‘Aunt Ida’, as Dr. Ida Scudder was fondly called, was born in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu on 9th December, 1870 and passed away on 24th May, 1960, in Kodaikanal. To this day, she is remembered with great affection by the staff, students and alumni of CMC Vellore and the citizens of Vellore.
Her passionate concern for the women of India sprang from the night she was begged by a Brahmin gentleman to come to save his young wife who was struggling in childbirth. Then only a teenager with no medical training, she could offer no help – but the man refused to allow her doctor father to come near his wife: “it would be better that she died than be seen by a man”. On that same night, two other men came to her parents’ bungalow with the exact same request, and departed with the same sad response. The next morning she was shocked to learn that all three mothers and their babies had died – all for want of a female doctor. She gave up all thoughts of marriage and a comfortable life in the USA, and instead threw herself into medical training, returning to India as a qualified doctor in the year 1900.
Her primary focus in those early years was women and children. She started with a tiny clinic: just one bed with a window through which medicines were dispensed. In the year 1902 she opened the 40-bedded Mary Taber Schell Memorial Hospital in Vellore. In the next year, with a small band of dedicated helpers, she saw over six thousand patients and conducted 40 surgical operations. She did not neglect the rural population, but would take out bullock carts, carrying nurses and medicines, and hold ‘roadside clinics’ at the nearby villages
The funds to build the first small hospital were donated by a New York banker, Mr. Schell, in memory of his late wife Mary. He actually gave Ida Scudder more money than she asked for because he wanted it, he said, to be a “very good hospital”. This concept of not settling for “good enough” but striving for excellence was one of the hallmarks of Aunt Ida’s life, and of the institution she founded. CMC has always tried to be the very best it can be, sending its staff for higher studies at leading institutions around the world, and investing in the latest medical technology.
Right from the beginning, Ida knew that she needed to train women to help women. Initially it was compounders and nurses: formal nurse training began in 1909. By the year 1918, she proudly opened the Missionary Medical School for Women, which offered the LMP (Licensed Medical Practitioner) course. In 1942 this was upgraded to a full MBBS degree course, and men were admitted from 1947 onwards. The Nursing School became the first College of Nursing in India in 1946 and is now a WHO collaborating centre for Nursing and Midwifery. In 2020, we celebrated Aunt Ida’s 150th birth anniversary and 120 years of CMC Vellore.
Ida Scudder is famous as the founder of the Christian Medical College and its associated hospitals, but her legacy is far greater than the institution and its buildings.
She brought new hope and dignity to women in South India, giving them the benefits of modern medicine previously denied them by cultural barriers. She opened up the health care professions to women from all faiths and backgrounds, encouraging families to allow their daughters to train as nurses and doctors and showing by her own example and her students’ achievements that women could equal men both in medical studies and clinical proficiency, and excel in leadership even in the toughest of times.
Ida Scudder inspired hundreds of young medical professionals to take the words of Jesus as their motto. He said that he had come, “not to be served but to serve.” Many of her graduates dedicated their lives to bringing healthcare and new hope to remote areas of India. Others continued to serve in Vellore, passing on the torch of knowledge, skill and compassionate caring to new generations.
At the same time, Ida never lost “the common touch”. Patients loved her because of her compassionate care for them and the way, even after retirement, she used to sit beside them in their pain and hold their hands. Her students loved her because she made them her family, spending her off-duty time with them for relaxation and fun, and not just studies. Her colleagues and staff members respected her trust in them and her integrity, tireless hard work and indefatigable spirit as she strove to build “not a medical college, but the Kingdom of God”.
Ida Scudder, who never had any postgraduate medical training, was a pioneer in many areas: medical training for women, roadside clinics, new initiatives in education and research. Yet, she was so determined to start helping in India that she had arrived in Vellore, in 1900, without any working experience: her plan was to serve her internship under the supervision of her father. However, he died within a year of her return to India.
When it came to the first years of academic teaching, she had to go back to her basic text books and constantly study to keep ahead of her students. Nevertheless, she recognised the value of research and both published papers herself and encouraged others to do so. She tried to make sure that CMC was at the forefront of introducing new treatments and acquiring the latest equipment. Her commitment to improving the quality and effectiveness of medical practice has resulted in CMC Vellore being one of the leading medical research institutes in India.
For her tremendous and tireless service to the nation, Ida Scudder received the Kaiser-i-Hind medal in 1920. But she was not someone who merely achieved great things herself; she also inspired others to achieve more than they could imagine.
She had to cajole and persuade people to train in new specialities and take up unfamiliar administrative responsibilities – and people responded willingly because of her leadership and passion. Somehow, during the closing years and aftermath of the Second World War and with no financial security, she managed to pull together a top class faculty to staff the new Medical College.
As we now gradually recover a respect for nature, and an awareness of its value and fragility, we should remember that Ida Scudder, one hundred years ago, was a committed environmentalist. She ensured that there was always space for flowers and trees in her hospital. She loved creation and retired to the blossoms and natural beauty of Kodaikanal.
Ida Scudder continued to provide inspiration and moral support for those who assumed leadership of the College and hospital after her retirement in 1945. She encouraged the emergence of a cadre of Indian professionals who were committed to the highest standards of medical practice and education. Her funeral in 1960 in Vellore was an all-community event with thousands of people of many faiths lining the streets. The Government of India issued a commemorative stamp on 12th August 2000 in her honour.
Ida Scudder’s example of dedicated service to God and to mankind, her tireless work, pioneering spirit and deep practical faith has continued to motivate the Christian Medical College Vellore, its staff and students, to the present day. Her values and ideals remain at the centre of the institution and are the reason why it continues to grow, continues to have room for both rich and poor and continues to hold international respect for its work in education, healthcare and research.
Always she carried great burdens: responsibilities to her patients and staff, shortage of resources and difficult leadership decisions. However, this never showed, for she relied ultimately on her God, who, in the words of her favourite hymn, was her Vision, Shield and Delight.
Ida, a charismatic and indomitable leader who was completely committed to her cause, was ably supported by many wonderful women who strengthened her hands and worked beside her, to make all her dreams for India and Indian women come true.
On the 5th of December, 2020, a few days before Aunt Ida’s 150th birth anniversary, we held a 24-hour global online event to honour her life and legacy.
Noted social activist Harsh Mander delivers the 2019 Ida Scudder Oration
Aunt Ida’s Prayer
Father, whose life is within me and whose love is ever about me,
Grant that Thy life may be maintained in my life, today and everyday;
That with gladness of heart, without haste or confusion of thought,
I may go about my daily tasks, conscious of my ability to meet every rightful demand,
Seeing the larger meaning of little things, and finding beauty and love everywhere
And in the sense of Thy presence, may I walk through the hours
Breathing the atmosphere of love rather than anxious striving.
