Dr Samuel Chelliah Paul was a leading

Ceylon Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province an ...

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

Early life

Paul was born on 28 February 1868. He was the son of Dr William Thillayampalam Paul, a physician and leading resident from

Manipay Manipay or Maanippaai () is a town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periyapulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission (ACM) came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Dr. Samuel Fisk ...

in northern province of

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He had three brothers (Albert, Victor and Charles) and nine sisters (Thangamma, Annamma, Chellamma, Rasammah, Ratnamma, Pakiam, Muttamma, Nallamma and Nesammah). He was educated at

Jaffna Central College Jaffna Central College ( ''Yāḻppāṇam Mattiya Kallūri'', JCC) is a national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1816 by British Methodist missionaries, it is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools. History In 1813 the Methodist's British ...

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues", is a Methodist school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Rippon wanted to establish a superior educational instit ...

and

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia (abbreviated as STC), is a fee-levying Anglican selective entry boys' private school in Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by James Chapman, the first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, in 1851, it was founded as ...

. He later passed his First in Arts Examination from

Presidency College, Madras Presidency College is an art, commerce, and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. On 16 October 1840, this school was established as the Madras Preparatory School before being repurposed as a high school, and then a gra ...

. He then went on to study medicine at

Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia. History The Government General Hospital was established ...

from where he obtained a first class

MB BCh A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

degree. Later he went to

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

from where he obtained the

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, ...

qualification in 1901. He was the first Ceylonese to gain the FRCS qualification. Paul married Dora Elenor, daughter of Dr Simon de Melho Aserappa, on 8 May 1899. They had seven sons ( Milroy, William, Egerton, Albert, Jeyarajan, Arthur and Ellalasingam) and three daughters (Girlie Cooke, Amy Crosette-Thambiah and Tutse Rasaratnam).

Career

Paul returned to Ceylon after obtaining his medical qualifications in the UK. He was appointed a lecturer in

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

in 1902 and in 1905 he became a

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

. In 1908 he was appointed a

. Paul's reputation grew and he was appointed senior surgeon at the

General Hospital, Colombo 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 ...

, a position he held until his retirement. Paul was president of Ceylon Medical Association, president of the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society, was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encourag ...

and chairman of the Ceylon Planters' Association. He was also a member of the

Ceylon Medical Corps Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

which he commanded between 1923 and 1927 as a lieutenant colonel. Paul and

Justin Kotalawela Justin Kotelawala, CBE, JP (22 August 1904 - 2 April 1973) was a Sri Lankan businessman and senator. He was the former chairman of the Ceylinco Group. Early life and education He was born to John Kotelawala, a police inspector turned business ...

founded the Ceylon Insurance Company. He and the De Vos family founded Colonial Motors. Paul died in 1942 aged 74. The Sri Lanka Medical Association has honoured Paul by naming on its annual orations after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, S. C. 1868 births 1942 deaths Alumni of Jaffna Central College Alumni of King's College London Alumni of Wesley College, Colombo Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia People from Manipay Sri Lankan surgeons Sri Lankan Tamil people Sri Lankan medical doctors People from British Ceylon