Service to Others
We Fund Two Indian Hospitals
In 1819 the Rev. Dr. John Scudder left the U.S. with his wife, Harriet, as the first
medical missionary to be sent abroad from the United States. His children, grandchildren and
their spouses started hospitals and schools, serving in India until 1960.
In 1866, “Pioneer John’s” son, Dr. Silas Scudder, founded a medical clinic in Ranipet in an abandoned British cavalry barracks. By 1911 the clinic was derelict and Dr. Lewis Scudder, the medical director, called on his cousins in America to raise funds to build a proper hospital. In 1911 the Scudder Memorial Association was formed and in 1928 the new Scudder Memorial Hospital opened. SMH is still there serving the people of Ranipet and surrounding areas.
In 1902, Pioneer John’s granddaughter, Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder, alarmed by the lack of medical care for Indian women, started what became the Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore near Ranipet to train Indian women as nurses and doctors. “Dr. Ida” led the medical school and hospital to become one of today’s premier medical colleges and hospitals in India. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire by the British government for her dedication and work.”