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Dr.T.H. Somervell of Mount Everest fame came for a fortnight
stay with Dr.S.H. Pugh in the year 1922. The two Doctors perfomed
many surgeries. Dr.Somervell was very much impressed by the
work done by Dr.S.H. Pugh alone. Seeing the great need at Neyyoor,
Dr. Somervell decided to come to Neyyoor as a Medical Missionary.
This was revealed later by Dr.Somervell himself when he wrote
as follows.
"In fact, it was due to a ten days sojourn at Neyyoor in 1922, that I had decided to spend the best part of my life at that very place where the need seemed to be great and the supply seemed hopelessly inadequate".
Dr. T.H. Somervell joined as a staff of the Medical Mission
in the year 1923. With his arrival, the input of patients had
tremendously increased and the need for additional place for
accommodation was felt by the two doctors. Dr. T.H. Somervell
also brought one x-ray unit for Neyyoor Hospital. New wards
were constructed. Both the x-ray and accomodation facilities
attracted a large number of people from all over Travancore
and also from the neighbouring provinces.
The growth of Medical Mission during all these years became
manifest not only in the central Hospital at Neyyoor but also
in the various branches especially in the Marthandam Mission
Hospital. Four new private wards were built in 1922 for which
Mrs.Sinclair from the Marthandam Embroidery Industry bore all
the expenditure for construction.
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