Medical Batch 62 Remembrance Day 2023 (5)

Medical Batch 62 Remembrance Day 2023 (5)

REMEMBERING OUR TEACHERS

By Dr Nihal D Amarasekera 

Note from Speedy: Remembering our great teachers on this special occasion is fitting and proper. I am pleased to post ND's very readable notes, which certainly jogged my memory and transported me back half a century! To our Teachers, we owe so much.

It’s been said before; ours was the golden age of medical education in Sri Lanka. I feel greatly privileged to have been taught by some remarkable teachers. I still consider our Professors, lecturers and clinical tutors as some of the best in the world. I marvel at their clinical skills and recoil at their egotistical arrogance. We remember them all with gratitude. We soon learnt to survive and even thrive in that air of toxicity. We tread cautiously and endured the arrogance and conceit in silence in the hope of better times. In reality it wasn’t all bad. Surprisingly I don’t feel resentful. The tough life gave us self-reliance, confidence, grit and determination. I am told, the atmosphere and attitudes have evolved significantly to reflect changes in society. I remember our teachers with much affection and gratitude and thank them for their commitment to teaching.  

Prof.G.H Cooray

In the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo and in Ceylon he was the Voice of Pathology. His educational contribution was immense. As a lecturer, his laid-back but precise delivery was matchless.  He spoke perfect English, and taught us diligently and to the best of his ability. I can still recall in great detail the first time I sat in the lecture theatre to listen to Prof Cooray.  His masterly introduction to the pathology of inflammation has remained with me ever since.  Those classical signs of inflammation, Rubor, Calor, Tumor, Dolor and  Functio laesa have now been permanently imprinted in my brain. The Prof, with his formidable intellect, had this remarkable ability to deliver facts in a logical sequence and transport his audience to the world of pathology. After a career in medicine spanning 40 years, I can say, unequivocally, he is the finest teacher I have ever had. His success as a teacher earned him a huge following of many generations of grateful students. 

Dr P.R Anthonis

When I think of the surgeons that taught me, the name that comes across in flashing lights, above everyone else, is Dr PR Anthonis. He was not only a fine surgeon, an excellent tutor, and a fine raconteur. He was a phenomenon. PRA was a mentor to many. His ward classes were pure theatre. He knew the art of getting a message across to the students.  Although calm and placid, he never tolerated nonsense.  He was firm when it was necessary. PRA was always courteous to his patients, his students and the nursing staff.  His natural curiosity led him to make fine observations. He tried his best to pass on this superb skill to his students. After an illustrious career in the Health Service Dr Anthonis retired in 1971. He worked in the private sector well into his 80’s. He was a devout Buddhist and passed away at the age of 99. 

Prof K. Rajasuriya

Prof Rajasuriya dressed immaculately. His gait was measured as was his speech. He was fearless and forthright and had controversial views about nationalism and religion. But in his capacity as the Professor of Medicine, he was fair and unbiased. In those days we accepted the idiosyncrasies of our teachers with good grace, assuming their intentions were honourable.  The culture of bullying that was prevalent in the faculty was also present in British hospitals. This was also our salad days of youthful paranoia. When Professor Rajasuriya passed away in 1975 we lost a dedicated teacher and a fine clinician. I personally would like to thank him for the part he played in my medical education. I take the cue from the title of the 1996 song by that English Rock Band - Oasis – Don’t look back in Anger. 

Prof N.D.W Lionel

How on earth can anyone make Pharmacology interesting?  It is a mass of information to be memorised. This unenviable but important task fell on Dr Lionel, as he was known then. He was a fine lecturer and a friendly person in that tough milieu of medical education of our time. He was well-known nationally and internationally. Prof Lionel will be best remembered for his clinical research and contributions to the National Formulary Committee and the State Pharmaceutical Corporation. I came to know him more closely while working in the Central Blood Bank in Colombo and my professional career was at an impasse. He was helpful, down to earth and a fine mentor. Prof Lionel passed away age 56. Perhaps there is some truth in the old saying, “only the good die young”. 

Dr M. Oliver R Medonza

I remember our 2-month appointment with Dr Medonza very well.  At its completion, he called us to his house for dinner and drinks. There he treated us as equals. He taught us the basics of clinical medicine with his characteristic wit and humour.  After graduating in medicine with first-class honours, he trained as an Army medical specialist. At the end of his military duties, he was awarded the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Burma Star. Being a well-known and popular medical specialist, Dr Medonza enjoyed a lucrative private practice. He had many interests outside medicine. He played cricket for the Ceylon Medical College and also played billiards and bridge. He had a deep and lasting interest in Buddhist philosophy. Dr Medonza enjoyed a rewarding professional career and lived a full life. He passed away in 1991.  

Dr R.Thanabalasunderum

My first clinical appointment as a medical student in Colombo was with Dr Thanabalasundrum. Then he was at the zenith of his profession and remained as one of the best teachers of clinical medicine in the country.  He was a brilliant professional and a consummate physician. He took teaching seriously and introduced a system and structure into history taking.  He brought logic into our clinical methods, diagnosis and treatment.  When presenting cases nothing incorrect went past his sharp intellect.  He always tested and challenged the student’s narrative. The little book of Clinical Methods by Hutchison and Hunter held more reverence than the bible. His pearls of wisdom filled our notebooks.

Dr Thanabalasundrum was focused and thorough in everything he did. He made certain we learnt medicine whether we liked it or not. He didn’t mince his words and was a strict disciplinarian.  Although stern, he had the welfare of the students at heart and respected their dignity. To his patients, he showed great kindness and empathy. His bedside manner was immaculate and impressive. Although he enjoyed a lucrative private practice, he never neglected his duties to his students and patients in his non-fee-paying wards.

All through the political upheavals and the grim era of ethnic tensions his love for the country of his birth sustained him and never wavered. He continued to live at Horton Place Colombo 7 until his death in November 2007. His remains were cremated with Hindu rites at the General Cemetery Kanatte. The likes of him are a rarity and irreplaceable in this selfish and egotistical world. 

Dr D.J Attygalle

Dr Attygalle was a fine physician, a meticulous teacher, and a consultant of the old school with clinical acumen and insight of the first quality. I remember well his ward classes when he taught us the basics of taking a good history, eliciting physical signs and collating the facts to reach a diagnosis.  He was softly spoken and treated the houseman, nurses, medical students and other staff with great kindness and respect. Many of Dr Attygalle’s junior medical staff speak of him in glowing terms as an excellent and astute physician and of his conscientious sense of honour. As a Consultant Physician, he had a distinguished career that rivalled the best.

He was one of the great physicians of his time, admired, loved and respected by his patients and medical colleagues. Through his enthusiasm, he inspired many young junior doctors to sustained achievement. A veritable role model for all doctors from all disciplines. Rather reclusive and even enigmatic, he was a very private man away from the GHC. Dr D.J Attygalla was a devout Buddhist well known for his generous donations to a multitude of charities. After a lifetime of service, Dr D.J Attygalla passed away in 1997. May he find the Ultimate Bliss of Nirvana. 

Prof Valentine Basnayake

He was born in 1925 and had his schooling at St Joseph’s College Colombo. After the MBBS Dr Basnayake spent his postgraduate years at Oxford University and joined the Department of Physiology in Colombo in 1949. I recall with nostalgia attending one of his tutorials in his office with all the curtains drawn. In the warmth of the room, the soft melancholic drone of his voice put me to sleep. I did see several others struggling to keep awake. Perhaps there was a booze up in the Men’s Common Room the previous evening!!

He had a lifelong love of music and was a fine pianist. He soon became Sri Lanka’s foremost accompanist and a regular performer at the Lionel Wendt. 

In 1968 he joined the Faculty of Medicine at Peradeniya as its Professor of Physiology which was the ultimate accolade. Soon he became the Dean of the Faculty a position he held for 3 years with poise, tact and equanimity. Prof VB was a softly spoken unpretentious gentleman who had no harsh word for anyone. 

He belonged to a fast-vanishing era of privileged aristocrats of the Medical Profession. Doubtless, that was part of his appeal as a cultured gentleman. Despite his posh diction, he was tolerant and non-demonstrative and never pompous. He wore those privileges with modesty and charm. In an era when some Senior Professionals had big egos and treated students with contempt, Prof Basnayake treated each of us with courtesy, dignity and respect. That is how I would remember this erudite scholar. He passed away in 2014. May he find Eternal Peace. 

Prof Milroy Paul

Many from my era and before will recognise Prof Milroy Paul as the Godfather of Surgery in our island. From 1936-1965 he was the founder Professor of Surgery at the Colombo Medical College and the Children’s Hospital. I presume his sharp intuition was an enormous help in his profession as a surgeon before the days of digital scans. He was a man of great presence and striking appearance, and his charisma seemed magnetic. I believe as the Professor he was unable to do any private surgery but never did any after retirement, although he was popular, widely known and respected. The richness of his career was his priceless gift. 

I remember with great fondness and nostalgia his erudite lectures in surgery at the administration block of the faculty. The Prof delivered his lessons with such effortlessness and aplomb without even a scrap of paper to jog his memory. Listening to him, his brilliance was never in doubt. They were lectures in common sense as much as surgical diagnosis and treatment. He was charismatic and eloquent. His simplicity, modesty and humility stood out. I was saddened to hear that in later years, he became blind in both eyes after a tennis injury. It seems he never gave the impression that he was perturbed by ill health. He passed away in 1989. May his Soul Rest in Peace. 

Prof F.L.W Jayawardene

He was the Senior Lecturer when we were in the Block and became its Professor from 1968-75. He cuts a relaxed figure and was then known as Dr Lester Jayawardene. What I recall most of all is his extraordinary polished presence. He was the quintessential Englishman, dignified and courteous who treated the students with respect. Dr FLWJ was a wonderful teacher who was more interested in teaching us basic anatomy than the small print. His masterful lectures on the anatomy of the middle and inner ear and the difficult 3-D concepts of embryology were all-time classics. Although he expected high standards and stood no nonsense Dr FLWJ was always kind and charming and put us at ease at the signatures and revisals. He did get the best out of us. Dr FLWJ arrived every morning in his black Peugeot 403, which was like a Rolls Royce, in those days of import restrictions.  He was one of the few on the teaching staff who was vehemently against the student rag which we recognise now as a curse that gave a free ride to psychopaths. I hold him in high esteem and remember Prof. F.L.W Jayawardene with great affection. May he find eternal peace. 

Prof S.S Panditharatne

Due to the passage of years, I do not recall much about him except he loved the minutiae in anatomy. We were a petrified motley group seated around him at his signatures. When we didn’t know the answers, we visibly squirmed in our seats. Once SSP asked a hapless student how wide is the common bile duct and he showed with his thumb and index finger saying “this much”.  SSP blew a fuse. S.S.P was a chain smoker and enjoyed a fag during the tough questioning. He was a brilliant anatomist. As a lecturer during our time in the Block he was thorough and taught us well. It is my impression that he was rather strict and preferred to maintain a healthy distance from the students. I remember once he was informed that one of our batchmates had taken a person who was not a medical student into the dissecting rooms. He was livid.  SSP told us, in no uncertain terms, that it was sacrilege to entertain non-medics in the dissecting rooms. He stressed we must preserve the sanctity and the intrigue of the place while respecting the dead. The advice was well taken. I thank him for his years of excellent service to several generations of medical students. His brand of detailed anatomy helped me enormously in my years in Radiology. The Anatomy Museum in the Colombo faculty is named after Prof Panditharatne for his long years of dedication to anatomy and service to the faculty. He passed away in 2005. May he find the Ultimate Bliss of Nirvana. 

Prof A.C.E Koch

He was appointed to the Chair in Physiology in 1952 and held this post until his retirement in 1968. There is now an annual oration in his memory to remember his contribution to the life of the faculty. He was a kind Tutor in that repressive environment of medical education of the 1960’s. I still remember his regal entrance to the lecture theatre every morning. His lectures went way above my head but that is perhaps personal. There are many who consider him a great teacher. What has stuck with me over the years has been his introduction to the concept of 'milieu intérieur' and Claude Bernard. Overnight my friend Bernard Randeniya came to be called Claude Bernard forevermore until his untimely demise in 2004. Prof Koch had a wonderful sense of humour, and the jokes received a stamping on the wooden floor, which he duly acknowledged. His treatment of students gave us confidence. It was inspiring and empowering and dispelled our insecurities.  What has stuck in my mind is his association with Sir Roger Bannister and his ‘4 minute’ mile during his stint at Oxford University which he elaborated with great pride and illustrated the events with some fine photographs. He made physiology a friendly phenomenon for which he will be fondly remembered. Prof Koch sadly was unable to enjoy a long retirement which he richly deserved and passed away in 1969. May his Soul Rest in Peace.  

Prof Carlo Fonseka

During our time in the faculty, he was a Senior Lecturer and was the Professor of physiology from 1982-89. He was an entertaining speaker, a fine teacher and had the wonderful ability to make physiology logical and interesting. Throughout our student days he remained a friendly face and helpful to all.  The Prof remained a mentor and a confidante to many. I consider him one of the best teachers we’ve had. Prof Carlo was an active member of the LSSP and also in the Rationalist Movement. He gained an even bigger profile with his stance on firewalking, that received critical acclaim. This demonstrated his obsession with rationalism and the truth, disproving the accepted wisdom. Artfully argumentative, he was a regular combative writer to the national newspapers. His excursions into the news media received a mixed reception.  Sometimes his views were inconsistent with his political leanings and long-held beliefs. Prof Carlo and I have disagreed openly in the newspapers about the way private practice is carried out in Sri Lanka, way back in the 1980’s. He found no fault in the way private practice was conducted and supervised quite in contrast to the public perception and opinion. This was a fateful moment for socialism. It is true only a small minority of medical specialists reneged on their responsibilities. Professional loyalties can get in the way of the rights of patients. As for me, the hurt was closer to home as the patient in question was my father. Although the exchanges were frosty this in no way diminishes the high esteem and regard I have for him. Disagreement is healthy as long as it doesn't lead to blows!! In Sri Lanka, he remained a celebrity feted and feasted by many. Prof Carlo Fonseka had a long and honourable life of wonderful service to humanity.  May he find eternal peace.  

Prof M.J Waas

He was the Prof of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo 1960-67. Although anatomy is a broad subject with an extensive syllabus, he had a light-hearted attitude to teaching the subject. My abiding memory of the Prof is being in the amphitheatre of the old anatomy lecture theatre listening to his superb delivery lavished with hilarious anecdotes. He was such a colourful character. Many remember him for his own brand of humour and mischievous fun. He is often rightly described as a lovable person. Prof Waas was indeed a breath of fresh air in that rather toxic environment. Like many medics of my era I associate him with that famous joke – He asked at an examination, “what goes through the foramen magnum” and Jegasothy replied –“food, Sir”. Prof Waas then quipped, “In your case, it must be gallons and gallons of booze”.  Fact or fiction, this has entered the folklore of our great institution. 

Prof A.A Hoover

He was appointed Professor of Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine in Colombo in 1958. Prof Hoover was the most unassuming Professor of our time. Short and gently spoken, he could be mistaken for a softie, but he had considerable steel. He had no airs, only graces. His lectures were delivered with meticulous precision but with great gentleness. Biochemistry was not a subject that generated enormous passion but we had to get through. Much of it has now gone down the pan except the headlines – Krebs Cycle and the essential amino acids!! Our text, Bell, Davidson and Scarborough, was a great doorstopper. His son was in my class at school. He was an isotope of the father, gentle, generous and soft-spoken. He proceeded to an honours degree in chemistry. In 1978 Prof Hoover became the first Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Jaffna and also the Head of its Department of Biochemistry. Many remember the amiable Prof Hoover with great passion and esteem. May his Soul Rest in Peace. 

Prof OER Abhayaratne

In 1949, Dr O.E.R Abhayaratne was appointed the first Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Ceylon. Being a man of outstanding ability and intellect, they couldn’t have chosen better. He was at the forefront of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at a momentous time when we were developing and expanding our Health Service. With his devotion to Preventive Medicine, he kept his speciality in the spotlight, publishing scientific papers and review articles. He was hugely influential in the shaping and development of the Public Health Services in Ceylon. He became the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in 1953 and remained so until his retirement in 1967. The Prof has been notably responsible for the establishment and recognition of the second Medical School in Peradeniya.

Many students from my era will remember fondly the great man arriving every morning in his chauffeur-driven black Mercedes and getting off at the Kynsey Road entrance to the faculty. He was no stranger to the finer things in life. In a good mood, we often saw him walking the corridors of power whistling a happy tune.  It was a morning ritual for Prof O.E.R Abhayaratne and the Medical Officer Dr E.H.C Alles to arrive at the canteen for a tea and a fag. Dressed in his dapper beige suit there was an air of sophistication, although it had lost its creases aeons ago. They enjoyed a joke and a smoke.

Teaching was his life and he gave his all to his students. Professor Abhayaratne was an outstanding teacher and an altruistic mentor with a passionate interest in medical education. The Prof had a unique talent to teach. His Public Health lectures were light entertainment in memorable English prose laced with rhyming poetry. Malarial mosquitoes bred in tins and cans and pots and pans. The corrugated tin roofs were hot during hot weather and noisy during rainy weather. His cyclostyled notes (including all his jokes) were available for Rs.5.00 courtesy of the ‘Marker’ in the Men’s Common Room. His superb lectures from sewage disposal to water treatment and squatting plates to the control of communicable diseases were delivered with such elegance they entered our memories and stayed there

Prof Abhayaratne was the Dean of the Faculty at a time of tremendous political change and anxious uncertainty. He steered the ship into safety through stormy seas and retired in 1967. Although he richly deserved a long retirement, he passed away suddenly in 1969 of a heart attack. The Professor will be remembered for his personal qualities of kindness, integrity, warmth and humanity. Now I realise the sheer scale of his vision and his professionalism. Many of us have been greatly enriched by having known him and being his students. Our thanks go to one of the greats of our time and one of the finest to walk the corridors of the faculty. He truly was a credit to our profession. He left the world a better place and left the faculty of medicine up there with the finest institutions in the world. We will forever keep him in grateful memory.