Ida S. Scudder
Encyclopedia
Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder was a third-generation American medical missionary
in India
of the Reformed Church in America
. She dedicated her life to the plight of Indian women and the fight against bubonic plague
, cholera
and leprosy
., In 1918 she started one of Asia's foremost Teaching hospital
s, the Christian Medical College & Hospital
, Vellore, India
.
Hear Dr. Scudder tell her own story
, where she earned a reputation for pranks. She was irrepressible, voted the most popular girl in her
class!, ringleader of pranks, whether an impromptu joy ride with the "borrowed" horse and carriage of the German professor from Mount Hermon or an excursion to the old cider mill near the cobbler's shop! p. 18
Ida expected to get married and settle down in the U.S. after seminary, but in 1890 she went back to India to help her father when her mother was ailing at the mission bungalow at Tindivanam
. Ida had expressed a resolve not to become a medical missionary, but during that stay, she had the enlightening experience of not being able to help 3 woman in childbirth who died needlessly in one night. That experience convinced her that God wanted her to become a Physician
and return to help the women of India. She was never married.
She graduated from Cornell Medical College in New York City
in 1899, as part of the first class at that school that accepted women as medical students. She then headed back to India, fortified with a $10,000 grant from Mr. Schell, a Manhattan banker, in memory of his wife. With the money, she started a tiny medical dispensary and clinic for women at Vellore, 75 miles from Madras. Her father died in 1900, soon after she arrived in India. In two years she treated 5,000 patients. She opened the Mary Taber Schell Hospital in 1902.
Ida Scudder realized that she would be foolish to go on alone in her fight to bring better health to South India's women, so she decided to open a medical school for girls. Skeptical males said she would be lucky to get three applicants; actually she had 151 the first year (1918), and had to turn many away ever since. At first, the Reformed Church in America was the main backer of the Vellore school, but after Dr. Scudder agreed to make it coeducational, it eventually gained the support of 40 missions. Of 242 students today, 95 are men.
In 1928 ground was broken for the "Hillsite" medical school campus on 200 acres (0.8 km²) about 8 kilometers west of Vellore. In 1928 Mahatma Gandhi
visited the medical school and appreciated Dr. Ida's work. She traveled a number of times to the United States
to raise funds for the college and hospital, raising a total in the millions. In 1945 the college was opened to men as well as women. In 2003 the Vellore Christian Medical Center was the largest Christian
hospital in the world, with 2000 beds, and its medical school is now one of the premier medical colleges in India.
overlooking the Vellore Christian Medical College and its hospital, and opened a stack of letters and telegrams. Her name is a famous one in India. A letter once reached her addressed simply, "Dr. Ida, India." But the mail was heavier than usual because friends around the world were congratulating her on winning the Elizabeth Blackwell Citation of the New York Infirmary
, as one of five outstanding women doctors of 1952.
She died at age 89, in her home on Hill Top.,
A stamp issued on August 12, 2000 as part of centenary celebrations of Christian Medical College depicts the college chapel, the motivating monument of the medical college and hospital, symbolising the ethos of the institution. The First-day cover portrays Dr Ida Scudder, who founded the institute in 1900, working for the medical requirements of pregnant women.
www.cmch-vellore.edu/
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44019591
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/43648472
Rehabilitation Campus, Bagayam, Vellore-2.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44035232
www.vellorecmc.org/
http://clin.cmcvellore.ac.in/index.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChristianMedicalCollege&Hospital
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
of the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
. She dedicated her life to the plight of Indian women and the fight against bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
, cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
and leprosy
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
., In 1918 she started one of Asia's foremost Teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
s, the Christian Medical College & Hospital
Christian Medical College & Hospital
Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore is one of the largest medical centres in India. This century-old Christian institution was founded by Ida S...
, Vellore, India
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
.
Hear Dr. Scudder tell her own storyEarly life
She was born of Dr. John Scudder Jr. and Mrs. Sophia Weld Scudder, part of a long line of medical missionary Scudders in India. She was a granddaughter of Rev. Dr. John Scudder, Sr.. As a child in India, she saw much famine, poverty and disease and her last idea was to spend her life in India, even though it might be the Scudder family tradition. She was invited by Dwight Moody to study at his Northfield Seminary in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where she earned a reputation for pranks. She was irrepressible, voted the most popular girl in her
class!, ringleader of pranks, whether an impromptu joy ride with the "borrowed" horse and carriage of the German professor from Mount Hermon or an excursion to the old cider mill near the cobbler's shop! p. 18
Ida expected to get married and settle down in the U.S. after seminary, but in 1890 she went back to India to help her father when her mother was ailing at the mission bungalow at Tindivanam
Tindivanam
Tindivanam is a town and a municipality in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Important roads from north to south Tamil Nadu pass through Tindivanam and similarly from west to east.-History:Tindivanam is a Selection grade Municipal Town...
. Ida had expressed a resolve not to become a medical missionary, but during that stay, she had the enlightening experience of not being able to help 3 woman in childbirth who died needlessly in one night. That experience convinced her that God wanted her to become a Physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and return to help the women of India. She was never married.
She graduated from Cornell Medical College in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1899, as part of the first class at that school that accepted women as medical students. She then headed back to India, fortified with a $10,000 grant from Mr. Schell, a Manhattan banker, in memory of his wife. With the money, she started a tiny medical dispensary and clinic for women at Vellore, 75 miles from Madras. Her father died in 1900, soon after she arrived in India. In two years she treated 5,000 patients. She opened the Mary Taber Schell Hospital in 1902.
Ida Scudder realized that she would be foolish to go on alone in her fight to bring better health to South India's women, so she decided to open a medical school for girls. Skeptical males said she would be lucky to get three applicants; actually she had 151 the first year (1918), and had to turn many away ever since. At first, the Reformed Church in America was the main backer of the Vellore school, but after Dr. Scudder agreed to make it coeducational, it eventually gained the support of 40 missions. Of 242 students today, 95 are men.
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
visited the medical school and appreciated Dr. Ida's work. She traveled a number of times to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to raise funds for the college and hospital, raising a total in the millions. In 1945 the college was opened to men as well as women. In 2003 the Vellore Christian Medical Center was the largest Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
hospital in the world, with 2000 beds, and its medical school is now one of the premier medical colleges in India.
Tributes
In 1953 at a sprightly 82 years old, Dr. Scudder sat in Hilltop, her bungalow at KodaikanalKodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
overlooking the Vellore Christian Medical College and its hospital, and opened a stack of letters and telegrams. Her name is a famous one in India. A letter once reached her addressed simply, "Dr. Ida, India." But the mail was heavier than usual because friends around the world were congratulating her on winning the Elizabeth Blackwell Citation of the New York Infirmary
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
__notoc__The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, located at East 14th Street and Second Avenue in lower Manhattan, New York City, is one of the most prominent otolaryngology and ophthalmology hospitals in the world, providing primary inpatient and outpatient care in those specialties...
, as one of five outstanding women doctors of 1952.
She died at age 89, in her home on Hill Top.,
A stamp issued on August 12, 2000 as part of centenary celebrations of Christian Medical College depicts the college chapel, the motivating monument of the medical college and hospital, symbolising the ethos of the institution. The First-day cover portrays Dr Ida Scudder, who founded the institute in 1900, working for the medical requirements of pregnant women.
See also
- The well-known Ida Scudder SchoolIda Scudder SchoolIda Scudder School is situated in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.It is named after the medical missionary, Dr.Ida Sophia Scudder, who came to Vellore and set up the Christian Medical College. The school was started in 1969 by a group of faculty of the Christian Medical College, when there were few schools in...
in Viruthampet, Vellore is named in her honour. - Her niece, Ida B. Scudder (1900–1995), was also an important doctor.
- Dr. Paul Brand, a noted leprosyLeprosyLeprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
researcher who worked with Dr. Ida at Vellore.
- CMC - The world class hospital attracts the patients all over the world. For more details, please visit the official website
www.cmch-vellore.edu/
- Christian Medical College & Hospital
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44019591
- Dr. Ida Scudder Cemetery
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/43648472
Rehabilitation Campus, Bagayam, Vellore-2.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44035232
- Christian Medical Foundation
www.vellorecmc.org/
- For appointments
http://clin.cmcvellore.ac.in/index.asp
- In wikipedia about CMC Hospital
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChristianMedicalCollege&Hospital
Biographies
- Graves Dan (2005) Glimses, issue #113, Christian History Institute, retrieved 9/8/2007 Ida Scudder, A Woman Who Changed Her Mind
- Legacy and Challenge: The Story of Dr. Ida B. Scudder, published by the Scudder Association http://www.scudder.org/resources.html
- Ida S. Scudder of Vellore: The Life Story of Ida Sophia Scudder by Dr. M. Pauline Jeffery, Wesley Press 1951
- With: Ida S. Scudder and her gleam : memorial supplement, 1960–1961, by M. Pauline Jeffery. Vellore : Christian Medical College of Vellore, 1961
- Dr. Ida by Dorothy Clarke WilsonDorothy Clarke WilsonDorothy Clarke Wilson was an American author and playwright.Dorothy Clarke was born in Gardiner, Maine in 1904. She attended Bates College and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1925 and married classmate, Elwin L. Wilson...
1959 - The Doctor Who Never Gave Up by Carolyn Scott 1975
- A Thousand Years In Thy Sight by Dorothy Jealous Scudder (1984) Chapters 25-27
- Ida Scudder: Healing Bodies Touching Hearts by Janet Benge and Geoff Benge 2003
- Dr. Ida Skudder by Veena Gavhankar, Raj Hans Prakashan, 1983 MarathiMarathi languageMarathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
External links
- Vellore Christian Medical College and Hospital
- Vellore CMCH Ida S. Scudder page
- Vellore Christian Medical College Board (USA), Inc.
- The Scudder Association
- Ida Sophia Scudder Papers. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Other sources
- From Mission to Church: The Reformed Church in America Mission to India By Eugene P. Heideman, Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0-8028-4900-8, 9780802849007, 512 pages.