Dr Samuel Chelliah Paul was a leading

Ceylon Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...

surgeon 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 ...

Early life

Paul was born on 28 February 1868. He was the son of Dr William Thillayampalam Paul, a physician and leading resident from

Manipay Manipay or Maanippaai ( ta, மானிப்பாய்) is an affluent town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periyapulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) came to S ...

in northern province of

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. He had three brothers (Albert, Victor and Charles) and nine sisters (Thangamma, Annamma, Chellamma, Rasammah, Ratnamma, Pakiam, Muttamma, Nallamma and Nesammah). He was educated at

Jaffna Central College Jaffna Central College ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் மத்திய கல்லூரி ''Yāḻppāṇam Mattiya Kallūri'', JCC) is a national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1816 by British Methodist missionaries, it ...

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College, Colombo, popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues" is a school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. Wesley College is a Methodist educational institution. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Ri ...

and

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

. He later passed his First in Arts Examination from

Presidency College, Madras Presidency College is an art, commerce, and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. On 16 October 1840, this school was established as the Madras Preparatory School before being repurposed as a high school, and then a gra ...

. He then went on to study medicine at

Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established on 2 February 1835, it is the second oldest medical college in India, established after Calcutta Medical College. History The Governme ...

from where he obtained a first class

MB BCh Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United Kin ...

degree. Later he went to

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

from where he obtained the

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 C ...

qualification in 1901. He was the first Ceylonese to gain the FRCS qualification. Paul married Dora Elenor, daughter of Dr Simon de Melho Aserappa, on 8 May 1899. They had seven sons ( Milroy, William, Egerton, Albert, Jeyarajan, Arthur and Ellalasingam) and three daughters (Girlie Cooke, Amy Crosette-Thambiah and Tutse Rasaratnam).

Career

Paul returned to Ceylon after obtaining his medical qualifications in the UK. He was appointed a lecturer in

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

in 1902 and in 1905 he became a

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...

. In 1908 he was appointed a

. Paul's reputation grew and he was appointed senior surgeon at the

General Hospital, Colombo The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (sometimes General Hospital) is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hospi ...

, a position he held until his retirement. Paul was president of Ceylon Medical Association, president of the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

and chairman of the Ceylon Planters' Association. He was also a member of the Ceylon Medical Corps which he commanded between 1923 and 1927 as a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. Paul and

Justin Kotalawela Justin Kotelawala, CBE, JP (22 August 1904 - 2 April 1973) was a Sri Lankan businessman and Senator. He was the former Chairman of the Ceylinco Group. Early life and education He was born to John Kotelawala, a police inspector turned busines ...

founded the Ceylon Insurance Company. He and the De Vos family founded Colonial Motors. Paul died in 1942 aged 74. The Sri Lanka Medical Association has honoured Paul by naming on its annual

orations Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...

after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, S. C. 1868 births 1942 deaths Alumni of Jaffna Central College Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Wesley College, Colombo Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia People from Manipay Sri Lankan surgeons Sri Lankan Tamil physicians