Annie Wardlaw Jagannadham

Biography

Annie Wardlaw Jagannadham was born on 30 May 1864 in Visakhapatnam, India. Her father, Rev. Pulipaka Jagannadham, was a Christian missionary, and her mother, Eliza Osborne, was a mission teacher. Both of her parents had converted from Hinduism. She was one of six children, with her elder brother, P. Richard Hay Jagannadham, also pursuing a medical career in Edinburgh and later practicing in India. Her niece was Hilda Mary Lazarus, obstetrician and Medical College Director.

Jagannadham studied first at Madras University and then at Madras Medical College, one of the few institutions that offered medical training to women, studying practical midwifery under Arthur Mudge Branfoot. Following this, Jagannadham completed her education at the Edinburgh Medical School for Women, where she studied from 1888 to 1890, gaining the Scottish Triple Qualification.

Upon the completion of her studies, Jagannadham was admitted as a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. That same year, she became the first Indian woman to be registered on the British Medical Register.

Following graduation, Jagannadham spent a year as a house officer at the Edinburgh Hospital for Women and Children, gaining further experience in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 1892, Jagannadham returned to India and took up a position as a House Surgeon in Mumbai.

However, her career was sadly cut short when she contracted tuberculosis, her sickness said to have been caused by her extreme dedication to her hospital work.

Annie Wardlaw Jagannadham returned to her family home in Visakhapatnam, where she passed away on 26 July 1894 at the age of 30. Her death was mourned by her colleagues and the communities she served, and she was remembered for her dedication to medicine and her service to others.