 teaching women exclusively. It was only in 1947, that men were admitted to the course.
Long before corporate hospitals reshaped India’s healthcare landscape, CMC Vellore stood – and still stands – as a beacon of hope. Patients from the remotest corners of India are referred here because CMC is where ‘impossible cases’ find a fighting chance. A hub of innovation, it continues to pioneer treatments, advance rural healthcare, and train generations of doctors who carried forward Dr Scudder’s mission, the spirit of service still pulsing through its walls.
Pioneering Contributions: Transforming Lives
The reason CMC Vellore draws the so-called impossible cases is its history of groundbreaking contributions to medicine. Two doctors illustrate this legacy: Dr Paul Brand and Dr Mary Verghese. Dr Brand, son of missionaries, grew up in the Kolli Hills and came to work at CMC in 1946. Under him, CMC became a global leader in the treatment of leprosy. Dr Brand’s pioneering work in reconstructive surgery restored mobility and dignity to thousands of leprosy patients, challenging the stigma surrounding the disease. His innovative techniques, developed at CMC, set new standards for rehabilitation and inspired similar efforts worldwide.
Similarly, the Rehabilitation Institute at CMC, founded by surgeon Dr Mary Verghese in 1966, has transformed the lives of countless patients with disabilities. Dr Verghese, who became a wheelchair-user after a spinal cord injury, established India’s first centre for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Today, the 100-bed institute provides multidisciplinary care for spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and musculoskeletal disabilities, focusing on functional restoration, community integration, and vocational rehabilitation. Through initiatives like Rehab Mela, home visits, and peer networking, patients have regained independence, with some excelling in wheelchair sports at national and international levels.
However, challenges like limited funds, a shortage of trained personnel, and societal stigma persist. “We overcome these barriers through community awareness, government collaborations, and innovative technologies like robotics and virtual reality,” says Dr Judy Ann John, professor and head of the Rehabilitation Institute.
Looking ahead, the centre aims to expand services to remote areas, prevent disabilities through early intervention, and empower individuals through education, vocational training, and sports. “Our vision is to create a world where persons with disabilities are not just included but celebrated for their resilience and achievements,” adds Dr John.
CMC Vellore Milestones: A Legacy of Firsts
For over a century, CMC has been a trailblazer in healthcare, achieving numerous world and India’s firsts that have transformed medical science and patient care. Dr Brand performed the world’s first reconstructive surgeries on leprosy patients in 1948. CMC set up South Asia’s first Neurological Sciences department in 1949, under Dr Jacob Chandy. The 1960s saw groundbreaking achievements like India’s first successful open-heart surgery and middle ear microsurgery in 1961, followed by India’s first kidney dialysis in 1962.
The 1970s brought more milestones, including India’s first Department of Nephrology in 1970 and the country’s first successful kidney transplant in 1971.
CMC’s innovations continued into the 1990s, with India’s first carotid bifurcation stenting and the world’s first trans-septal carotid stenting and trans-jugular mitral valvuloplasty in 1996. The institution also achieved India’s first successful in vitro fertilisation in 1997 and performed the country’s first bone marrow transplant on a six-month-old baby in 1998.
In recent years, CMC has maintained its leadership, performing India’s first ABO-incompatible renal transplant in 2009 and introducing cutting-edge technologies like the Brainlab ExacTrac-Frameless Stereotactic Irradiation in 2023, a first in the country. In 2024, CMC became the first hospital in India to acquire the Hyperfine Swoop low-field portable MRI scanner, further cementing its reputation as a pioneer in healthcare innovation.
Impact on Healthcare: Serving the Underserved
CMC’s commitment to rural healthcare has been a cornerstone of its mission. Through its outreach programs, CMC has brought medical care to some of the most remote and underserved communities in India. From mobile clinics to health education initiatives, CMC has ensured that even the most marginalised populations have access to quality healthcare.
Its Department of Community Health, established in 1955, is the cornerstone of its community health efforts. Through the Community Health and Development Programme (CHAD), it provides training, outpatient care, and secondary healthcare while conducting cutting-edge research.
The Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs (RUHSA), founded in 1944, delivers primary healthcare, mobile health services, and vocational training to rural communities 25 kilometres from Vellore.
In urban areas, the Low Cost Effective Care Unit (LCECU), set up in 1982, offers affordable healthcare to underprivileged populations through outpatient and inpatient services, outreach clinics, and training programs. The Department of Ophthalmology, one of CMC’s oldest departments, began in 1900 and expanded with the Schell Eye Hospital in 1941, providing specialised eye care and training.
Additionally, the College of Nursing Community Health (CONCH), launched in 1987, serves 25 villages and a town area, reaching over 99,000 residents through partnerships with local communities and government resources.
As a referral centre for complex cases, CMC has been a lifeline for patients across the country. Its super-speciality departments, including cardiology, neurology, and oncology, have set benchmarks in medical excellence. Patients from the remotest corners of India, especially from the north, have found hope and healing at CMC.
A Historic Kidney Transplant: The Story of Krishna Ram Sharma
One of CMC’s landmark contributions to healthcare in India is the success of its early kidney transplants. Among these, the inspiring story of Krishna Ram Sharma stands as a testament to both medical advancements and human resilience.
In 2023, Krishna Ram Sharma, from Jaipur, Asia's longest-surviving kidney transplant recipient, passed away at a private hospital at the age of 70. A resident of Hanumangarh in northwest Rajasthan, Sharma had undergone a kidney transplant in March 1977 at CMC Vellore when he was just 24 years old. His elder brother, Om Prakash Sharma, donated one of his kidneys, giving him a second chance at life. This groundbreaking transplant was among the earliest successful kidney transplants in India, cementing CMC Vellore’s reputation as a trailblazer in medical care.
For 46 years post-transplant, Sharma led a fulfilling and active life, working as a junior engineer at Indira Gandhi Nahar and advocating for organ donation awareness. His journey inspired countless individuals, as he actively participated in awareness programs and shared his experiences at organ donation conferences. His ability to live a productive life post-surgery showcased not only his resilience but also the medical excellence that CMC Vellore has continued to uphold for over a century.