Professor Ragunathar Kanagasuntheram (13 October 1919 – 19 June 2010) was a Sri Lankan Tamil physician, zoologist, academic and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the

University of Jaffna The University of Jaffna ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகம், translit=Yāḻppāṇap Palkalaikkaḻakam; si, යාපනය විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය, ''Yāpanaya Viśvavidyālaya''; ...

Early life and family

Kanagasuntheram was born on 13 October 1919 in Karainagar in northern Ceylon. He was the son of Ragunathar, a teacher from Karainagar. He was educated at Karainagar Hindu College and

Jaffna Hindu College Jaffna Hindu College ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக் கல்லூரி, translit=Yāḻppāṇam Intuk Kallūri; si, යාපනය හින්දු විද්‍යාලය, translit=Yāpanaya Hindu Vidyāl ...

. After school he joined

Ceylon Medical College Ceylon Medical College was a public medical school in Ceylon. The college was established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School. The college was based in Colombo. The college was merged with Ceylon University College in 1942 to form the University ...

in 1938. He graduated from the

University of Ceylon The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Unive ...

in 1944 with a first class honours MBBS degree and was awarded the Rockwood Gold Medal. He passed the part 1 of the

Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal ...

exam in 1947 but did not sit the part 2 exam due to health reasons. Kanagasuntheram married Sornam. They had two sons (Narendran and Rajendran) and three daughters (Pathmini, Bhavani and Panja).

Career

Kanagasuntheram joined the

, Colombo as a lecturer in anatomy in 1948. He then proceeded to the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

from where he received a PhD degree in 1952. He won colours at Cambridge in tennis. Kanagasuntheram then worked at the

University of Khartoum The University of Khartoum (U of K) ( ar, جامعة الخرطوم) is a public university located in Khartoum, Sudan. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. UofK was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 195 ...

from 1958 and 1962 as a senior lecturer and reader of anatomy. He was appointed Professor of Anatomy and head of the Department of Anatomy at the

University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the ...

in 1962. He was the first Asian to chair the department. He retired in 1979 and was appointed emeritus professor in 1981. He was visiting professor at Flinders University. Kanagasuntheram was Professor of Anatomy and head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Jaffna. He was dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the university from July 1981 to December 1983. Kanagasuntheram became a member of the

Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland The Anatomical Society (AS), previously known as the Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland or ASGBI was founded in London in 1887 to "promote, develop and advance research and education in all aspects of anatomical science". The society o ...

in 1951, and later on was made a life member. He was a fellow of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

, fellow of the

Institute of Biology The Institute of Biology (IoB) was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societie ...

and a member of the Academy of Medicine of Singapore. He was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from the University of Jaffna. The National University of Singapore has named a

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...

in honour of Kanagasuntheram.

Later life

Kanagasuntheram returned to Singapore. He died on 19 June 2010 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia.

Works

* ''A New Approach to Dissection of the Human Body: A Thirty Week Schedule Incorporating the Objective Method of Learning'' by R. Kanagasuntheram, P. Sivanandasigham and A. Krishnamurti (1977, Singapore University Press; ) * ''Anatomy: Regional, Functional and Clinical'' by R. Kanagasuntheram, P. Sivanandasigham and A. Krishnamurti (1987, PG Medical Books; ) * ''A New Approach of the Human Body'' by R. Kanagasuntheram and P. Sivanandasigham (1988, PG Publishing; ) * ''Textbook of Anatomy'' by R. Kanagasuntheram, P. Sivanandasigham and A. Krishnamurti (1996, Sangam Books; )

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanagasuntheram, R. 1919 births 2010 deaths Academic staff of the University of Ceylon Academic staff of the University of Jaffna Alumni of Ceylon Medical College Alumni of Jaffna Hindu College Alumni of the University of Cambridge Alumni of the University of Ceylon Fellows of the Zoological Society of London Academic staff of Flinders University Academic staff of the National University of Singapore People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan academics Sri Lankan Tamil people Sri Lankan medical doctors Sri Lankan Tamil writers Sri Lankan zoologists Academic staff of the University of Khartoum Sri Lankan environmentalists Expatriates in Sudan Expatriates in Singapore