Lessons from Dr.Ida Scudder’s life

Ida Scudder was born in India in a mission hospital, Ranipet, TN, India on Dec 9, 1870. Her childhood days were spent in India. Her life is a lesson for each one of us.

The key lessons from her family and her life:
As for me and my house we will serve the Lord: As the Bible says in Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my household we will serve the Lord”. The Scudders in India devoted more than 1,100 combined years to Christian medical mission service in South India by 42 members of 4 generations of the family. You heard it right. 42 members of their family – all doctors – served in India. It all started with Rev. Dr. John Scudder, Sr who came as the first American medical missionary in India in 1836. Ida Scudder was the third generation missionary to serve from Scudder family. Are our families serving the Lord?.

God’s will happens in our life:

Ida Scudder’s father was a medical doctor serving in Ranipet, India. During her childhood days, our nation faced great famine and Scudders family was supporting many families and children by providing food and also medical care. Ida also helped her mother in the distribution of bread to whoever came while her father was away on a medical mission to many faraway places. His father 16 years’ service as a medical missionary in India took a toll on his health and they returned to America for a break. Ida was happy to be in America and was unhappy when her father decided to go to India again. Shortly afterward her mother also left to continue the medical mission. Ida was not happy that she was left alone to study. At first, she was left with her relatives but after they also decided to go to Japan as missionaries she joined a girl’s seminary in Northfield. She enjoyed her studies and vowed never to be a medical missionary and was unhappy that many generations of her family were missionaries. But after some years, she got a letter that her father was not in good health and was asked to join her parents in South India. Ida told her friends that she will be back shortly to lead a good life in America. She was happy to meet her father after eight years and her mother also after long years. She started supporting her parents in the mission. She did not want to be a medical missionary but something happened in a single night that changed everything. At midnight a Brahmin person came asking her to help his wife deliver the child. But since Ida was not a doctor, she told that she could not help but that her father can help. Both her father and Ida reasoned with the Brahman but he refused saying , a man cannot give medical aid to her wife and that if Ida could not come, his wife can die lest be treated by a male doctor. Ida was shocked and questioned her father when he said to forget this incident. But soon she was disturbed by a Muslim person who asked her to come to help her wife as she was struggling to deliver the child. Ida again explained that she was not a doctor and that her father can. But the Muslim person replied that no male can enter a women’s room and that if it is Allah’s will let her wife die. Ida was devastated. After this again she was disturbed and this time by a Mudaliar. She knew him as it was the father of Kamala, one of her favourite students at Hindu Girls school. He asked Ida’s help to help deliver her child. But Ida again had to reply the same thing that she could not help as she was not a doctor but her father can. The mudaliar asked again if Ida could help and then left. Ida was not able to sleep and her request of dad’s help to three persons was rejected. Next day she heard that all the three women died and Ida decided and prayed aloud “God, if you want me to, I will spend the rest of my life in India trying to help these women” and morning her conveyed her decision to her dad that she will study medicine and come back to serve these women along with her father. Yes, God’s will was Ida to become a doctor. Ask for God’s will to happen in our life.

God provides:
Ida Scudder studied medicine in Women’s Medical College of Philadelphia and in the last year was transferred to the most prestigious Cornell Medical College. It was first to open for women and Ida was the first women to join. After she graduated she was tasked with an assignment which was to start fund raising for a women hospital in Vellore. They planned and the budget came to around 8,000 USD. She had met Ms. Taber and then Mr. Schell. Mr. Schell was a retired wealthy banker and was looking for an opportunity to do something good in his wife’s memory. He overheard Ida speaking to Ms. Taber the previous day. After hearing Ida, he signed a cheque for not USD 8,000 but for USD 10,000 and together went shopping for all medical equipment’s which was again paid by Mr. Schell. Additionally, the mission board supported one of her friends to accompany her to Vellore and assist her. When Ida landed in India, she was having the required funds and medical equipment to start a hospital. First, they started a small clinic from their own house. In 1902, a 40 bed Mary Taber Schell Memorial Hospital was opened. It soon became famous and Ida was the lone doctor.  Within a year it treated 12,000 patients, conducted 56 major and 428 minor operations. In between, she lost her father to Cancer.

God sustains :
Ida also started to visit villages and do roadside clinics. She always used a bullock cart. Once she got a letter that a new Peugeot was on way and shortly the same arrived and it was the only four wheeler in town. Ida was able to reach many villages because of this four wheeler. Sometimes she treated more than 300 patients a day.

After this, she started Vellore Nursing School in rented buildings which was going well and the students were helping in roadsides clinics. But the problem they faced was that there was less women doctors. So Ida wanted to start a medical college for Women. She faced lots of problems with many people putting doubts about the idea. Ida prayed and in the summer of 1912, the Mission committee approved for starting a medical college for women. On 12th Aug 1918, the medical college was officially opened. Col. Bryson was helped in raising funds for the hospital doubted if Ida will get atleast six students but 69 applied and 17 students were selected. Col. Bryson doubted if her college students will pass medical college. But to her surprise, all of them passed while the pass percentage in men’s medical college was a mere 20%. In its first year itself, it became the top medical college beating the men’s medical colleges. Rockfeller Foundation had pledged to support one million dollars among seven Asian universities for women but they have to raise a matching funds of 2 million USD. Ida and her team started fund raising travelling around the USA. They raised and they had on 31st Dec 1922, raised the required 2 million USD and miraculously Rockfeller Foundation’s extension of the timeline by one month helped them raise this amount.they were able to get USD 4,25,000 towards medical school. On 5th March 1927, the Vellore Medical School Hospital was opened. Much before this Gandhiji visited the hospital and appreciated the good work.

In the meantime, Ida also extended the hospital to include children’s hospital, maternity and gynaecological block, a chapel, administration building, dispensary and many more.

In October 1937, she heard that Indian Ministry of Public Health was closing all medical schools that were not affiliated with University of Madras. The medical school in Vellore was granting a licensed medical practitioners diploma whereas the University of Madras offered a longer medical degree. The Surgeon General appreciated Ida’s work in producing 229 graduates but told that they should have a 500 bedded hospital, 12 additional professors, three new laboratories and new equipment.

In 1942, the women’s medical college was converted into a co-educational college and was expanded by again raising funds by Ida and her friends. Many of them protested including her close friends to convert a women’s medical college to men. But slowly the clinic which Ida opened turned into an 544 bedded hospital staffed by 108 nurses and 174 nursing students. 200 students graduated from the medical school and 275 form the nursing college and were spread around India. After some years, the Government recognised the permanent affiliation of the Vellore Christian Medical College to the University of Madras.

Ida’s work was covered by the BBC and the Scudders family work was published in readers digest. Even a road was named as Dr. Ida Scudder road. But she continued to remain humble and until her death was in Tamilnadu. Ida died on 24th May 1960 in Kodikanal and was buried in Vellore.

Today the College has a staff of 5,000 including 596 doctors, 1545 nurses and 183 teaching staff. More than 1.2 million outpatients have been served and was ranked as the top medical college in India.

A night in Ida’s life changed everything leaving a legacy healing million hearts and minds.

As in the life of Ida, if God’s will happen in our lives, we depend on God for provisions and work hard millions will be benefited.