Dr. Kadiyala Ramachandra

Dr. Kadiyala Ramachandra, fondly remembered as Dr K R, was the former superintendent of Government General Hospital, and the former Head of the department of Medicine,Madras Medical College Chennai. He was born on the 6th of November 1919 in the Chennai,Tamil Nadu, India and did his early studies at Doveton Corrie Boys School and Loyola College, Chennai. He completed his MBBS in 1949 from the Madras Medical College, winning several awards, the most outstanding of which were the Johnstone Gold Medal, T. M. Nair Gold Medal, The Raja of Panagal Prize and the Dr Rangachari Prize in Medicine. Every institution he graduated from, had his name etched on the board of fame for his outstanding performance, both at studies and in sports. He was also a member of the Boys scouts. He retired as the superintendent and professor and the head of the department of Medicine from his alma mater, Madras Medical College & Government General Hospital, Chennai. During his tenure there, he was also instrumental in starting two new departments, the Department of Oncology & Cancer Chemotherapy and the Rheumatic Care Unit. He also served as a member of the Senate and the Syndicate of the University of Madras and headed the committee of post graduate examinations.

His achievements were so numerous that an attempt to merely list them would not do justice to this genius and his efforts as a doctor and a teacher. His erudations were clearly manifest in Curzon Endowment Lectures (1968) and Dr. K. Kudumbiah's Endowment lecture (1971). He has to his credit more than 52 scientific research papers, amongst which were papers he presented at the WHO. Dr K Ramachandra had conducted extensive studies on the usefulness of Indian herbs and his efforts at evolving a synthesis of Indian and Modern medicine is laudable. His research on the treatment of Bronchial Asthma had been reported in several leading periodicals and in the Hindu and Asian Times.

All India Radio had featured a series of his talks on a wide range of topics including the prevention of Heart disease, Arthritis and Chemotherapy of Malignant diseases. He was also the Convenor for the Medicinal Chemistry Reasearch Centre using several indegenious herbs. His treatise on the History of Medicine recording Kidney Disorders and Urinary Tract Infection from 1500BC to Modern days was monumental and was published by the University of Madras. He was an excellent orator and a much sought after teacher. His ward rounds was an academic feast for his students. He was also a vivid poet and had composed a vast collection of poems in English. “Poems of Introspection” is an anthology of 53 poems which was released in 2003. He was the physician to the well respected social activist Thanthai Periyar EV Ramaswamy and several other well known persons.

Dr K Ramachandra’s impressive achievements in Medicine and his empathy for the poor and needy was recognized by The Government of India and he was awarded The Padma Shri in 1974. Two prizes were instituted in his name in Rheumatology, one for MBBS students & the other for MD(Gen med) students, during his tenure. An endowment oration in Oncology was instituted in his name posthumously. He was also felicitated by the National Board of Examinations in 2000, on Teachers Day.

After his retirement from Madras Medical College, at the age of 55yrs in 1974, he was made the Professor Emiritus of medicine of his Alma mater and for more than a quarter century, this eminent physician of Tamilnadu, continued to share his talent and expertise to the glory of his profession and the benefit of mankind till his death in February 2007.