Women in India had sometimes found treatment by male physicians unwelcoming. There are several instances on record where the patient preferred to die rather than be seen by a male doctor. From the 19th century, there was a growing consciousness amongst educated and committed women of the need to help their ill sisters. Their attempts at seeking education in medical colleges so that they could graduate as trained physicians met with frustration as male administrators and teachers in these colleges derided such attempts.

The talk will provide details on eight remarkable women, from Anandibai Joshi (1865-1887) to Vatsala Samant (1910-2009) who laid the foundations on which women now study medicine and emerge as confident and significant physicians.

About the Speaker:

Dr Sunil Pandya is a former Neurosurgeon turned Author. He studied Medicine at Grant Medical College and Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital and trained under Dr Gajendra Singh at these institutions. Since 1967, Dr Pandya had worked under Dr Homi Dastur in the Department of Neurosurgery, Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College and King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. He has also served as a Professor of Neurosurgery for 23 years and has been working as a Neurosurgeon at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Center since 1998. Dr Pandya’s Publications include books on the origins of medical education in Western India; the brain and behavior; and the neurosciences in India – in retrospect and prospect.