Ida Scudder

Early Life

Ida Scudder was born on December 9, 1870 to American missionaries in India who were delighted to welcome a daughter into their family after five sons. Ida’s father, John Scudder, was one of many family members who served as missionary doctors in India. As a child, Ida witnessed the prevalent poverty and disease that marked the lives of many around her. Often, Ida was weighed down by the care she felt for others. In 1878, hoping Ida’s father would recover from failing health, the Scudder family moved back to the United States and settled on a farm in Nebraska. 

Ida loved her new life in America, and she quickly decided she would never live in India again. When Ida was twelve, her father returned to India and her mother followed soon after, leaving Ida in the care of her aunt and uncle. From 1886-1890, Ida attended a girl’s seminary in Massachusetts, where she built a reputation for mischievous adventure. In 1890, Ida reluctantly returned to India to help her mother as she recovered from a lengthy illness. Though she was happy to spend time with her parents again, she secretly resolved to return to America as soon as she could. 

Calling

One night, Ida sat down to write a letter to a friend from school that included a vehement denial of her ever choosing to become a missionary. Throughout that evening, three men came to the compound asking her to help their wives struggling in childbirth. Ida tried to convince all three to let her father help, but each time the husbands refused because their religious beliefs prohibited a man outside the family from seeing their wives. The next morning, Ida received the news that all three women had died. As she sorted through her emotions, Ida slowly realized she  could do something about the terrible situation. She decided she would study medicine in the United States and then return to help the women of India. 

In 1896, Ida started her studies at the Women’s Medical College of Philadelphia, sponsored by the Women’s Auxiliary Board of the Reformed Church. However, Ida chose to transfer to the prestigious Cornell Medical College for her final year of school when it finally opened its doors to women. After she graduated, Ida’s sending mission organization then charged her with the task of raising money for a women’s hospital in India. 

Dr. Ida Scudder

Ida returned to India in 1900, but her father died unexpectedly from cancer the following year, leaving Ida to take over his clinical responsibilities. The Mary Taber Schell Hospital was completed in 1902, and patients quickly filled it. As Ida treated thousands of patients, she battled again and again with superstition and ignorance. Some patients refused care because of deeply held religious beliefs while others waited too long for any effectual help to be given. Ida and other hospital staff often traveled into the villages, teaching villagers about proper hygiene and performing simple outpatient procedures. 

In 1908, Ida started a nursing school for women. Soon afterward, Ida was gifted an automobile that expanded her ability to reach villagers. As the need for more doctors pressed heavily on Ida, she began to consider the possibility of founding a women’s medical college in Vellore. The project seemed impossible, but Ida couldn’t ignore the generational impact such a college would have on the region. Ida experienced pushback from fellow missionary doctors, but she eventually received permission to move forward with the project. Ida resolutely pushed through fundraising and government permission setbacks, and eventually, with limited space, money, and staff, the medical college opened in 1918. To Ida’s delight, her students performed excellently, proving their ability and worth to skeptical outsiders. 

Legacy

The hospital, roadside clinics, nursing school, and medical college continued to grow, often through fundraising that happened in small, incremental steps. In 1942, after much consideration, the medical college was opened to men as well as women. Today, the Christian Medical College in Vellore serves three million patients yearly and is a top-ranked college in India. 

Ida’s life is a beautiful testament to God’s grand plan, as He led a woman down the very path she resolutely insisted she would never walk, and she is remembered as a woman of great determination, faith, and compassion. On May 24, 1960, Dr. Ida Scudder entered her heavenly rest, having spent the last years of her life in the country she had called home for over sixty years. 

“First ponder then dare…Count the cost. What you are building is not a medical school. It is the kingdom of God. Don’t err on the side of being too small. If this is the will of God that we should find some way to keep the college open. It has to be done.” -from Ida’s journal

‍