John Berry White

Dr John Berry White (born 1833/34 ; died 1896) was a British philanthropist and retired brigadier of the British Army, and later the civil surgeon of the erstwhile Lakhimpur district in 1870.[1][2][3]

Bust of John Berry White at Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh.

Life and career

In 1857, White was commissioned as an assistant surgeon under the East India Company and was posted in Upper Assam, where he arrived in 1858 at the age of 24. He served the Upper Assam areas in various capacities for 24 years and rose to the position of Civil Surgeon of the then Lakhimpur district. He is considered the pioneer of health education and health care in Assam.[4]

He donated his personal savings of Rs50,000 to set up a medical institution in Dibrugarh, but it was only after his retirement and death in 1896 that his admirers took up his dream. The end result was the Berry White Medical School (BWMS), now known as the Assam Medical College at Dibrugarh.[2] The old building where the Berry Medical School was founded has been given a historical tag and is being maintained as a historical monument.[5][6]

White was the member of the medical board for tea garden communities at that time.[7] He also held a 25% interest in the newspaper publication company The Times of Assam.[8]

White died on 19 November 1896, in London, and the BWMS came into reality in 1900.[9][10][11]

References
  1. "An extraordinary pioneer". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  2. "The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Northeast | Medical museum to rise from ruins". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  3. "The Assam Tribune Online". www.assamtribune.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  4. "Medical College - Government of Assam, India". assam.gov.in. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  5. "Heritage tag for British-era AMCH structure". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  6. "The Assam Tribune Online". www.assamtribune.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  7. "Osmania History". omcalumni.org. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  8. Barua, Deepali (1 January 1994). Urban History of India: A Case Study. Mittal Publications. ISBN 9788170995388.
  9. "The Assam Tribune Online". www.assamtribune.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  10. "The Tea City of North East". dibrugarh.nic.in. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. "Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology - Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh - Assam". iiic.skg.in. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
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