Dr. Samuel Fisk Green
- Ambi -
| In response to a request made by the Green Commemoration Committee,
the Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Media issued a Commemorative
Stamp for Dr. Samuel Fisk Green on November 11th, 1998. That was the
Ter-jubilee year of Green Memorial Hospital at Manipay, Jaffna. Incidentally,
Dr. Green’s 181st birthday falls on 10th October, 2003.
Now, who is this man, Green? Why issue a Commemorative Stamp for him? What contribution did he make to be honored thus? Providing answers to such questions is the aim of this article. |
Yes, Poet Longfellow’s words of wisdom tell us a universal truth. Great men leave footprints on the sands of time, footprints that the winds of change cannot erase. They engrave permanent impressions with silver lining that shines and guides man’s future endeavors.
We often fail to pause in gesture of gratitude and take lessons from the footprints on the sands of time, footprints left by great men who lived for the greater humanity. Dr. Samuel Fisk Green was one such great man who toiled with a will and left his footprints on the Jaffna soil by his devoted service to the Tamil people and the Tamil language, over a century and a half ago.
“Whatsoever will remain of mortal man in generations to come is that which appears in black and white upon the printed pages of books. A century hence even the greatest of this generation will have been forgotten, unless historic pages contain some reference to him and his deeds...”
Dr. Green’s life and deeds are worthy of preservation on the pages of history of the Tamil people. Here is a concise account of his life and deeds and more specifically, his pioneer contribution for the development of western medical and scientific literature in Tamil.
Dr. Green (1822-1884) of Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, was an American medical missionary doctor who served the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) in Jaffna, during the period (1847-1873).
On arrival in1847, after a brief period of medical service at the ACM Centre at Vaddukoddai, he was moved to Manipay in 1848, by a decision of the mission. At Manipay, in addition to providing medical services to the ever increasing number of patients who came in search of him, he established the first medical school to teach western medicine to the Jaffna Tamils. Thus, Manipay enjoys a pride of place in Ceylon history as the venue of the first hospital and the first medical school, thanks to the ACM, and in particular to Dr. Samuel Fisk Green.
Today, there stands at Manipay, the Green Memorial Hospital, which brings to revered memory the pioneer services of this great medical evangelist, and the ACM – now known as the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI). It celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Green Memorial Hospital, and the ACM medical mission, in October 1998. The continued service of the medical mission over a period of 150 years and its timely contribution to the Jaffna society are definitely milestones reached by the mission and need special focus and dissemination of historically important information. That is not all.
As mentioned earlier, in addition to the hospital, Dr. Green established a medical school at Manipay. That medical school has another ‘first’ to be proud of. It was in that school that Dr. Green introduced Tamil language as the medium of instruction of western medical science – in as early as 1864. It is appropriate to mention here how Dr. Green changed the attitude of the colonial government by his determined and dedicated service.
At the outset, when Dr. Green appealed for assistance for the publication of some medical books in Tamil, the colonial government refused aid saying that development of western medical science in Tamil was disastrous and suicidal. Yes, it is true that educating the servants would be suicidal for the colonial masters. But after a decade, the same government doubled its aid and also requested Dr. Green to superintend the preparation and printing of Sanitary and Medical action related literature in Cholera times. The Ceylon Observer commended Dr. Green’s endeavors, in late 1860s.
Why did Dr. Green decide to introduce Tamil as the medium of instruction of western medical science at a time when the society was not prepared? Dr. Green’s feeling was that it was the only way in which he could get his students to settle down as physicians in the villages of their own people.
It was the period of colonial rule. There were hardly any natives qualified in western medicine, except those who were trained by him. Qualified doctors had good prospects of government employment. Hence, once trained as doctors in the English medium by Dr. Green, his students left their villages for greener pastures-government employment in urban Ceylon.
That defeated Dr. Green’s aim – his primary purpose. His aim was to educate and train natives as doctors, to serve the people in their own villages. Thus, in his attempt to keep his students in their villages to serve the people, he switched over to the Tamil medium, which by no means was an easy task.
To teach western medicine in Tamil, he had to coin technical terms in Tamil, translate western medical books into Tamil and write medical books in Tamil. This meant the development of medical and scientific Tamil as different from the established literary Tamil. There was also a need to write medical treatises in simple Tamil for the benefit of the common people – the layman. He boldly and with confidence, undertook to meet all these challenges.
Here is an overview of his pioneer undertakings and accomplishments at Manipay, during the twenty-five year period 1847 -1873.
- He taught western medicine to Tamils in English.
- He learnt and gained proficiency in the Tamil language.
- He prepared medical vocabulary in Tamil.
- He wrote and translated standard medical books in Tamil.
- He introduced Tamil as the medium of instruction for western medicine.
- He guided his students to translate medical books into Tamil.
- He edited and published medical books-over 4500 pages
- He wrote simple treatises in Tamil to educate the common people.
Dr. Green’s desire of leaving behind this very useful study to the Tamil nation in their own tongue and his foresight that English as a foreign language may in the lapse of time depart from the land are contentions that give food for thought, in the light of our experience in the post independence era. If our community had continued to follow Dr. Green’s trails, today the Tamil language would have developed like one of the modernized languages.
Whatsoever that remains of this great man’s pioneer attempt is that which appears in black and white upon the printed pages of his books. How many of us are aware of this great man’s achievements? The following list provides a glimpse into Green’s medical science works. They were published in Tamil as a result of Dr. Green’s planned undertaking:
1. Cutter’s Anatomy, Physiology and Hygiene. 204 pages 1857
2. Maunsell’s Obstetrics 258 pages 1857
3. Druitt’s Surgery 504 pages 1867
4. Gray’s Anatomy 838 pages 1872
5. Hopper’s Physician’s Vade Mecum 917 pages 1875
6. Dalton’s Physiology 590 pages 1883
7. Waring’s Pharmacopoeia of India 574 pages 1884
8. Well’s Chemistry 516 pages 1875
Dr. Green’s aim was to leave behind a series of medical text books in Tamil, as something permanent. This was a massive task. Aiming to accomplish such a task, he planned meticulously and worked systematically. He experienced some obstacles but obstacles did not discourage him, no mater in what form they manifested.
- There were times when he was ailing and fighting for his own survival;
but, his conscience wouldn’t allow him to think of abandoning
his undertaking.
- There were times when his loved ones pressurized him to return; but,
he withstood all pressures by presenting his point of view.
- There were times when his students, educated natives, contended that
he should concentrate on teaching medical science in English; but, he
argued that at the close of his work he should have the satisfaction
of leaving behind medical science to the Tamil nation, in their own
language.
- At the time he decided to introduce Tamil as the medium of instruction
in his medical school, his students themselves were unhappy; but that
did not affect his decision. He stood by his plan to teach in Tamil
and get the doctors to settle down in their villages and serve their
people.
- The colonial government at first refused aid saying that the NON ENGLISH policy pursed by ACM was disastrous and suicidal; but, he disobeyed political dictum and continued his work on producing medical literature in Tamil. Ultimately, he made the government see reason and seek his assistance in medical matters.
Dr. Green’s work in introducing western medical science in Tamil was the first ever attempted to render western medical science in Tamil. He was the pioneer in that field. The foregoing overview would amply portray the magnitude of Dr. Green’s undertaking.
Dr. Green lived amongst the Tamils of Jaffna and laboured for the Tamil people and developed medical and scientific Tamil – as different from literary Tamil. Given the period of time and the society in which he faced the challenges and accomplished his pioneer task of rendering scientific knowledge in Tamil, makes his achievements even more significant. Placing his undertakings and achievements in perspective, and viewing in the light of and the status of prose literature in Tamil during mid-nineteenth century gives a new dimension for evaluation of his contribution.
Taking cognizance of the fact that he was an English speaking American to whom our language was alien, we see the ‘real’ Dr. Green when we pause with gratitude to recapitulate his pioneer undertakings and achievements, and his determination and commitment to leave behind something permanent.
At one stage, in 1855, he was suffering from cholera and his sister wished that he returned home and recuperates. He firmly replied thus:
“ I have spent too much time in getting the language and in getting here, to run home before having really accomplished something. If I can leave behind a series of medical text books in the vernacular, I shall feel as if something permanent has been done. If I can stay out my ten years, I would prefer to do so.”
During his period he educated and trained 62 Tamils as doctors, 33 of them in the Tamil medium. That says it all about his commitment and dedication, though there are more instances to quote. He stayed on, risking his health and life.
Thus we see in Dr. Green as extraordinary scholarly personality with the heart and dedication to serve mankind in whom he saw God. He was a great man who was born great and demonstrated his greatness by his achievements as well as his determination and will.
It is unfortunate that we, the present Tamil generation, have failed to pause in gesture and reflect on his endeavors. Even the institutions of higher learning have not given due recognition to his pioneer work. Most of them are still unaware of his pioneer efforts and achievements.
Dr. Green served two ten-year terms between 1847 and 1873, working on his pioneer attempt to establish Western Medical Science in Tamil. Even the eleven years he lived after returning to America, he spent on revising Tamil works produced by translators in Jaffna.
His life was dedicated to the Tamils. Even in his last days, eleven years after leaving Jaffna, he expressed his wish to be remembered as Medical Evangelist to the Tamils. He had expressed this request in his last “will. The request was observed and the inscription engraved on his gravestone. Today, his gravestone in the Rural Cemetery at Worcester, Massachusetts bears testimony to his love and affection towards the Tamils amongst whom he lived and to whom he dedicated his entire life.
It is but fitting that we bring back to memory this great evangelist to the Tamils, look at his ventures in relation to the then Jaffna society and his pioneer contribution to the development of medical and scientific Tamil.“A kind deed at an hour of need though small is much greater than the whole world” - Thirukurhal
R. Ambihaipahar
7/40-42 Empress Street
Hurstville, NSW 2220
Australia.
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