Mary Poonen Lukose was an Indian gynecologist, obstetrician and the first female Surgeon General in India.
She was the founder of a ''Tuberculosis Sanatorium'' in
Nagarcoil
Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...
and the ''X-Ray and Radium Institute'',
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
, served as the head of the Health Department in the
Princely State of Travancore and was the first woman legislator of the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
.
The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
awarded her the fourth highest Indian civilian award of
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1975.
Biography
Mary Lukose, née Mary Poonen, was born to a rich
Anglican Syrian Christian family as the only child
on 2 August 1886
in
Aymanam
Aymanam is a village in the Kottayam District of Kerala, India. It is about 4 km from the railway station in Kottayam along the road to Parippu, and 85 km from the Cochin International Airport. Aymanam is the setting for Arundhati Ro ...
—a small village later made famous by being the setting of the novel ''
The God of Small Things
''The God of Small Things'' is a family drama novel written by Indian writer Arundhati Roy. Roy's debut novel, it is a story about the childhood experiences of fraternal twins whose lives are destroyed by the "Love Laws" prevalent in 1960s Ker ...
''—
in the princely state of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
(modern day
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
), in the
British Indian Empire
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himse ...
.
Her father, T. E. Poonen, was a medical doctor, the first medical graduate in Travancore and the Royal Physician of Travancore state.
Her mother had health issues due to which Mary was brought up by British governesses. She completed her schooling at
Holy Angel's Convent High School, Thiruvananthapuram and topped the matriculation examination. However, she was denied admission for science subjects at the Maharajas College, Thiruvananthapuram (present day
University College Thiruvananthapuram
University College, Thiruvananthapuram (UCT) is a constituent college of the University of Kerala, based primarily in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala.
The college was awarded 23rd rank by National Institutional Ran ...
) for being a woman and had to pursue studies in history on which she graduated (BA) in 1909 as the only female student of the college and the first woman graduate of
Madras University
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
which Maharajas College was affiliated to.
As Indian universities did not offer admission to women for medicine, she moved to London and secured MBBS from the
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...
,
the first woman from what would later become Kerala to graduate in medicine.
She continued in the UK to obtain MRCOG (gynecology and obstetrics) from
Rotunda Hospital
The Rotunda Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal an Rotunda; legally the Hospital for the Relief of Poor Lying-in Women, Dublin) is a maternity hospital on Parnell Street in Dublin, Ireland, now managed by RCSI Hospitals. The eponymous Rotunda in Parnell S ...
, Dublin and underwent advanced training in pediatrics at the
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospit ...
.
Later she worked in various hospitals in the UK and simultaneously pursued music studies to pass the London Music Examination.
Mary returned to India in 1916, the year her father died,
took up the post of an obstetrician at the ''Women and Children Hospital'', Thycaud in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
and also worked as the superintendent of the hospital, replacing a westerner who had returned to her native place after marriage.
A year later, she married Kunnukuzhiyil Kurivilla Lukose (K. K. Lukose),
a lawyer who would later become a judge of the High Court of Travancore.
K. K. Lukose was an
Indian Orthodox Christian.
During her tenure at Thycaud Hospital, she initiated a midwifery training program for the children of local midwives in order to win over their support and is known to have delivered her first born at the hospital.
In 1922 she was nominated to the legislative assembly of Travancore,
known as ''Sree Chitra State Council'', thus becoming the first woman legislator in the state.
Two years later, she was promoted as the ''Acting Surgeon General'' of the state of Travancore, making her the first woman to be appointed as the surgeon general in India.
She continued at the hospital till 1938 during which time she was nominated to the state assembly continuously till 1937.
In 1938, she became the Surgeon General, in charge of 32 government hospitals, 40 government dispensaries and 20 private institutions.
She is reported to have been the first woman to be appointed as the surgeon general in the world;
the first woman surgeon general in the US was appointed only in 1990.
Mary was one of the founders of the Thiruvananthapuram chapter of the
Young Women's Christian Association
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
(YWCA) and became its founder president in 1918,
a position she retained till 1968.
She served as the Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides in India
and was also a founder member of the
Indian Medical Association
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is a national voluntary organisation of physicians in India. It was established in 1928 as the All India Medical Association, and was renamed the Indian Medical Association in 1930. It is a society registered ...
and the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI), which started as ''Obstetric and Gynaecological Society''.
As the surgeon general of the state, she is reported to have founded the Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Nagarcoil, one of the first sanatoriums in India, which later grew to become the
Kanyakumari Government Medical College
Kanyakumari Government Medical College, also known as KGMC, KGMCH, or Government Medical College Kanyakumari) is a medical education institution in Asaripallam, in the city of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, South India. The college is affiliated to Tam ...
.
She also founded the ''X-Ray and Radium Institute'' in Thiruvananthapuram.
Mary and Lukose had two children, the eldest, Gracie, a medical doctor and a former assistant professor at
Lady Hardinge Medical College
, mottoeng = Through Adversity to Stars
, established = 1916
, founder = Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst
, director =
, faculty =
, students =
, undergrad = 240
, postgrad ...
, New Delhi
and the youngest, K. P. Lukose, former consul general, permanent representative of India to the United Nations and the Indian ambassador to Bulgaria.
Her husband died in 1947 and her two children also preceded her in death. She died on 2 October 1976 at the age of 90.
She was a recipient of the title, Vaidyasasthrakusala, from
Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last Maharaja of Travancore.
The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
awarded her the civilian honour of
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
in 1975.
See also
*
Kanyakumari Government Medical College
Kanyakumari Government Medical College, also known as KGMC, KGMCH, or Government Medical College Kanyakumari) is a medical education institution in Asaripallam, in the city of Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, South India. The college is affiliated to Tam ...
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukose, Mary Poonen
Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine
1886 births
1976 deaths
People from Kottayam district
Malayali people
Indian gynaecologists
Indian women gynaecologists
20th-century Indian women scientists
Indian women surgeons
Indian surgeons
University College Thiruvananthapuram alumni
University of Madras alumni
Medical doctors from Kerala
19th-century Indian medical doctors
20th-century Indian medical doctors
19th-century Indian women scientists
Women scientists from Kerala
20th-century women physicians
19th-century women physicians
20th-century surgeons