Deshamanya Deshamanya ( si, දේශමාන්‍ය, translit=Dēshamāṉya; ta, தேசமான்ய, translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a ...

Polwattearachchige Romiel Anthonis

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, in ...

(21 January 1911 – 17 December 2009), known as "P. R. Anthonis", was a leading

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n surgeon. He was

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

University of Colombo (Buddhih Sarvatra Bhrajate) , mottoeng = ''Wisdom Enlightens'' , established = , endowment = LKR 1.461 billion

from 1981 to 2002.

Early life and education

Born on January 21, 1911, as the second in a family of 16. Anthonis was educated at Milagiriya Singhalese School, St. Joseph’s College, South (now

St Peter's College, Colombo St. Peter's College ( Sinhala: සාන්ත පීතර විදුහල, Tamil: செயிண்ட் பீட்டர் கல்லூரி) is a Roman Catholic boys-only primary to secondary (inclusive) school in the Bambalapitiy ...

) and went on to study medicine at

Ceylon Medical College Ceylon Medical College was a public medical school in Ceylon. The college was established in 1870 as the Colombo Medical School. The college was based in Colombo. The college was merged with Ceylon University College in 1942 to form the University ...

graduating in 1936 winning Loos Gold Medal for Pathology, the Matthew Gold Medal for Forensic Medicine, the Rockwood Gold Medal for Surgery and the Government Diploma Medal after a laps of 11 years. Soon after graduating he join the Ceylon Medical Service. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he left for Britain to specialize in surgery at the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ar ...

Medical career

He joined the Ceylon Medical Service in 1936 as a Medical Officer during a

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious d ...

. Following the Japanese raid on Trincomalee he was dispatched as a surgeon to Trincomalee. He was invited as a guest to the ceremonial opening of Parliament that marked the start of self-rule in Ceylon on February 4, 1948. He was the only one who was successful out of the eight other Ceylonese, sat the final

Examination in 1947. Then he became the first Ceylonese surgeon to pass through the primary and final examination for the

Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal ...

of England (FRCS) without a single examination mishap. After he returned to Ceylon, he was appointed Consultant Visiting Surgeon at the

Colombo General Hospital The National Hospital of Sri Lanka (sometimes General Hospital) is a government hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1864 as the General Hospital, it is the leading hospital in Sri Lanka and is controlled by the central government. The hospi ...

in 1947 and served in that capacity until he retired on 21 January 1971. During his 70 years as a doctor, he has performed nearly a hundred thousand surgical operations, including one on the fatally wounded Prime Minister

S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

after he was shot on 26 September 1959. The records showed that no less than 38,000 of these have been done after his retirement from government service in 1971. Carlo Fonseka had provided a short review of Anthonis's professional career in the ''Ceylon Medical Journal''. He was awarded the title

by the Government of Sri Lanka for his service to the country.Deshamanya Dr. PR Anthonis
/ref>

Family

He married his wife Ruby, in 1943. The bestman at the wedding was

Esmond Wickremesinghe Cyril Esmond Lucien Wickremesinghe (29 May 1920 – 29 September 1985) was a Ceylonese press baron, lawyer, and a successful entrepreneur. He also played key role in defeating Sirimavo Bandaranaike that brought United National Party's Dudley Sena ...

who would later become a press baron.

References

C. Fonseka: Deshamanya Dr. P.R. Anthonis. ''Ceylon Medical Journal'', March 2006; 51(1): 29-31

External links

Dr. P. R. Anthonis - Dr. Anthonis at 95, an icon of our times

Veteran Lankan surgeon Dr. P. R. Anthonis passes away

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthonis, P.R. 1911 births 2009 deaths Sri Lankan surgeons Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Alumni of St. Peter's College, Colombo Alumni of Ceylon Medical College Deshamanya 20th-century surgeons