Dr.John Berry White, MRCS, a British surgeon came to Assam in 1858 to work under the erstwhile East India Company during the British rule of India and served in upper Assam for long 24 years in different capacities and left his foot prints in all spheres of developmental activities of this region. His has also contributed towards the Tea, coal and oil industries and establishment of rail and Road communications in Assam. The most remarkable contribution of Dr.John Berry White, which we all must adore with reverence is his contribution towards the establishment of the "Berry White Medical School" at Dibrugarh, which was established through a legacy personal contribution of Rs. 50,000/- at that time (at present value of over 5 million of rupees) left behind by him after his retirement as civil surgeon of Lakhimpur District in 1882. The establishment of the Berry White Medical School in 1900 A.D., not only heralded the beginning of Allopathic Medical Education in Assam, but also formed the nidus for the subsequent establishment of the Assam Medical College in 1947, through a process of upgradation. Unfortunately, recent document shows that Dr.White died in London on 19th November 1896, four years before the establishment of his dream school at Dibrugarh.



Dr.John Berry White was born on 5th June , 1834 in England. He became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in England in the mid 1850's and applied for the post of assistant surgeon to work under the East India Company in India. He was selected for the post in August, 1857 and was sent to Assam in the next year (1858). After serving for long 24 years as a surgeon, administrator and industrial entrepreneur, he became deeply involved with the developmental activities of this region, more particularly in the field of health care infrastructural development. It was his great magnanimity and generosity that he left behind his major portion of his fortune towards the establishment of a Medical School in this remotest part of the country, after the retirement in 1882, Dr.White went back to London where he died in 19th November,1896.



The Dr. John Berry White Medical School had the fortune of acquiring two X-Ray Machine One 10MA and another 15MA to the Medical School 15 years after the monumental discovery of X-Ray by Prof.Ronetgen. These two were perhaps the first X-Ray Machine in the whole country. In the year 1933, the Indian Medical Council was formed and it took over the functions from the General Medical council of Great Britain. The Indian Medical council was unwilling to recognise the licentiate doctors. The All India Medical Licentiate Doctors Association was formed, which demanded up gradation of the medical Schools to Medical colleges. In 1938 its annual session was held at Guwahati, Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, the then Premier of the Congress Government of Assam, in his inaugural address to the conference conceded on principle to the up gradation of Berry White medical School to a full-fledged Medical College, as demanded by the Assam branch of licentiate medical practitioners. The Government soon formed an adhoc committee for the purpose with Loka Bandhu Dr. Bhubaneswar Barua, Dr.Ghanashyam Das, and Dr. K.L.Ghosh, Superintendent of Berry white Medical School, I.G.C.H. Assam and the Executive engineer of Lakhimpur. In 1946 the Bhore Committee recommended the abolition of the Medical Schools with their up gradation to Medical Colleges. Thus ended the Glorious chapter of the Berry White Medical School, paving the way to the establishment of the first medical college in Assam Medical College Dibrugarh on 3rd November 1947



Contact Details:-

Principal-cum-Chief-Superintendent:

Dr. T.R. Borborah

Assam Medical College and Hospital

Borbari, Dibrugarh.

Assam. Pin- 786002.

Official-website (college website): www.assammedicalcollege.net



Telephone

Principal office: 0373-2300080.

Emergency room: 0373 2300627.

Labor Room: 2300022

Drug De addiction Center: 2302952

Community Medicine: 2302994

RIA Center:2302093

web:-http://www.assammedicalcollege.net/