Richard Lionel Spittel, (commonly known as ''Dr. R. L. Spittel'') (9 December 1881 – 3 September 1969) was a Ceylonese

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. He was one of the foremost experts on the Vedda community.

Education and career

Richard Lionel Spittel was born in

Tangalle Tangalle ( Sinhala තංගල්ල , ta, தங்கல்லை) (also known as Tangalla) is a large town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is one of the largest towns in southern provinc ...

on 9 December 1881, the fourth child of Dr Frederick George Spittel (1853–1943) (who later became a District Medical Officer in Ceylon Health Service) and Zilia Eleanor Andree née Jansz (1855–?). Spittel received his education at Royal College, Colombo and the

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 ...

, where he passed LMS in 1905. Thereafter he joined the government medical service and was sent to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in 1906 to complete his higher education. There he finished conjoint diploma in 1908 and took

FRCS 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 ...

in 1909. Returning to Ceylon in 1910, he was appointed the Third Surgeon at the General Hospital

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

. Going on to be a senior surgeon and a lecturer at the Ceylon Medical College, he retired in 1935, yet worked as a consultant surgeon and was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1942 and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1950 for his services towards medicine and surgery. A lifelong member of the British Medical Association, he was the President of its Ceylon Branch from 1940 to 1946. He served as President of

Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon The Dutch Burgher Union of Ceylon (abbreviated as: DBUC; ), known commonly as the Dutch Burgher Union (DBU), is an organisation of Dutch Burghers in Sri Lanka. It was established on 18 January 1908 by Richard Gerald Anthonisz. History On 12 ...

from 1936 to 1938.

Author

An avid nature-lover, Spittel made many trips to the jungles of Ceylon, gaining much knowledge of the flora and fauna and the aborigines of the island, the

Veddas The Vedda ( si, වැද්දා , ta, வேடர் (''Vēḍar'')), or Wanniyalaeto, are a minority indigenous group of people in Sri Lanka who, among other sub-communities such as Coast Veddas, Anuradhapura Veddas and Bintenne Vedd ...

. His studies on the Veddas made him and expert on this little understood people. Based on his ethnographic studies, he authored several books that gained much fame during his lifetime. His works include novels, poetry and academic studies.

Personal

Spittel married a fellow medical student Claribel Frances Van Dort, daughter of one of Ceylon's most distinguished physicians and a member of the

Legislative Council of Ceylon The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of repr ...

, Dr William Gregory van Dort, on 28 December 1911 at St Michael and All Angels' Church, Colombo.The Spittel Ancestry
/ref> They had two daughters,

Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...

and Yvonne. Spittel died on 3 September 1969, at the age of 87.

Bibliography

;Novels *''Savage Sanctuary'' (1941) *''Vanished Trails'' (1950) *''Where the White Sambhur Roams'' (1951) *''Wild White Boy'' (1958) *''Brave Island'' (1966) ;Non-fiction *''Wild Ceylon'' (1924) *''Far-off Things'' (1933) ;Poetry *''Leaves of the Jungle'' ;Medical books *''A Basis of Surgical Ward Work'' (1915) * ''A Preliminary Course of Surgery'' (1918) *''Framboesia Tropica'' (1923) *''Essentials of Surgery''

External links and References

R. L. Spittel, C.M.G., C.B.E., L.M.S., F.R.C.S.
British Medical Journal, 1969
Dr. R. L. Spittel: Surgeon of the wilderness

Continuing the saga of Richard Spittel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spittel, Richard Lionel 1881 births 1969 deaths 20th-century poets Academic staff of Ceylon Medical College Alumni of Ceylon Medical College Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Burgher academics Burgher poets Burgher writers Ceylonese Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Ceylonese Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan surgeons