The Founding Father of Orthopaedics in Bihar: The Story of Prof. Bishnupada Mukhopadhaya

In the historic city of Patna, Bihar, on 1 January 1916, a boy named Bishnupada Mukhopadhaya was born to Bipin Chandra Mukherjee, a school headmaster, and his wife Shailbala. From a home that valued education and discipline, the young man would grow into one of the towering figures of Indian orthopaedics—a surgeon, teacher, organiser and institution-builder whose influence shaped the specialty across the country.

He studied at the Prince of Wales Medical College in Patna, passing his MBBS with distinction in 1940. After early service as a tutor and as a graded surgeon in the British Indian Armed Forces, he travelled to England. There he earned the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) in 1947 at the first attempt and the Master of Orthopaedic Surgery (MCh Orth) from Liverpool in 1948. Influenced by the great British masters Sir Robert Jones and Sir Harry Platt, he returned to India determined to build modern orthopaedic surgery in his home state.

Bihar had no specialised orthopaedic service when he arrived. He became the first orthopaedic surgeon in the state and, from 1956 to 1972, served as Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Patna Medical College. Patients queued from early morning at his clinic on Saidpur Road; he treated them with meticulous care and kept detailed records that later guided research and teaching. He started one of the earliest MS Orthopaedics courses in India and trained generations of surgeons who carried the specialty to every corner of the region.

A born organiser, he played a central role in founding the Indian Orthopaedic Association, serving as its first secretary and later as president. He was also among the first editors of the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics. He served as President of the Association of Surgeons of India, Vice-President of the Medical Council of India (where he ensured orthopaedics received its rightful place in the curriculum), and later as Director of Health Services for the Government of Bihar—refusing a salary so that the post could remain free of politics. He helped establish Red Cross polyclinics for the poor in Patna, Gaya and Muzaffarpur and worked for the rehabilitation of the handicapped.

In 1971 the Government of India conferred upon him the Padma Bhushan. He also received the Dr B. C. Roy Award, became the first Indian Hunterian Professor of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Indian Orthopaedic Association.

Outside the operating theatre he loved drama, music and reading. Those who knew him called him “Bisthu Da” with deep affection—a man of sharp intellect, gentle humour and unwavering standards.

Prof. Bishnupada Mukhopadhaya passed away on 5 November 2003 in New Delhi at the age of eighty-seven. His sons continued the family tradition of orthopaedic excellence. In the history of Indian surgery he remains a true pioneer: the doctor who brought modern orthopaedics to Bihar, built its institutions, trained its practitioners, and proved that excellence and compassion can walk hand in hand.