Pramod Karan Sethi (28 November 1927 – 6 January 2008) was an Indian

orthopaedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

surgeon. With Ram Chandra Sharma, he co-invented the " Jaipur foot", an inexpensive and flexible

artificial limb In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

, in 1969. He was awarded the

Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award ( Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idea ...

for Community Leadership in 1981 and the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the Government of India in 1981.

Personal life and career

Sethi was born at

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

(then Banaras), where his father Nihal Karan Sethi, himself a renowned scientist, was a physics professor at

Banaras Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. The university incorporated the Central Hindu College, ...

.Singhal D, Nundy S. (2004) No mean feet. ''BMJ'' 328: 789
(accessed 28 January 2008) Sethi trained as a general surgeon at

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

under G. N. Vyas. In 1958, he specialised in orthopaedics, when the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur where he worked needed an orthopaedics department because of a

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

inspection. He later cited his lack of qualifications in orthopaedics as an advantage in developing the Jaipur foot. Much of his practice was in

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

, including the rehabilitation of

amputees Amputation is the removal of a limb or other body part by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it i ...

.Oransky I. (2008) Obituary: Pramod Karan Sethi. ''Lancet'' 371: 298 He retired in 1981.McGirk T. (1997) The $28 Foot. ''Time'' (Heroes of Medicine Special Issue)
(accessed 28 January 2008) He was the founder of MVSS. He was married to Sulochana, and the couple had a son and three daughters. Sethi died of cardiac arrest in

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, India.

Jaipur foot

The Jaipur foot is made of rubber and wood and is probably the lowest cost prosthetic limb available in the world. The

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

Committee has used it extensively in Afghanistan and other places to help amputees. Several injured soldiers in the

Kargil war The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

were benefited due to the Jaipur foot. Sethi was recognized by the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for helping a large number of amputees in obtaining mobility again. The Indian dancer and actor

Sudha Chandran Sudha Chandran (born 27 September 1965) is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer known for her works in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Marathi language films and television series, shows. Sudha Chandran is best known for h ...

was one of his patients. Ram Chandra Sharma, an illiterate craftsman, is the co-inventor of the foot. The original idea of the Jaipur foot is supposed to have come to him serendipitously while he was riding a bicycle and had a flat tire.

Awards

Sethi was awarded the

for Community Leadership in 1981,The 1981 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership: Citation for Pramod Karan Sethi
(accessed 28 January 2008) the

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in 1981 and he also won a major

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

award. He was elected a fellow of the British

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 ...

References

External links

''Time Magazine'' article on PK Sethi and Jaipur Foot

* ttps://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/world/asia/08seti.html?ref=health New York Times: P. K. Sethi, Inventor of the Low-Tech Limb, Is Dead at 80
News item about Dr. Sethi's death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sethi, P.K. 1927 births 2008 deaths Rajasthani people Scientists from Varanasi Ramon Magsaysay Award winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Indian orthopedic surgeons 20th-century Indian medical doctors Medical doctors from Uttar Pradesh 20th-century Indian surgeons People from Varanasi