T. J. Cherian

Last updated

T. J. Cherian
Born(1920-08-29)August 29, 1920
Kottarakkara, Kerala, India
DiedMarch 6, 2006(2006-03-06) (aged 85)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Resting place St. George's Cathedral, Chennai
OccupationCardiothoracic surgeon
Awards Padma Bhushan
Padma Shri
Fellow of the American College of Surgeons

Thayil John Cherian, popularly known as TJC, was a Malayali cardio-thoracic surgeon, from Kerala, India, known for his social commitment and compassionate approach. The government of India honoured him twice, first by awarding him the Padma Shri, in 1972 and, later in 1992, with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, for his services to the field of Medicine. [1]

Contents

Life sketch

You wouldn't be able to afford my fees,Dr. Thayil used to jokingly tell the patients, if they pressed him to accept fees. [2]

T. J. Cherian was born on 2 August 1920, in the Thayil family, [3] an ancient family with roots all over the State, to John and Elizabeth, [4] in the southern Kerala town of Kottarakkara, in India, as the eldest of the two sons and two daughters. [5] He completed his schooling at the Madras Christian College School, Chennai and did his college studies at the Madras Christian College. Choosing medical career, he joined the Madras Medical College, in 1959, to secure his MBBS and specialised in cardio-vascular surgery in 1963 after which he went to New South wales, Australia to complete his residency where he registered as a medical practitioner. [2] [5] [6] The next move was to Canada for further specialisation in general medicine to get his MD. He was also made a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. [4]

Cherian started his career at the Indian Railways when he joined them as a medical officer. He served at various railway hospitals in Shoranur, Pothanur, Trichy and Perambur, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. [4] He was the chief medical officer of the Southern Railway at the time of his retirement. Subsequently, he resumed practice the Vijaya Hospital. [7] Chennai, only to move to the Devaki Hospital [8] For a while, he was sidelined by health problems but was practicing at the Kalliappa Hospital [9] at the time of his death. [2] [5] [6]

Cherian, a bachelor throughout his life, died on 6 March 2006, at the age of 85, at Chennai, succumbing to the injuries sustained following a fall from the terrace of his apartment building. He was laid to rest, the next day, at the St. George's Cathedral Cemetery, Chennai. [2] [6]

Death and the surrounding mystery

Official reports mention that the death of Cherian was due to head injuries suffered in a fall, death happening on the spot. The death occurred at the parking lot of his apartment complex at Abhiramapuram, in Chennai and his body was found on top of a parked car. Police investigations revealed that Cherian went up to the terrace of the building from where the fall occurred. However, the reason for the suicide is still unknown as it is reported that the doctor had no known enemies and had gone through the daily routine, on the day of his death, with no apparent deviations. No one's presence was also reported at the terrace and the police closed the matter as a case of suicide. [2] [5] [6]

Legacy

It is reported that Cherian would refuse doctor's fees if he found that the patient came from a poor background. He is remembered by many as one of the old school medical doctors who always maintained a personal relationship with their patients. [2] [5] [6]

Awards and recognitions

Other than the above honours, he was also given an emerald-studded ring by Sathya Sai Baba. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Medical College</span> Medical college hospital in Chennai, India

Stanley Medical College (SMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Though the original hospital is more than 200 years old, the medical college was formally established on 2 July 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras Medical College</span> Medical school and hospital in Chennai, India

Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia.

Kandathil Mammen Mammen Mappillai was an Indian businessman, industrialist and founder of MRF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. M. Cherian (doctor)</span> Indian heart surgeon

K. M. Cherian, in full Kotturathu Mammen Cherian, is an Indian heart surgeon. He performed India's first coronary artery bypass surgery and first heart Lung transplant. and is considered a pioneer of pediatric cardiac surgery in the country. He is also a former honorary surgeon to the President of India and a Padma Shri awardee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. K. R. Warrier</span> Indian cardiothoracic surgeon (1921–2011)

P. K. Raghava Warrier FRCS was an Indian Cardiothoracic surgeon, author and social activist from Kerala.

Ramamurthi Balasubramaniam was an Indian neurosurgeon, author, editor, a pioneer in neurosurgery in India and often recognized as the Father of Neurosurgery of India. He set up the Department of Neurosurgery at the Government General Hospital, Chennai in 1950, the Department of Neurosurgery at the Madras Medical College and founded the Institute of Neurology, Madras in the 1970s. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan and the Dhanvantri Award for his contribution to the field of Neurosurgery in India. He is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of Madras Neuro Trust.

Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath was an Indian ophthalmologist who was the founder and chairman emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya, one of India's largest charitable eye hospitals. He was an elected fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences. He received the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India in 1996. He also received many other awards, including Padma Shri and the Dr. B. C. Roy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jose Chacko Periappuram</span> Indian cardiac surgeon

Jose Chacko Periappuram is an Indian cardiac surgeon and medical writer who performed the first successful heart transplant in the state of Kerala, India, as well as the first successful heart retransplant in the country. His other achievements include the first beating heart, awake bypass and total arterial revascularization surgeries in the state. Periappuram is a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow and the Royal College of Surgeons of London. He is the founder and chairman of "Heart Care Foundation", a charitable trust that financially assists poor heart patients. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, in 2011.

T. V. Devarajan, is an Indian medical doctor and general physician. The Government of India honoured him, in 2013, by awarding him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the field of medicine.

Kandathil Mammen Cherian was an Indian media person and former chief-editor of Malayala Manorama, the Malayalam daily, ranked the first in Malayalam, the fourth in India. and the eleventh in the World, in terms of circulation. He is a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, the third and fourth-highest Indian civilian awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sivapatham Vittal</span> Indian surgical endocrinologist

Sivapatham Vittal is an Indian surgical endocrinologist, considered by many as the Father of Surgical Endocrinology in India. The Government of India honored Vittal in 2011, with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri.

Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan is an Indian geriatric physician, considered by many as the Father of Geriatric Medicine in India and known to be the first Indian Professor in the discipline. He was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.

Krishnaswami Srinivas Sanjivi (1903–1994) was an Indian medical doctor, Gandhian, social worker and the founder of Voluntary Health Services (VHS), a medical facility in Chennai reported to be serving the lower and middle-class people of the society. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1971 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award. Five years later, the government followed it up by awarding him the third highest civilian award of Padma Bhushan in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagarur Gopinath</span> Indian cardiothoracic surgeon

Nagarur Gopinath was an Indian surgeon and one of the pioneers of cardiothoracic surgery in India. He is credited with the first successful performance of open heart surgery in India which he performed in 1962. He served as the honorary surgeon to two Presidents of India and was a recipient of the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri in 1974 and Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian medical award in 1978 from the Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohan Kameswaran</span> Indian otorhinolaryngologist and medical academic

Mohan Kameswaran is an Indian otorhinolaryngologist, medical academic and the founder of MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing, a Chennai-based institution providing advanced training in audiology and speech-language pathology. He is one of the pioneers of cochlear implant surgery in India and a visiting professor at Rajah Muthiah Medical College of the Annamalai University and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. He has many firsts to his credit such as the performance of the first auditory brain stem implantation surgery in South and South East Asia, the first pediatric brain stem implantation surgery in Asia, the first totally implantable hearing device surgery in Asia Pacific region, and the first to introduce KTP/532 laser-assisted ENT surgery in India. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for his contributions to Indian medicine.

C. U. Velmurugendran is an Indian neurologist, medical writer and the chairman and head of the Department of Neurology at the Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. He is an honorary professor at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati and has contributed chapters to books including Diseases of the Spinal Cord, published in 2012. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2008, for his contributions to medicine.

Natesan Rangabashyam (1936–2013), popularly known NR, was an Indian surgical gastroenterologist and medical academic, known for his pioneering efforts in the fields of surgical gastroenterology and proctology in India. He was known to have established the department of Surgical Gastroenterology at Madras Medical College and introduced the first MCh course in Surgical Gastroenterology in India. A former honorary surgeon to the President of India, he received B. C. Roy Award, the highest Indian award in the medical category, twice. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 2002, for his contributions to medical science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thenumgal Poulose Jacob</span> Indian surgeon

Thenumgal Poulose Jacob was an Indian surgeon specializing in vascular surgery, and the founder Head of the Department of Vascular Surgery at Madras Medical College. Born in Aluva, in the south Indian state of Kerala, to Thenumgal Poulose and Mariam in a Malayali family, he did his under-graduate studies at UC College before graduating in medicine from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, and secured his MS degree from the same institution. He started his practice under government service at Madras Medical College where he helped establish the department of vascular surgery in 1978 and served as its founder head until his superannuation in 1993. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2014, for his contributions to medical science. He is married to Esther and the couple has a daughter, Siji Jacob, an academic and a son, Hasum Jacob Thenumgal, an engineer at TCS. He is in private practice at T. P. Jacob Clinic in Royapuram, Chennai and is also a consultant vascular surgeon at MV Hospitals for Diabetes, Royapuram.

Santosh Kumar Sen was an Indian surgeon and the president of the Association of Surgeons of India. He was the first Indian surgeon to be elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Jacob Cherian, popularly known as Ayya, was an Indian surgeon, educationist and a social worker. He was the founder of Christian Fellowship Community Health Centre Society, a non-governmental organization under which banner he established 24 primary health centres, besides 18 other institutions in the fields of health and education. Credited with the performance of over 25,000 surgeries, Cherian was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow, International College of Surgeons as well as of the American College of Surgeons, and a founder fellow of the Association of Surgeons of India. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 "Padma announcement" . Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Daiji World". Daijiworld.com. 11 March 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Thayyil". Ancestry.com . Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Hindu Kamakshi". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Hindu report". The Hindu. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Yahoo groups News". Yahoo. 11 March 2006. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Vijaya" . Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Devaki" . Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Kalliappa" . Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  10. ↑ Naresh Kadyan (2011). Year wise list of Padama awards recipients - 1954 to 2011. DocStoc. pp. 48 of 166.
  1. ↑ "Padma Shri List" (PDF). Drbhagwandas.com. 30 May 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
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.