Kalighat Home for the Dying

Last updated

Nirmal Hriday facade, c. 2007 Nirmal Hriday facade.jpg
Nirmal Hriday facade, c. 2007

Kalighat, the Home of the Pure Heart (Nirmal Hriday) [1] (formerly Mother Teresa's Kalighat Home for the Dying Destitutes) is a hospice for the sick, destitute and the dying established by St. Mother Teresa [2] [3] in Kalighat, Kolkata, India. Before Mother Teresa sought permission to use it, the building was an old abandoned Hindu temple to the goddess Kali, [4] the Hindu goddess of time and change. It was founded by St. Mother Teresa on her 42nd birthday in 1952, [5] two years after she established Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.

Contents

Men's ward at Kalighat, Home of the Pure Heart, Nirmal Hriday. Nirmal Hriday.JPG
Men's ward at Kalighat, Home of the Pure Heart, Nirmal Hriday.

St. Mother Teresa opened this free hospice in 1952, next to the famous Kalighat Kali Temple in Kalighat Calcutta. [6] With the help of Indian officials, she changed an abandoned building which previously served as a temple for the Hindu goddess Kali into the "Kalighat home for the dying", a free hospice for the poor. Later on she changed the name to "Kalighat the Home of the Pure Heart (Nirmal Hriday)". People who were brought to the home received medical attention from the Missionaries of Charity and were given the opportunity to die with dignity, according to the rituals of their faith; Muslims were read the Quran, Hindus received water from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites. [7] "A beautiful death," she said, "is for people who lived like animals to die like angels—loved and wanted." [7]

Quality of medical care

In 1994, Robin Fox, then editor of the British medical journal The Lancet, visited the Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and described the medical care the patients received as "haphazard". [8] He observed that sisters and volunteers, some of whom had no medical knowledge, frequently made decisions about patient care because of the lack of doctors in the hospice: "There are doctors that call in from time to time," Fox wrote, "but usually the sisters and volunteers (some of whom have medical knowledge) make decisions as best they can." [9] Fox witnessed one patient with high fever being treated with paracetamol and tetracycline, an antibiotic, only to be diagnosed later with malaria by a visiting doctor, who prescribed chloroquine. Fox specifically held Teresa responsible for these conditions, writing, "Mother Theresa prefers providence to planning". [9] Fox also observed that staff either declined to use or lacked access to blood films or "simple algorithms that might help the sisters distinguish" between curable and incurable patients: "Investigations, I was told, are seldom permissible". [9]

Fox conceded that the regimen he observed included "cleanliness, the tending of wounds and sores, and loving kindness", but critiqued the sisters' "spiritual approach" to managing pain: "I was disturbed to learn that the formulary includes no strong analgesics. Along with the neglect of diagnosis, the lack of good analgesia marks Mother Theresa's approach as clearly separate from the hospice movement. I know which I prefer." [9]

Mary Loudon, who volunteered at the same facility, observed "syringes run under cold water and reused, aspirin given to those with terminal cancer, and cold baths given to everyone" [10] as well as overcrowding. Loudon also recalled speaking with a visiting doctor whose fifteen-year-old patient was dying because the sisters had not given him antibiotics for a "relatively simple kidney complaint", and refused to transfer him to a nearby hospital for a needed operation. [11]

There have been a series of other reports documenting inattention to medical care in the order's facilities. Similar points of view have also been expressed by some former volunteers who worked for Teresa's order. Mother Teresa herself referred to the facilities as "Houses of the Dying". [12]

In 2013, in a comprehensive review [13] covering 96% of the literature on Mother Teresa, a group of Université de Montréal academics reinforced the foregoing criticism, detailing, among other issues, the missionary's practice of "caring for the sick by glorifying their suffering instead of relieving it, ... her questionable political contacts, her suspicious management of the enormous sums of money she received, and her overly dogmatic views regarding, in particular, abortion, contraception, and divorce". Questioning the Vatican's motivations for ignoring the mass of criticism, the study concluded that Mother Teresa's "hallowed image – which does not stand up to analysis of the facts – was constructed, and that her beatification was orchestrated by an effective media relations campaign" engineered by the Catholic convert and anti-abortion BBC journalist Malcolm Muggeridge. [14]

Baptisms of the dying

St. Mother Teresa encouraged members of her order to baptize dying patients, without regard to the individual's religion. In a speech at the Scripps Clinic in California in January 1992, she said: "Something very beautiful... not one has died without receiving the special ticket for St. Peter, as we call it. We call baptism ticket for St. Peter. We ask the person, do you want a blessing by which your sins will be forgiven and you receive God? They have never refused. So 29,000 have died in that one house [in Kalighat] from the time we began in 1952."[ citation needed ]

Critics have argued that patients were not provided sufficient information to make an informed decision about whether they wanted to be baptized and the theological significance of a Christian baptism.

Some of St. Mother Teresa's defenders have argued that baptisms are either soul-saving or harmless and hence the criticisms would be pointless (a variant of Pascal's Wager). Simon Leys, in a letter to The New York Review of Books , wrote: "Either you believe in the supernatural effect of this gesture – and then you should dearly wish for it. Or you do not believe in it, and the gesture is as innocent and well-meaningly innocuous as chasing a fly away with a wave of the hand." [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missionaries of Charity</span> Roman Catholic religious order founded by Mother Teresa

The Missionaries of Charity is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. As of 2023, it consisted of 5,750 members religious sisters. Members of the order designate their affiliation using the order's initials, "M.C.". A member of the congregation must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and the fourth vow, to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor." Today, the order consists of both contemplative and active branches in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother Teresa</span> Albanian-Indian Catholic saint (1910–1997)

Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu MC, better known as Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and the founder of the Missionaries of Charity. Born in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire, at the age of 18 she moved to Ireland and later to India, where she lived most of her life. On 4 September 2016, she was canonised by the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The anniversary of her death, 5 September, is her feast day.

<i>The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice</i> 1995 book by Christopher Hitchens

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice is a book by the British-American journalist and polemicist Christopher Hitchens published in 1995. It is a critique of the work and philosophy of Mother Teresa, the founder of an international Roman Catholic religious congregation, and it challenges the mainstream media's assessment of her charitable efforts. The book's thesis, as summarized by one critic, was that "Mother Teresa is less interested in helping the poor than in using them as an indefatigable source of wretchedness on which to fuel the expansion of her fundamentalist Roman Catholic beliefs."

<i>Hells Angel</i> (TV programme) 1994 British film

Hell's Angel is a television documentary programme criticising Mother Teresa which premiered in the UK on Channel 4's Without Walls arts strand on 8 November 1994. It was hosted by Christopher Hitchens, directed by Jenny Morgan, and produced by journalist Tariq Ali. Hitchens and Ali co-wrote the programme's script. Hitchens originally titled the documentary Sacred Cow, but the film's backers instead chose Hell's Angel as the title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aroup Chatterjee</span> Indian academic (born 1958)

Aroup Chatterjee is a British Indian author and physician. He was born in Calcutta, and moved to the United Kingdom in 1985. He is the author of the book Mother Teresa: The Untold Story, a work which challenges the widespread regard of Mother Teresa as a symbol of philanthropy and selflessness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public image of Mother Teresa</span> Views about Mother Teresas charity work

Catholic nun and missionary Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, commonly known as Mother Teresa and known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta since 2016, has a complicated public image. She has been widely admired by many for her charitable work, which lead to her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace". During her life she was highly celebrated, receiving multiple awards and honorary degrees, as well as consistently ranking as one of the world's most admired people. She is also venerated by many Catholics who consider her a saint and ask for her intercession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakshineswar Kali Temple</span> Hindu Temple in Kolkata, West Bengal

Dakshineswar Kali Temple or Dakshineswar Kalibari is a Hindu navaratna temple in Dakshineswar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini (Kali), a form of Mahadevi or Parashakti Adya Kali, otherwise known as Adishakti Kalika. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a Zamindar, philanthropist and a devotee of Kali Maa. The temple is known for its association with Ramakrishna and Ma Sarada Devi, mystics of 19th century Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Street, Kolkata</span> Neighbourhood-cum-Road in Kolkata, India

Park Street, is a famous thoroughfare in downtown Kolkata, India. In Bengali, it is often referred as Shaheb -er Para or the “neighbourhood of Englishmen”.The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence the earlier name. It's located in central part of Calcutta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behala</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Behala is a locality of South 24 Parganas district of Kolkata city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Behala is a part of Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. It is broadly spread across Ward Nos. 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 and 132 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and is divided into two Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Behala Paschim and Behala Purba. Behala, Parnasree, Thakurpukur, Haridevpur and Sarsuna police stations serve this area under the South West Division of Kolkata Police also known as Behala Division.

Bhowanipore is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chowringhee</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Chowringhee is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chowringhee Road runs on its western side. A neighbourhood steeped in history, it is a business district, as well as a shopper's destination and entertainment-hotel centre. The area lies exactly at the centre of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Preger</span> British doctor (born 1930)

Jack Preger is a British doctor who has been offering medical treatment as well as vocational training to the poor in the Indian city of Kolkata and in other parts of West Bengal since 1972. He established the relief agency Calcutta Rescue.


Calcutta Rescue is a charity based in Kolkata, India, founded by Jack Preger and registered under the West Bengal societies act. It runs medical, educational and support services to disadvantaged people in West Bengal. It also imparts vocational training to ex-patients and underprivileged people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Wald</span> American nurse (1917–2008)

Florence Wald was an American nurse, former Dean of Yale School of Nursing, and largely credited as "the mother of the American hospice movement". She led the founding of Connecticut Hospice, the first hospice program in the United States. Late in life, Wald became interested in the provision of hospice care within prisons. In 1998, Wald was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hospice</span> Organization that cares for the dying or the incurably ill

Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering. Hospice care provides an alternative to therapies focused on life-prolonging measures that may be arduous, likely to cause more symptoms, or are not aligned with a person's goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in West Bengal</span> Overview of the history of Christianity in the Indian state of West Bengal

Christianity in West Bengal, India, is a minority religion. According to the 2011 census of India, there were 658,618 Christians in West Bengal, or 0.72% of the population. Although Mother Teresa worked in Kolkata (Calcutta), Christianity is a minority religion in Kolkata as well. West Bengal has the highest number of Bengali Christians. Bengali Christians have been established since the 16th century with the advent of the Portuguese in Bengal. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, many upper-class Bengalis converted to Christianity during the Bengali Renaissance under British rule, including Krishna Mohan Banerjee, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Anil Kumar Gain, and Gnanendramohan Tagore. Aurobindo Nath Mukherjee was the first Indian to be Anglican Bishop of Calcutta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IPGMER and SSKM Hospital</span> Hospital and medical school in Kolkata, India

Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, colloquially known as P.G. Hospital, is a public medical college and hospital located in Kolkata, India. It is a national research institute.

St. Joseph's Hospice is a health care facility in Rawalpindi, run by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, open to patients from all walks of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reeta Devi</span> Founder of the Indian NGO, Ila Trust

Reeta Devi Varma is an Indian social worker and the founder of the Delhi-based non governmental organization, Ila Trust. She was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

The Gift of Peace AIDS Hospice is an AIDS hospice care home that was opened in 1986 by Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in Northeast Washington, D.C.

References

  1. ↑ 10 Years Later, Mother Teresa Remembered. Washington Post , 4 September 2007.
  2. ↑ Her Legacy: Acceptance And Doubts Of a Miracle by David Rohde. New York Times . 20 October 2003.
  3. ↑ The house that Mother built The Telegraph . Sunday. 2 September 2007.
  4. ↑ NIRMAL HRIDAY, KOLKATA: Home bodies. India Today . 14 August 2008.
  5. ↑ SEEKER OF SOULS TIME . By SUBIR BHAUMIK AND MEENAKSHI GANGULY. CALCUTTA. 24 June 2001.
  6. ↑ Mother Teresa of Calcutta Frontline Vol. 14 :: No. 19 :: Sept.20 - 3 Oct. 1997.
  7. 1 2 Spink, Kathryn (1997). Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography. New York. HarperCollins, p.55. ISBN   0-06-250825-3.
  8. ↑ Fox, Robin (1994). "Mother Teresa's care for the dying". The Lancet. 344 (8925): 807–808. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(94)92353-1.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Fox, Robin (17 September 1994). "Calcutta Perspective: Mother Theresa's care for the dying". The Lancet. 344: 807–808 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
  10. ↑ Loudon, Mary (6 January 1996). "The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice". British Medical Journal. 312 (7022): 64–66.
  11. ↑ Christopher Hitchens (24 April 2012). The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice. McClelland & Stewart. pp. 40–41, 51. ISBN   978-0-7710-3919-5.
  12. ↑ Robin Fox. "Mother Teresa's care for the dying". The Lancet . 344 (8925): 807–808. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(94)92353-1.; cf. "Mother Teresa's care for the dying," letters from David Jeffrey, Joseph O'Neill and Gilly Burns, The Lancet 344 (8929): 1098
  13. ↑ Larivée, Serge; Carole Sénéchal; Geneviève Chénard (2013). "Les côtés ténébreux de Mère Teresa". Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses. 42 (3): 319–345. doi:10.1177/0008429812469894.
  14. ↑ "Mother Teresa: Anything but a Saint..." U de M Nouvelles. 1 March 2013. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ↑ Leys, Simon (19 September 1996). "Letters: In Defense of Mother Teresa". The New York Review of Books . 43 (14). Retrieved 21 April 2017.

22°31′13.1″N88°20′29.8″E / 22.520306°N 88.341611°E / 22.520306; 88.341611

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.