This oration has been instituted in CMC, Vellore in memory of Rev. Dr. John Scudder I, grandfather of Dr. Ida Scudder and the first American medical missionary to serve in Ceylon and in India as a witness to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. By the pouring out of his life in the service of others, he has inspired countless others to follow in his footsteps. Through this oration, Christian Medical College, Vellore seeks to honour healthcare professionals who have spent a lifetime fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ, that it may inspire in the listener, a desire to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, serving one another in love.
John Scudder was born in Freehold, New Jersey, and was educated at the College of New Jersey (1811) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York (1813). He established a successful medical practice in New York, and in 1816 married Harriet Waterbury.
As a busy medical practitioner in New York, he had a thriving practice. While visiting a Christian patient, he found a tract lying on the table with a call to go to missions “The conversion of the World or the claims of six hundred million.” He borrowed it. Read and reread it. The message penetrated deep into his soul. His first response was that someone should respond and to the call. Almost in an unexpected lightening flash the call appeared to be directed at him. “Come over and help us.”
When he shared this call with his wife Harriet, she unreservedly responded by saying, “Where thou goest, I will go.” But his father, Joseph Scudder, a reputed lawyer, in his anger, disinherited him for venturing out on this “mad project”. Despite this, on June 8, 1819, Dr. John Scudder, then 26 years old, boarded the ship Brig Indus along with his wife and daughter Maria from Boston’s Fulton St. Dock to embark on a journey that would significantly alter the eternal destiny of many lives in this part of the world. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission was sending forth probably the world’s first medical missionary.
Dr. John Scudder established his first dispensary in Panditeripo. After 18 years in Jaffna, which formed his second missionary journey, in 1836, he was transferred to Madras, where he began his third missionary journey.Preaching was his first calling. Each morning, when patients gathered in his clinic, he always started by preaching the Gospel and then would provide his medicines. Distributing tracts both written by hand on ‘olai’ (palm leaf) or printed materials was the principal means of his ministry.
Did Rev. Dr. John Scudder ever dream about a mission venture in Vellore? He beautifully described his experience standing on the top of Vellore’s Fort Hill on September 25, 1824. “The view of the plain from this mountain is most charming. I had a most commanding sight of the whole city. It is very large. I also had an excellent view of the villages in the vicinity of Vellore. The tops of trees, which appeared at a distance; the paddy fields, in perfect green or yellow; the white bed of the river, which is nearly dry; the shades cast over a part of the plain by the passing cloud, while the full sunshine was on other parts of them; the fort, with its surrounding water and so forth, presented a scene which beggars all description. Vellore is not entirely surrounded by mountains, but you would be led to make such a supposition had you been where I was. Vellore is an excellent place for missionary labour. It needs a dozen of labourers ...” Probably it was this vision that gave rise to CMC and the college song, “Girded round by her strong ageless mountains…
A century later his granddaughter (Dr. Ida Scudder) went on to fulfil that dream. More importantly, over 40 of his descendants then went on to contribute over a thousand years (1074 years) in serving Christ in India.
Significant contributions of John & Harriet Scudder include CMC Vellore, Scudder Memorial Hospital at Ranipet, Voorhees College, Tindivanam High School, a vital role in the formation of the Church of South India, publishing scriptural literature in the local languages, translation of scriptures, Ladies Seminary at Chittoor, Palmaner lace making unit, and an elaborate organization of schools.
Dr. Chandramathi Asirvatham was born on 6th March 1932 in Vellore to Mr. Ignatius D. Asirvatham and Mrs. Mary Grace Asirvatham. Her childhood was spent in Kanchipuram, where she attended the CSI Anderson school, Kanchipuram before she went to boarding school at CSI Northwick at Royapuram, Chennai and later Women’s Christian College before joining Stanley Medical College to begin her medical education. . She always had two things in her mind. One, to become a surgeon in an era where Surgery was an impossible dream for a lady doctor, and another to work in a mission hospital. After her MBBS, she served in a mission hospital in Madurai, followed by long years at Scudder Memorial Hospital in Ranipet.
She furthered her medical training in the United Kingdom and aced her FRCS exams from Edinburgh at a time when women surgeons were few and far between, let alone someone of Indian origin.
She lived and worked in the UK for almost ten years, and while she qualified as a general surgeon, her experience at the children’s hospital meant she excelled at paediatric surgery and had significant knowledge of neonatal issues. When she returned to India, she worked at CMC Vellore, under Dr. A. S. Fenn from 1972 to 1974 before going to Sydney, Australia, to obtain her FRACS in Paediatric Surgery at the Royal Alexandria Children’s Hospital.
Contrary to all expectations, she returned to India to serve the poor and needy. This was a time when India hardly had any Paediatric Surgeons. She joined the CSI Kalyani and Rainy Hospitals in Chennai. She also worked as an honorary surgeon at the Institute of Child Health, Chennai and Perambur Railway Hospital, where she performed numerous surgeries free of cost and trained many young doctors. She has uplifted the lives of 1000s of children in and around Chennai who would otherwise not have had the resources to see a paediatric surgeon in Chennai. She and Dr. Jeyachandran were instrumental in starting the SMART (Samaritan Medical Aid and Research Trust) mini-health centre in Bettamugilalam, Hosur, which does exemplary work among the tribal population of the region.
Her faith has always been a shining beacon throughout her life and is the foundation she stands firm on. She is a jovial person, a lover of sports and a great cook. God has graced her with excellent, steady hands to operate and drive her car around the city and showcase her culinary expertise at this age. Anyone who knows her knows that age is just a number.
The Christian Medical College, Vellore, is proud to honour Dr. Chandramathi Asirvatham for her exemplary and selfless service in the healthcare field as a witness to the healing ministry of Christ.