M. C. Albuquerque
{{short description|Indian physician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = M. C. Albuquerque
| image = MCAlbuquerqueColchester1918.jpg
| alt = An Indian woman's face; she is wearing a white doctor's coat. Her dark hair is parted center and pinned up.
| caption = M. C. Albuquerque, from a 1918 photograph.
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Goa
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| other_names = Mary C. Albuquerque, MC Albuquerque
| occupation = Physician, hospital administrator
| years_active =
| known_for = Medical superintendent, Vanivilas Hospital for Women and Children in Bangalore (1935-1948)
| notable_works =
}}
Mary C. Albuquerque ( born about 1890 – died after 1952), known professionally as M. C. Albuquerque or MC Albuquerque, was an Indian physician. She was medical superintendent of the Vanivilas Women and Children Hospital in Bangalore from 1937 to 1948.
Early life
Albuquerque was from Goa. She trained as a doctor at Madras Medical College, and in England at the London School of Medicine for Women, where she earned a diploma in medicine, surgery, and midwifery in 1916.{{Cite journal|date=1916|title=Universities And Colleges|journal=The British Medical Journal|volume=2|issue=2901|pages=202|issn=0007-1447|jstor=20304902}}{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/TheFirsts|title=The Firsts: Life Sketches of Medical Women in India|last=SL Bhatia History of Medicine Museum|publisher=SL Bhatia History of Medicine Museum|pages=[https://archive.org/details/TheFirsts/page/n23 23]–24}} In 1938, she was admitted as a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.{{Cite journal|date=1938|title=Universities And Colleges|journal=The British Medical Journal|volume=1|issue=4035|pages=1034–1035|issn=0007-1447|jstor=25369921}}
Career
During World War I, Albuquerque was a resident medical officer on the staff of the Essex County Hospital in Colchester; she and Flora Nihal Singh were the first women doctors and the first Asian doctors on the staff.{{Cite web|url=https://greatwarhomehospitals.wordpress.com/home/colchester-essex-county-hospital-lexden-road/|title=COLCHESTER: Essex County Hospital, Lexden Road|date=2016-09-04|website=Great War British Home Hospitals|access-date=2019-11-23}}{{Cite web|url=https://echheritage.org/2018/06/19/the-great-war-women-and-essex-county-hospital/|title=The Great War, Women and Essex County Hospital|date=2018-06-19|website=Essex County Hospital Heritage|language=en|access-date=2019-11-23}}
On her return to India, Albuquerque worked with Jerusha Jhirad at the Bangalore Maternity Hospital, as senior obstetrician from 1922 to 1925. After Jhirad left for Bombay, Albuquerque became senior medical officer at the hospital. In 1935 she was appointed medical superintendent at the new Vanivilas Women and Children Hospital.{{Cite web|url=http://vanivilashospital.org/about_hospital.html|title=About the Hospital -- History|website=Vanivilas Hospital Bangalore Karnataka|access-date=2019-11-23}} She established the hospital's nursing school and dormitory for nurses. She served on the faculty of the medical school at the University of Mysore.{{Cite journal|date=1938|title=Science Notes|journal=Current Science|volume=7|issue=3|pages=146|issn=0011-3891|jstor=24206784|author1=Geo}}{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.85871|title=University Of Mysore The Calendar For 1937 1938 Vol Ii|last=University Of Mysore|date=1938|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.85871/page/n19 11]}}
Albuquerque retired from Vanivilas in 1948,{{Cite web|url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/queens-gift-to-women-and-children/articleshow/60754302.cms|title=Queen's gift to women and children|last=Moona|first=Suresh|date=20 September 2017|website=Bangalore Mirror|access-date=2019-11-23}} but continued practicing as a physician. She was an adviser to the Mysore State Medical Department.{{Cite news|url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/sundaytribune19370815-1.2.13?AT=search&k=Albuquerque%20Bangalore&QT=albuquerque,bangalore|title=Lady Ismail Entertained by the Lotus Club|date=15 August 1937|work=Sunday Tribune (Singapore)|access-date=23 November 2019|page=2|via=NewspaperSG}} She advocated for the establishment of the All-India Tuberculosis Institute. She was honored by the Mysore State government with the title "Sastra Vaidya Praveen". She was a member of the local reception committees when the Indian Science Congress met in Bangalore in 1932{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.7401|title=Proceedings Of The Nineteenth Indian Science Congress (1932)|last=Indian Science Congress|date=1932|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.7401/page/n40 2]}} and in 1951.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.212608|title=Thirty Third Session Of Indian Science Congress Bangalore 1951|last=Indian Science Congress|first=Bangalore|date=1951|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.212608/page/n6 7]}} In 1953, she was president of the Bangalore branch of the All-India Women's Food Council.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4HAeAAAAIAAJ&q=M.+C.+Albuquerque+Bangalore|title=Bulletin of the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore|last=Institute (India)|first=Central Food Technological Research|date=1953|publisher=The Institute|language=en}}
References
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Category:Medical doctors from Goa
Category:Indian medical administrators
Category:Hospital administrators
Category:Madras Medical College alumni
Category:People from Bengaluru