Zone 5: Medical Treatment Rendered with Affection | ฝ่ายจดหมายเหตุและพิพิธภัณฑ์ หอสมุดและคลังความรู้มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล

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Zone 5: Medical Treatment Rendered with Affection

Zone 5: Medical Treatment Rendered with Affection

HRH the Prince Father attended courses in Clinical Medicine at Harvard University at the juncture when the university was taking great interest in Eastern philosophy along with its concentration on the principles of genuine medical care. The prince was not only interested in Eastern philosophy which advocated both mental and physical care but also related Buddhist principles with it.

Having graduated with a medical degree from Harvard, the prince worked for three weeks as a resident doctor at McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai Province prior to his death. Despite the very short period, he dedicatedly performed his duty, never regarding himself as a high-ranking royalty.

A Medical Student Guided by Eastern Philosophy

Studying at Harvard University during 1916 - 1918, Prince Mahidol of Songkla was enrolled in pre-medical and related courses. Upon the completion, he furthered his studies at the School of Public Health founded jointly by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He graduated with a diploma in Public Health in 1921.

Prince Mahidol of Songkla returned to Harvard University to attend courses in Clinical Medicine from 1926 to 1928. Many of his professors were both ideological and academic leaders. It was at the juncture when international academic collaboration led to a better understanding of philosophy, particularly Eastern philosophy, which focused on both mental and physical care.

Having graduated with a medical degree and in his capacity as a physician, he clearly demonstrated that mental health treatment also bore positively on modern medical treatment..

‘Doctor Prince’

Prince Mahidol of Songkla had desired to study Medicine ever since his young age. As a medical student at Harvard Medical School,

he occasionally looked after sick scholarship students with great kindness regardless of his royal status.

Having graduated with the medical degree from Harvard in June 1928, Prince Mahidol returned to Thailand in December of that year to partly spend the time practising privately as a doctor. It was in late April of 1929 that he became a resident doctor at McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai Province. All through the following three weeks, he worked dedicatedly both as a surgeon and a medical doctor, being on call 24 hours a day and even took lessons in local dialect to enhance his treatment based on the principle that “the secret of the care of the patient is in caring for the patient”.

Despite the very short period, Prince Mahidol’s gentle conduct as “Mo Chaofa (Prince Doctor)” impressed everyone and Chiang Mai residents have fondly remembered him for a very long time.