Features
Sir Aldo Castellani (1877-1971), a great medical scientist
(Excerpted from Selected Journalism by HAJ Hulugalle)
The Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon, that massive volume of Ceylonians published in 1910, records that the man who came to be known as Marchese Sir Aldo Castellani, KCMG, was born on the September 8, 1874, or just a 100 years ago (as this is being written). But who, a reader of the younger generation may well inquire, was this man, and why should we take note of this centenary of his birth? Well, he was a versatile character who had a distinguished career in Ceylon for 12 years as a physician and medical scientist. Thereafter in a long life, he continued to hit the headlines in many foreign fields.
Castellani’s name appeared in such reference books as “Who’s Who”, the “International Who’s Who” and the “Authors and Artists Who’s Who”, but in each case with a different year of birth. I am inclined to accept the date of birth given in “Twentieth Century Impressions of Ceylon” because the information would have been furnished when he was a comparatively young man.
He gave his autobiography published in 1961, the title “Microbes, Men and Monarchs”. This neatly sums up his chief interests and achievements. He came to Ceylon in 1903 at the age of 29, having been appointed by the Colonial office in London as Director of the Clinic on Tropical Medicine and Lecturer of the Colombo Medical College. He had studied medicine at the University of Bonn in Germany and had held appointments in Naples, Bologna and the London School of Tropical Medicine before coming out to Ceylon.
Castellani was the first, and probably the only Italian to hold an important office in this country, although there were men with Italian names like Anthony Bertolacci, Auditor-General in the early years of the nineteenth century, and Carlo Zenetti an irrigation engineer much later.
When he was called to the colours of his home country during the First World War, Castellani left with a heavy heart. He wrote later: “So I left Ceylon in January of the year 1915 but a part of my soul remained there. The memory of the Enchanted Island stirs in my heart an emotion which can only be expressed as love. I was lover of that wondrous country then, I still am, and I shall be to the end of my days.”
He was born in Florence, where Raphael and other renaissance artists did some of their best work, and which is still a repository of painting and sculpture. When I was living in Italy about 20 years ago, it was my favourite city, and it could be of many others who have been fortunate enough to wander aimlessly in that Tuscan capital. I was asked to have a marble statue made from a model sent from Ceylon for the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo and the commission was given to a florentine sculptor.
I met Aldo Castellani in somewhat unusual circumstances. He was then over 80 years of age. Our encounter was at the Madrid airport where we were waiting for our respective air connections. He was in the company of ex-King Umberto of Italy, the last ruler of his line. The day, as I gather from an old diary, was November 27, 1955.
I was on my way to Liberia. William Tubman used to get himself re-elected every four years as President of the Republic of Liberia. I had been instructed to proceed to Monrovia, the capital, to represent Ceylon at the official celebrations. One of the stops between Rome and my destination was Madrid. Castellani was by profession a physician and by choice a courtier, and for many years he had been physician to the royal House of Savoy. King Victor Emmanuel had abdicated on the May 9, 1946, after 46 years on the throne in favour of Crown Prince Umberto, On June 2 of that year however, the Italian people voted to end the monarchy and to set-up a republic. Umberto was thus King for only 24 days.
I introduced myself to Castellani and he seemed pleased to meet someone from Ceylon and presented me to the ex-King. He spoke of old times in Ceylon and of his friendship with Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, the father of SWRD who was my contemporary at school in Mutwal and Mount Lavinia. Like Sir Solomon, Castellani had moved with kings, been knighted by the British and was a KCMG. But he had been deprived of these honours during World War II when under Mussolini he headed the health services of the Italian armies fighting against Britain and her allies.
Sir Solomon makes several references to Castellani in his autobiography entitled “Remember Yesterdays”. I quote two brief passages from it: “In the midst of these numerous engagements, I was visited by a grave domestic anxiety when my son in June 1905, had a serious illness. He was taken down to Colombo where the skillful treatment of Dr. Aldo Castellani assisted by Dr. David Rockwood and Dr. R. Saravanamuttu resulted in his ultimate recovery”.
Fifteen years later, Sir Solomon’s son was again seriously ill, Sir Solomon writes: “I received a disturbing telegram one day that Sonny was down with an attack of paratyphoid at Oxford. I promptly cabled to Dr. Castellani”.
In his own autobiography, Castellani writes of Sir Solomon and his son: “He (Sir Solomon) was a delightful man with perfect polished manners, plenty of brains and a most generous heart. We became firm friends. His son, a charming and intelligent little fellow, caught diphtheria at their country home near Veyangoda and I was fetched to see him.
Anti-diphtheria serum was given. I remember I ordered huge doses which surprised the local country doctor. The little boy grew up into a brilliant clever young man and was sent to Oxford by his father. There – to use his father’s expression – he became affected with rather advanced political ideas, and Sir Solomon was very upset. At a public dinner I heard the young man in his second year, give a speech which held us spellbound; it was spontaneous, ebullient, magnificent oratory”.
In Ceylon, Castellani’s patients had come from all levels of the population. He was treating poor patients at the General Hospital and he was called elsewhere to see distinguished visitors such as the Empress Eugine, widow of Napoleon III and the Crown Prince of Germany, when they were ill in Colombo. Although Castellani had the gift of healing, he was first and foremost a medical scientist and it was as such that he came out to Ceylon.
He had already been a member of the Commission appointed by the British Foreign Office for the investigation of Sleeping Sickness and had been awarded the Craig Medal for his share in the discovery of the germ. Among the diseases for which he had found cures or palliatives were elephantiasis (‘Gaile legs’) and yaws (‘parangi’). He was also an expert on malaria and Mussolini used his services during his campaigns in Africa.
Castellani’s researches sometimes took strange directions as this passage from his autobiography indicates: “Sinhalese girls are renowned for their beauty. They are slender and graceful with chiselled features and luminous dark eyes, and their complexion is hardly darker than that of southern Europeans. The charming oval face is often speckled with the famous golden beauty spots praised in songs by ancient and modern Sinhalese bards as ‘gomara’ which means drops of tears of liquid gold’. “Incidentally, I may say that my investigations mania led me to take scrapings from these spots and examine them microscopically; they were colonies of a fungus! My enthusiastic announcement of this fact was received coldly by the Sinhalese literary and poetic circles”.
When he was employed by the Ceylon Government he does not seem to have charged fees from the locals. No doubt grateful patients sometimes gave him a gift. He once surprised a Maharaja who came from India to be treated by him. The Maharaja sent him a cheque for 20,000 rupees which he returned saying that his fee was Rs.150. “His secretary told me later” writes Castellani “that the Maharaja was at first greatly annoyed, but then laughed, and swore that never in his life – most of it spent consulting doctors over three continents (it was his hobby) – had he such an incredible experience”.
Castellani’s beautiful daughter Jacqueline, appropriately enough, married an English Ambassador, Sir Miles Lampson (later Lord Killearn). World War II saw a turning point to Castellani’s life and career. He was once again called to arms but this time Italy was fighting against Britain and her allies. He lost his Harley Street practice, his connection with the London School of Tropical Medicine and his KCMG. At the end of that war he attached himself to the Italian Royal Family. He escorted the Queen and her children to Portugal and kept close to King Umberto in his exile. It was in those circumstances that I met him.
I find a letter to me from Aldo Castellani in my pillowcase of old letters, It is dated May 22, 1965, and is sent from Junquira, Lisbon. He would have been 91 then. I had sent him one of my books “Ceylon of the Early Travellers” and in the course of a complimentary acknowledgment said: “I remember your grandfather very well indeed. Should you pay a visit to Portugal I am sure His Majesty Umberto will be very pleased to make your personal acquaintance.”
(First published in Sept. 1974)
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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