Revival of Medicine in India:

Till the eighteenth century the teaching and practice of

medicine in India was done according to the Ayurvedic or

ancient Vedic Hindu system and the Unani or Arabic system

based on the Egyptian and Greecian schools and brought

to India by the Greek and Muslim rulers.

The wisdom and seniority of the great teachers Charaka

and Susruta compared to the pioneer western physicians

like Hippocrates and other famous Greek physicians were

accepted universally not only in basic medical sciences,

therapeutics and surgery but also in laying down the ethical

code for practice of medicine and nursing.

In the early 19^th century, the British Government of India

could not entrust their health care of their own people

in the hands of Ayurveda and Unanis and they had to bring

medical men from Europe. 

The British Surgeons trained a few Indians the elementary

principles of diagnosis and treatment of disease and appointed

them as Native Doctors to help them as compounders and

dressers.

They received no systematic education but had to pass

through tests before being entitled to higher pay and

responsibilities.

The services of these dedicated men were soon appreciated

by the British Surgeons and in 19^th May 1822, the Medical Board

of the British Surgeons wrote to the then Secretary to the

Government of India for a more systematic education for the

Native doctors which was formally approved on 24^th May 1882.   

With a Government Order dated 21^st June, 1822, the

first Medical  School in British India was established.

The School opened in October, 1824 at Calcutta Sanskrit

College with Dr. James Jamieson as the first Superintendent.

The period of training was for  3 years.

The first one year was spent on lessons on Anatomy, Physiology,

Pharmacology and Materia Medica.

Medicine and Surgery were taught during two senior classes.

The students had to attend the Native Hospital, the General

Hospital, the Company’s Dispensary, the Eye Infirmary and the department

of the Superintendent of vaccination  for clinical teaching.

Dissection of human body was not performed and lesions in

Anatomy were learnt from dissection of lower animals and by

witnessing post-mortem examination at the General Hospital.

The students also learnt side by side the great works of Charaka

and Susruta as well as those of Avicenna and other

physicians of the Arabic School.

In 1833 Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor of India,

appointed a Committee to make a report  on the existing

medical education and institutions in order to revise and

improve on Indian medical education.

The Committee submitted their report on October 20^th 1834.

The Committee advised immediate abolition of the Native

Medical School and suggested the formation of a Medical

College for Indians.