Shantilal Jamnadas Mehta (1905–1997) was an Indian surgeon, institution builder and medical academic, who established the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai. His contributions were also reported in the establishment of

Tata Memorial Centre The Tata Memorial Hospital is situated in Parel, Mumbai, in India. Also popularly known as TMH. It is a specialist cancer treatment and research centre, closely associated with the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer ...

and the

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, also known as AIIMS Delhi, is a public medical research university and hospital in New Delhi, India. The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Minis ...

. In 1971, the Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

for his contributions to medicine.

Biography

Mehta was born on 10 January 1905 in Surendranagar district in the Saurashtra of the Indian city of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. Due to lack of good educational facilities in his native town, he stayed with his maternal grandfather, Motilal Kothari, in Rajkot and did his schooling there. Later, when Kothari moved to Mumbai, Mehta followed him to continue his education there and it was during this time, he developed a fascination for

ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

when he was cured by an ayurvedic physician from a life-threatening bout of dysentery, after

allopathic Allopathic medicine, or allopathy, is an archaic term used to define science-based modern medicine. Citing: ''Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine'' (2008) and ''Mosby's Medical Dictionary'', 8th ed. (2009). There are regional variations in usage of th ...

treatment yielded no positive results. His graduate degree in medicine came from

Grant Medical College and Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy Group of Hospitals The Grant Government Medical College, Mumbai, is a public medical college, affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Founded in 1845, it is one of the oldest institutions teaching medicine in South Asia. Its clinical affil ...

, during which time he was also involved with the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

and suffered incarceration at Colaba Police Station after he, along with five other activists, showed black flag at the visiting Simon Commission in 1927. Later, when he went to England for fellowship at the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...

, his earlier involvement in the freedom struggle caused him many difficulties but he completed the fellowship, winning the Hallett Prize, the first Indian to receive the honour. Subsequently, he worked for 9 months at the

Royal Brompton Hospital Royal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung medical centre in the United Kingdom. It is managed by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. History Consumption in the 19th Century In the 19th century, consumption was a c ...

, at ENT, Orthopedic and general surgery departments, where he had the opportunity to train under several notable surgeons. On his return to India in 1930, he joined

Grant Medical College The Grant Government Medical College, Mumbai, is a public medical college, affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Founded in 1845, it is one of the oldest institutions teaching medicine in South Asia. Its clinical affil ...

, his alma mater, as a member of faculty and an honorary surgeon. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, when

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 ...

took over the hospital for treating armed personnel injured in the war, he was accorded the honorary rank of a Colonel, which he declined. He worked at the hospital, moving up through the ranks, from Associate Professor to Professor, till his superannuation in 1960, and continued his association with the institution for another ten years, in the capacity of the Emeritus Professor. While his tenure at GMC, he was also involved with the establishment of the ''Association of Surgeons of India'' in 1938 and the

in 1941. After his retirement from GMC, he also served as the personal surgeon of Indira Gandhi. Mehta was one of the Indian medical personnel involved in the establishment of the

National Academy of Medical Sciences National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), better known by its acronym, NAMS, is a nodal agency under the Government of India, which acts as an advisory body to the Government in matters related to National Health Policy and Planning and as a ...

in 1961, and was a founder fellow of the Academy. In 1973, when an Indian-born British philanthropist, Seth Lokoomal Chanrai, decided to set up a hospital, he entrusted the project to Mehta, which resulted in the founding of

Jaslok Hospital Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre is a private hospital located in Mumbai was founded by philanthropist Seth Lokoomal Chanrai along with surgeon Shantilal Jamnadas Mehta. The hospital was formally inaugurated on 6 July 1973 by the erstwhile ...

. He worked as the medical director of the hospital and established several specialty departments; the institution has since grown to become a multi-specialty tertiary care hospital. He chaired the ''Medical Education Review Committee'' (later known as the ''Mehta Committee'') of the

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India. The Minister of Health and Family Welfare ...

, Government of India, in 1982, which proposed guidelines for medical education in India. Later, he was also associated with ''Swami Prakashanava Ayurvedic Research Centre''. He received the third highest civilian honour of the

in 1971. Mehta, who was married to Champaben, suffered from age-related illnesses towards the later stages of his life and died on 21 June 1997, at the age of 92. ''Dr. Shantilal J. Mehta Medical Research Foundation'' is a medical research foundation operating in Mumbai which has been named after him.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Shantilal Jamnadas Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in medicine 1905 births 1997 deaths Fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons People from Surendranagar district Gujarati people Indian independence activists from Gujarat Indian surgeons Indian medical academics 20th-century Indian medical doctors Medical doctors from Gujarat 20th-century surgeons