Peter Daniel Anthonisz facts for kids

Peter Daniel Anthonisz CMG FRCSE (June 25, 1822 – June 12, 1903) was an important doctor from Sri Lanka. He was a "Burgher" person, which is an ethnic group in Sri Lanka. He was the first Ceylonese (someone from Ceylon, now Sri Lanka) to earn special medical degrees. These were called M.R.C.P. and F.R.C.S. He also helped start the Sri Lanka Medical Association. For nine years, he was a member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon, which was like a parliament.

Dr. Anthonisz: A Life of Firsts

Peter Daniel Anthonisz was born in Galle, Sri Lanka, on June 25, 1822. He was the first of ten children. His father, Leonardus Henricus Anthonisz, worked as the Chief Clerk of Customs in Galle.

When he was just sixteen in 1838, Peter started working. He was a medical assistant at the Military Hospital in Galle. The next year, he went to study at the Bengal Medical College in Calcutta. He finished his studies there in 1843.

In the 1850s, he worked as a doctor at the Military Hospital in Colombo. Even important people like Governor Sir William Henry Gregory were his patients! In June 1856, he traveled to England. There, he earned his M.R.C.P. degree. This stands for Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in London. He was also chosen as a Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (FRCSEd) in 1857.

He returned to Ceylon in 1858. In August, he became the Colonial Surgeon for the Southern Province. He held this important medical job until 1880. During this time, he traveled to Europe again. In 1863, he earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

In 1881, he left to study even more. When he came back in 1883, he became the Chief Medical Officer in Galle. Dr. Anthonisz was the first doctor in the country to successfully perform two difficult surgeries. One was an wikt:oesophagotomy, which is surgery on the esophagus (food pipe). The other was an Oophorectomy, which is surgery to remove an ovary. His oesophagotomy was reportedly the first ever recorded in British medical history!

Public Service and Important Work

Dr. Anthonisz also served on the Galle Municipal Council. From 1886 to 1895, he represented the Burgher people in the Legislative Council of Ceylon. He was the first Burgher person from a non-legal background to be appointed there.

One of his biggest achievements in the Legislative Council was helping to build the railway line. This line connected Colombo and Matara.

On December 17, 1887, he became the first President of the Ceylon branch of the British Medical Association. This organization is now called the Sri Lanka Medical Association. In November 1889, Dr. Anthonisz led the local people against a government plan. The government wanted to tear down the old fort walls from the 17th century. Dr. Anthonisz argued that the fort walls protected Galle from monsoon floods. He also said they protected ships in the Galle Harbour. This was proven true during the 2004 tsunami.

In 1892, he received a special award. It was called the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George. Dr. Anthonisz passed away in Galle on June 12, 1903. He is buried at the Galle Dutch Reformed Church.

His Lasting Impact

The Galle Clock Tower was built in 1883 to remember him.

Also, a ward at the Colombo General Hospital is named after him. It is called the 'Anthonisz Ward'. This hospital is now known as the 'National Hospital'.