While addressing the girl students of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicines and Surgery (BAMS) present at the symposium on Ayurveda held in Patanjali Yog Peeth on Thursday, the chairperson of Central Council of Indian Medicine, Vanitha Muralikumar urged them to embody the concept of women’s empowerment. She cited examples of many women doctors reaching heights of excellence by pursuing their profession with dedication.
While citing the particular instance of Muthulakshmi Reddy, she said, “In spite of various constraints faced by the girls in India when she was a student, Reddy completed her higher education following which she was admitted into the medical profession. In 1907, she joined the Madras Medical College where she won several gold medals and awards. Muthulakshmi graduated in 1912 to become one of the first batch of the woman doctors in India. What the dean of the college said when some demanded that the girl student to be shunted out of the college, as her presence was distracting the boy students away from their studies, is worthy of remembrance. The dean said that he could run the college without boys but the college would lose its sheen in case the brilliant Muthulakshmi left or was removed. We all must emulate her to achieve excellence.” She was the first female student admitted into a men's college, the first woman house surgeon in the Government Maternity and Ophthalmic Hospital aside from being the first woman legislator in British India and the first woman deputy president of the legislative Council.