School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata

Region: West Bengal Country: India

The Organization
The foundation stone of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine was laid by the Governor. Lord Carmichel in the year 1914, 24th February. The School started functioning in 1921 with Lt. Cd. J. W. D. Kegaw as the first Director, the first batch of students obtaining their Diploma in Tropical Medicine (DTM) in 1922.It is the only institution in India engaged exclusively in research, Post-graduate education and healthcare for tropical diseases. Basically, the objectives have remained uncharged and the school provides facilities for research, Post-graduate teaching, training, investigation and treatment in tropical diseases.

Since foundation to 30th April 1949, the institute, financed and controlled by the State Government of Bengal from 1st May 1949 to 31st March 1971 it was controlled by a single governing body under the Government of West Bengal. From 1st April 1971, it is directly under the Government of West Bengal.In view of the existing different patterns in the service conditions of these categories of staff working in the institution and the difficulties arising there from the Governing Body at their meeting held on the 19th December 1969 resolved unanimously that the Government be requested to resume the entire management of the institution as existing to ensure a homogeneous character of the service conditions of the staff and efficient functioning of the institution.

In pursuance of this resolution, the Governing Body, which functions as the Committee, acting in the administration of the income of the following Endowment Funds:

The Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Fund
The Dr. A. Mitra Research Scholarship Fund
The Jogendranarayan Roy Research Scholarship Fund.

It has moved an application under section 5 of the Charitable Endow ments Act, 1890 (Act VI of 1890) for management and conduct of the said institutions by the State Government.

History
Calcutta School of tropical medicine was established in 1921 with three specific objectives. First, to cater the need of an Indian School to confer Diploma at par British Universities, second, to generate quality human resource for the recruitment of Indian Medical Service (IMS), and third, to update the knowledge of the British Doctors in India since there were viewed inferior upon their return home. It left no agenda in the struggle of Indian independence. Its main proposition was to promote the high quality teaching and research programs in the field of Tropical medicine which was termed those days as Colonial Medicine.

Prior to CSTM, London and Liverpool Schools of Tropical Medicine were established in 1900 by the Tropical Disease Bureau of Imperial Institute. Other contemporary global institutes include Institute for Schiffs and Tropenkrankeiten in Humburg, Welcome Propical laboratory in Khartoum, Africa and American Public health Library in Manila. As an aftermath of Plaque epidemic in India in 1896, the premier Public health Institute, Haffkin Institute, Bombay (now Mumbai) came into existence.

Achievement

Successful fundamental research on Kala-azar
Dengue and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever
Snake Venom may slow Cancer Growth
Anti Malaria Drug Resistance
Vector borne viral infection
Discovery of Malaria Parasite
Research on Tropical diseases in Southeast Asia

Past Research

Dengue and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever
Institutionalizing medical Research in the Periphery
Prevention and Control of Tropical Diseases in the 21st Century : Back to the Field
Snake Venom may slow Cancer Growth

Services