THEY BROUGHT MODERN
MEDICINE AND SURGERY TO KASHMIR
(Dr. ARTHUR NEVE AND Dr. EARNEST NEVE IN KASHMIR )
Though Dr Bernier ( 1625-1688 ) Physician to Mughal King
Aurangzeb had visited Kashmir , it
was only Dr William Elmslie
(1832-1872) who established the first
Allopathic dispensary in Kashmir.In fact he was the first Medical missionary in
Kashmir . He was followed by two
dedicated brothers Dr Arthur Neve and Dr Earnest Neve who stayed in Kashmir for about 3 decades
during later half of 19th centaury .These doctors and their Allopathic Medicines brought much needed relief and happiness to the
local population as a result of which
Local Hakeems lost their brisk practice and earnings .A group
Hakeems went to Maharaja and impressed upon him the superiority of
Ancient Unani system of Medicines over
what they called as Firangi Dawaasaazi .They asked Maharaja not to grant any
favours to outsiders.The Maharaja just
gave a patient hearing but encouraged the Allopathic doctors to expand their
practice .
In 1882 ,Dr Arthur
Neve arrived in kashmir and thereafter
in 1886 , he was joined by his brother
Dr Earnest Neve . These doctors
travelled extensively across entire length and breadth of Kashmir and Ladakh. Besides writing several medical
papers published in The Lancet, Dr
Arthur Neve (1859-1919 ) authored following Books
1 "Kashmir Ladakh and Tibet" (1899),
2 "Picturesque Kashmir" (1900),
3 "Thirty Years in Kashmir"
(1913),
4 "The Tourist's
Guide to Kashmir, Ladakh, Skardo &c"
(1923).
Dr Ernest Neve (1861-1946 )also wrote some
Books such as ..
1 "Beyond
the Pir Panjal. Life Among the Mountains and Valleys of Kashmir"
(1912)
2 "A
Crusader in Kashmir" (1928)This book
covers the story of his brother's life
and work.
3
"Things Seen in Kashmir" (1931).
Dr Arthur Neve
and his brother performed 30000
surgeries in kashmir which included 3651
Eye operations , 864 operations for Tumors and 579 Bone operations apart from
treating patients of Kangri cancers ,
Syphilis , leprosy and small pox. DR ARTHUR
NEVE fought the terrible outbreak
of cholera and famine in Kashmir during 1883.
In 1888, Neve brothers converted a
dispensary at Drogjan( just below the Shankracharya hill ) into a full fledged hospital on modern lines
.In 1893, it became a premier hospital with 135 beds.
Dr Arthur Neve and later Dr Earnest Neve would
start his day at 8 AM and was
at the Mission
Hospital till 10 PM
attending to patients , performing surgeries and moving in wards . Never had
kashmiris seen such care, attention , compassion and dedication from their own
local Hakims or Vaids . Their Hospital at Dal gate srinagar was later converted to Chest disease
Hospital. They would also
frequently visit Baramulla , Anantnaag and other towns to see patients .Dr Earnest Neve spoke
fluent kashmiri and worked during the rule of Maharaja Partap Singh and
Maharaja Hari Singh.To
his patients ,this god sent doctor would say "zuvv vandaai...Balaai
lagaai..." Every kashmiri owes a debt to him.He would operate free and
carry sick patients from Dal lake Ghaat to hospital on his shoulders. Most of the patients would come in
small Boats though some used to come on Tongas during those days .Dr Earnest Neve was a vegetarian .
About 1885 earthquake in kashmir , Dr Arthur Neve writes in his Book ‘ Thirty Years in Kashmir' :
‘Post
1885 earthquake , as I moved through villages , the stench was awful , and
might be smelt half a mile away from the putrefying bodies of animals . I
found men and women with dislocations and fractures unreduced and unset ; the
few survivors had been so stunned by the calamity that they thought little of
minor injuries .People gave special offerings in shrines . For us , it was a
time for deeds rather than for words , for sympathy than sermons . Even the
boat boat that carried me , was converted to
hospital. There was no
safe building in which to work , so we
put up tents and hired some very large barges which were soon filled with cases
. The wounds were suppurating horribly and in many cases badly applied splints
or over-tight bandages had caused mortification to set in. Tetanus also claimed
its victims. Patients were brought on shoulders of their friends or on bed sheets 10 miles all round……….. In the
valley there were some notable fissures ; one at Dubgam had at first given out
steam and sulphurous fumes. Another very long near Pattan crossed the main road
. ………About evening , a crowd of poor people came , and I gave away a lot
of clothes to little naked children, who came paddling through slush and snow
with lips blue and chattering with cold
,and also gave a dole to eight or ten widows .’
DR ARTHUR NEVE fought the
terrible outbreak of cholera and famine in Kashmir during 1883 that killed
11700 persons .
Kudos to him for bringing
injectable cholera Vaccine to Kashmir that came to be known as TROMBUN in
Kashmiri..
( Vaccination in kashmir was started by Neve Brothers )
Walter Lawrence ( who spent more than six years in
Valley when Neve brothers were deeply
entrenched in serving kashmiris ) also
makes a mention of their work in his Book “valley of Kashmir”
published in 1895
“If I had had the privilege of
listening to Dr Neve before attempted to write my poor chapter on Physical
History in The Valley
of Kashmir, I should have
been able to write with much greater effect. From what I have seen myself, I
can testify to the great accuracy of Dr Neve’s account. I think this is a good
opportunity, before this great audience, for letting you know what the work of
the Medical Mission in Kashmir
is doing. I lived six years in that country and know the road from Kashmir to Gilgit and Ladak. Wherever I went there was
only one question. The people did not want to see me but they wanted to know
when Neve Sahib was coming – Neve Sahib who brought comfort and healing wherever
he went. Working with very little help, working in a very small way against
every hindrance, against the Brahman influence, the two Neves (Arthur Neve and
Ernest Neve) have won everything to them and now they have a grand hospital in Srinagar and when the
Neves are not going into the villages, the villagers are coming in to the
Neves.”
( The Hospital of Dr Neve at Drogjan Dalgate )
(Dr Arthur Neve with Patients in some field medical camp )
( 1912,, People waiting for Dr Earnest Neve in kashmir )
Prof. Rais Akhtar , Emeritus Scientist and
recipient of Leverhulme Overseas and Henry Chapman Fellowships has also documented work done by Neve
brothers in Kashmir . I quote Prof. Rais
Akhtar
“
In many countries hospitals were established within colonial motives but in
Kashmir first a dispensary and later a Mission Hospital
were established by the Medical Missionary Society in order to provide modern medical
care to the population without much disturbing the availability of the
indigenous system of medicine. Despite the practice of the Unani system of
medicine, allopathic medicine when first introduced into Kashmir
became extremely popular among the people. The missionary doctors who worked in
the dispensary and hospital, and particularly Arthur Neve, were committed to
serving the population and were devoted researchers who published their results
in internationally reputable journals – The Lancet, the British Medical Journal
and the Indian Medical Gazette. Arthur Neve also wrote Kashmir, Ladakh and Tibet (1899), Picturesque Kashmir (1900) and Thirty
Years in Kashmir (1913). Arthur Neve died suddenly
in Srinagar of
a fever 5th September 1919.
The Maharaja of Kashmir ordered a State Funeral. The mourners included people
from all classes, races and religions
who united to pay tribute to their
well-beloved and trusted friend who had done so much for Kashmir and its people. The Obituary in the Geographical
Journal in 1919 noted: ‘He probably did more than any one who ever lived towards
the amelioration of suffering for various native races of that country among
whom his reputation was extraordinary.’
Dr Arthur Neve also finds mention
at Page 24 in the Book …
“ Trans-Himalaya: Discoveries and Adventures
in Tibet
’ By Sven Hedin:
“ Dr Arthur Neve is one of the
man I most admire . he has devoted his life to the Christian mission in Kashmir and his hospital ..... There he works indefatigably day and night and his only reward is the satisfaction of relieving the suffering of others . ”
Again Chapter " FIRE ,FLOOD AND CHOLERA " from the book TYNDALE BISCOE OF KASHMIR ..An Autobiography makes mention of Dr Arthur Neve as under
"In 1892 ,500 to 700 persons died of cholera per day in Kashmir valley.The mullahs and the Brahmin priest won't allow people to take western medicine .The mullah and the brahmin priest wrote Allah and Shiva on local paper and asked people to swallow it with Jhelum water that was already full of cholera germs.Later people started visiting Mission Hospital and lives of so many could be saved....... He was in third stage of cholera. The only option was blood transfusion. Dr Arthur Neve did it by opening a vein in his own Arm and transferring it with a rubber tube into his vein.Neve and I spent a night at the hospital and hoped for the best,but it was not to be."
( Dr Arthur Neve surrounded by patients at Mission Hospital , Kashmir )
The service rendered by Dr Arthur Neve
to ameliorate the pain and suffering of local population after the terrible earthquake of may 1885 has
no parallel anywhere .
Dr
Arthur Neve died on 5th Septembr 1919
in Kashmir after being suddenly struck down by fever.
He lies buried in Sheikh Bagh cemetery srinagar .And
kashmiris forgot these noble souls altogether . No memorial . No
Hospital in their name . And I believe nobody knows these names in Kashmir now .
Better late than never . Let there be a good memorial for these
Messiahs so that posterity and younger generation come to know
about their real Icons. That is what i have been advocating through my
Blog and write ups repeatedly.
I end this post with lines
from an gazal of urdu poet Ahmed Faraz .
'Shola
ba dil aatish ba jaan phirtaa rahaa woh be amaan
Varnaa
saba zulfon mein thi varna ghataa kaajal mein thi ..
Kyaa
kyaa hawa chalti rahi yeh lau magar jalti rahi
Kyaa
zor uss aandhi mein thaa kyaa baat iss mashal mein thi….'
(A blaze in his heart
,
A fire in his body ,
He moved without fear ,
While the breeze
moved through the hair tufts .
The clouds appeared in kohl of the eyes .
Many a winds it faced ,
Yet the flame of this lonely lamp kept burning .
Dreadfully prevailing was the storm
Yet this torch had its unique verve to battle out everything)
( Avtar Mota )
22.04.2013 TIME 11.45 PM ... GOOD NIGHT
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