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Introduction
To
Prof. Heeresh Chandra
Born in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh India, Prof. Heeresh Chandra's father was a very senior judicial officer. He was admitted to the newly opened Engineering College and Medical College, both in Nagpur. There was a conflict in the minds of the father and the son. The son wanted to join the Engineering College where in the qualifying examination he secured 1st Division as the father insisted to go for medicine and his opinion had to prevail. At the selection committee of the medical college, he many times pressed that he is a 3rd divisioner in medical group. But due to his fine sports record and good division in I.Sc. Maths, he was selected to be a medical student.EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES :
Dr. Chandra was selected in the first Indian Air Training Course at Allahabad - amongst a tough competition of 20,000 applicants. After completion of the IATC, he was selected for the Indian Air Force - which he declined due to injury to the eye for fear of ground duties as against flying. Later, he joined NCC to raise 24 MP Med Co at Jabalpur Medical College. He passed as best all round Officer Cadet at the pre-commission training. Later revived the closed medical company at Gwalior and subsequently at Bhopal as officer commanding. He took retirement from NCC as a Major in 1968 before leaving abroad in 1969 for training sunder Commonwealth Fellowship Program in Forensic Medicine. SPORTS.A fine sportsman, Dr Chandra's created a record in SHOTPUT in Nagpur University. He represented in a single year the only University of Old Madhya Pradesh in Hocky, Tennis, and Athletics. He led the University team at the inter-university meet at Allahabad in 1950. For the first time, the Nagpur University won the Inter-university football tournament in 1951. At Allahabad, in the year 1946, he won the Shashank Memorial Tennis Championship of the Allahabad University.
PHOTOGRAPHY
As a amateur photographer he created a name for him self. Late Justice Vivivan Bose who was president of the Photographic association of Madhya Pradesh, adjudged him as best amateur photographer in the year 1950.
(First from Left) Leading the march past as Best All Round Officer Cadet.
WHAT HELPED TO ACHEVE THIS ?
"The versatility gained through these extra curricular activities, basic scientific knowledge and worthy use of common sence largely helped in the Reconstructive and Investigative Forensic Medicine in future life."
Medico-legal practice all over India was in a very rudimentary and pathetic conditions. Thus Judiciary was handicapped in Human crimes where opinion given by medical professionals, while the victim suffered and the investigation agency had a field day.
There was awareness of this neglected subject in the medical profession but it avoided the work for the dead and fear of court attendance.
Prof. Heeresh Chandra took the lead and was determined to improve the service. He as a professor of Anatomy was conducting medico-legal work on the bones received for opinion with vast experience of deserting dead bodies and conversant with normal Anatomy. Realizing that anatomy could found the foundation of Forensic Medicine, decided to switch on to forensic medicine where the subject of anatomy in various situations of medico-legal work give lead to reconstruction of crime, cause of death and manner of death in broader perspective.
I remember an ashamed admit that casualty medical officers would stand at the gate of the horrible mortuary and takes notes of the dead body as told by the sweeper and in few minuets dispose of the give the post mortal report at the gate only.
Then came the survey of the Committee report which brought out the miserable fight of the handling of dead bodies.
The report published in 1964 came to life in 1975 by this time Prof Chandra was already switched on Forensic Medicine in 1968 as a head of the dept of Forensic medicine earlier the teachers from the department of pathology used to teach and take examinations without having conducted a single medico-legal examination/autopsy or clinical post mortal. This was a condition all over India and at some places, superintendent of the hospitals as the heads of the departments of this Judicious work. In district places the civil surgeon used to be the chief medico-legal officer.
The term pathologists used abroad was taken advantage in India by medical collages and then gradually the pathologists would be the part time features.
Summary: Nearly 95% of the Survey Committee Report was implemented in Madhya Pradesh with the creation of Quasi-Judicial Institute " THE MEDICO-LEGAL INSTITUTE BHOPAL". This is the first Institute in this part of the world established in 1976.
