Mary Poonen Lukose
Mary Poonen Lukose | |
---|---|
British Indian Empire | |
Died | 2 October 1976 | (aged 90)
Occupation(s) | Gynecologist, obstetrician |
Known for | Medical service |
Spouse | K. K. Lukose |
Children | Grace Lukose, K. P. Lukose |
Parent | T. E. Poonen |
Awards | Padma Shri Vaidyasasthrakusala |
Mary Poonen Lukose was an Indian gynecologist, obstetrician and the first female Surgeon General in India.
Early life and education
Mary Poonen was born to a rich
As Indian universities did not offer admission to women for medicine, she moved to London and secured MBBS from the
Medical career
Dr Mary Poonen returned to India in 1916, the year her father died.[4] She took up the post of an obstetrician at the Women and Children Hospital, at Thycaud in Thiruvananthapuram[8] and also worked as the superintendent of the hospital, replacing a westerner who had returned to her native place after marriage.[7] Poonen's initial appointment was blocked as the role had traditionally been occupied by European staff, although this was overturned and she was paid on the same salary as European staff.[9] A year later, she married lawyer Kunnukuzhiyil Kurivilla Lukose (K. K. Lukose)[10][7][3] She went by the name Dr Mary Poonen Lukose following her marriage. During her tenure at Thycaud Hospital, she initiated a midwifery training program for the children of local midwives in order to win over their support and delivered her own first born child, Grace, at the hospital in 1918.[7] She performed the first Caesarian section in Travancore before 1920, often operating under the light of hurricane lamps.[9][11][12]
In 1922 she was nominated to the legislative assembly of Travancore,[13] known as Sree Chitra State Council, becoming the first woman legislator in the state.[7] Two years later, she was promoted as the Acting Surgeon General of the state of Travancore, making her the first woman to be appointed as the surgeon general in India.[7][14] She continued at the hospital till 1938 during which time she was nominated to the state assembly continuously till 1937.[7] In 1938, she became the Surgeon General, in charge of 32 government hospitals, 40 government dispensaries and 20 private institutions.[4] She is considered to be the first woman appointed as a surgeon general in the world.[1][5][7][15] The first woman surgeon general in the US was appointed only in 1990.[4]
Lukose was one of the founders of the Thiruvananthapuram chapter of the
Personal life
In 1917 Mary Poonen married Kunnukuzhiyil Kurivilla Lukose (K. K. Lukose),
Recognition and commemoration
She was a recipient of the title, Vaidyasasthrakusala, from Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last Maharaja of Travancore.[1] The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1975.[2]
A biography Trailblazer – The Legendary Life and Times of Dr Mary Poonen Lukose, Surgeon General of Travancore edited by Leena Chandran was published in 2019.[11][20]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mary Poonen Lukose (1886-1976)". Stree Shakti. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Padma Shri" (PDF). Padma Shri. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-349-12252-3.
- ^ ISSN 2155-3017.
- ^ a b c d "The Doctors behind the Poonen Road, Secretariate, Trivandrum". Doctors' Hangout. 2015. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy". Scribbles of Soul. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Nair, K. Rajasekharan (July 2002). "A Pioneer Medicine-Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose (1886-1976)". Samyukta - A Journal of Women's Studies. II (2): 117–121. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ a b "The Changing Social Conception of Old Age" (PDF). Shodhganga. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ ISSN 0026-749X.
- ^ a b "Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose". Genie. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Trailblazer – the story of Dr Mary Poonen Lukose". OnManorama. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Mary Poonen Lukose - Hektoen International". hekint.org. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ISBN 9788185604749.
- ^ "Evolution of Modern Medicine in Kerala". National Medical Journal of India. 2003. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "Then and Now". Blog. Pazhayathu. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "YWCA of Trivandrum". YWCA. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to Our Institution". 2015. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "The good doctor of Travancore". Mintlounge. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ^ "Lukose, Grace Mary (1918 - 1954)". Lives Online. 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ "'Trailblazer,' autobiography on Dr Mary Poonen Lukose is a class apart". OnManorama. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
Further reading
- Nair, K. Rajasekharan (July 2002). "A Pioneer Medicine-Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose (1886-1976)". Samyukta - A Journal of Women's Studies. II (2): 117–121.