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Dr John Berry White (born 1833/34 ; died 1896) was a British
Dr John Berry White (born 1833/34 ; died 1896) was a British philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and retired brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
of the British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, and later the civil surgeon of the erstwhile Lakhimpur district
Lakhimpur district ( ) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarter is located at North Lakhimpur. The district is bounded on the North by Siang and Papumpare districts of Arunachal Pradesh and on the Eas ...
in 1870.
Life and career
In 1857, White was commissioned as an assistantsurgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
under the East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
and was posted in Upper Assam
Upper Assam is an administrative division of the state of Assam comprising the undivided Lakhimpur and Sivasagar (previously, Sibsagar) districts, of the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra valley. The other divisions are: Lower Assam, North Assam a ...
, where he arrived in 1858 at the age of 24. He served the Upper Assam areas in various capacities for 24 years and rose to the position of Civil Surgeon of the then Lakhimpur district. He is considered the pioneer of health education and health care in Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
.
He donated his personal savings of Rs50,000 to set up a medical institution in Dibrugarh, but it was only after his retirement and death in 1896 that his admirers took up his dream. The end result was the Berry White Medical School (BWMS), now known as the Assam Medical College
Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), formerly Berry White Medical School, is a public medical school and hospital in Dibrugarh, Assam, India. It was the first medical college in Assam and whole Northeastern India. It is the tertiary medic ...
at Dibrugarh. The old building where the Berry Medical School was founded has been given a historical tag and is being maintained as a historical monument.
White was the member of the medical board for tea garden communities at that time. He also held a 25% interest in the newspaper publication company ''The Times of Assam''.
White died on 19 November 1896, in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and the BWMS came into reality in 1900.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, John Berry Dibrugarh 1896 deaths 1834 births British people in colonial India