Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows

Kylasa Somasundaram was the first fully trained paediatric surgeon in Malaysia. He was born on 27 October 1933 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, into a medical family; his great-grandfather, Dr Kylasapillai, grandfather, Dr Canapathypillai Sivasithamparam, and father, Dr Somasundaram Ramasamipillai, were all doctors. His eldest brother, Mahendra, would become a distinguished neurologist in New York, and his younger brother, Kumaresan, also became a surgeon. Somasundaram’s early medical career began when he graduated from the University of Ceylon in 1958 and served as a senior surgical officer at the General Hospital, Colombo, where he was mentored by Dr Noel Bartholomeusz. He then worked as a surgical registrar at Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, Colombo. Together with his wife and infant daughter, he travelled to the United Kingdom in early 1963 and became a Fellow of both the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Surgeons of England that same year. Somasundaram trained in England from June 1963 to September 1967. His first post was as house surgeon at West Middlesex Hospital under Dr John F. Scholefield and Dr Keith Abel. He later became surgical registrar at Wanstead Hospital, and subsequently registrar in paediatric surgery at Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children, Carshalton, under consultant Dr Herbert B. Eckstein. Somasundaram then went on to become senior surgical registrar at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and at the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital, which was the first neonatal surgical unit in the world. At the Royal Liverpool, he was mentored by Professor Peter Rickham and formed lasting friendships with surgical colleagues, including Professor Averil Mansfield. In 1967, he moved with his family to Malaysia and joined the newly established University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, as a lecturer in surgery. He quickly advanced to senior lecturer and then to associate professor in surgery. In 1971, Somasundaram embarked on a sabbatical at the University of Pittsburgh, where he researched foetal surgery in animals under Professor Mark Ravitch. He returned for another sabbatical in 1975-1976. He would later spend another sabbatical in 1981 as the Culpepper Foundation Visiting Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington, Seattle. Somasundaram was appointed professor of surgery at the University of Malaya in 1977, where he was affectionately known as Prof. Soma. He also served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from July 1977 to March 1981. One of Prof. Soma's most remarkable achievements was the successful separation of ischiopagus conjoined twins in 1981, a historic moment for the region. He and his team then performed a second successful separation of identical twins in 1982. He was Head of the Department of Surgery when the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh first began administering the primary FRCS Edinburgh examination in Malaysia in 1980. In his later career, Prof. Soma supported several surgical institutions in administering examinations. He served as an examiner in Surgery – Master of Medicine at the University of Singapore from 1976 to 1982; as an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh fellowship examination in 1976, 1980, and 1986; as a member of the Court of Examiners of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, from 1983 to 1987; and as a member of the Panel of Examiners (Parts A, B & C) of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, from July 1976 to 2002. He was also associate editor for the British Journal of Surgery from 1982 to 1988 and was on the editorial board of the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Surgery from 1983 to 1986. He was an Honorary Fellow of Madras Medical College, awarded on the post-centenary golden jubilee. His many publications in journals include: “Aortic-right ventricular fistulae” (*British Heart Journal, 1961*), “Treatment of Residual Renal Calculi with Reancidin” (*British Medical Journal, 1966*), “Multiple trachea-oesophagel fistulae without saw atresia”, and “Ischiopagus tetrapus conjoined twins” (*British Journal of Surgery, 1986*). In 1987, after almost 20 years at the University of Malaya, he left for private practise and joined Tawakkal Hospital in Kuala Lumpur, where he continued to work as a consultant general and paediatric surgeon. In 2007, he joined Monash University, Malaysia, as a sessional staff member in the Department of Anatomy, which he truly enjoyed. He was fully involved in teaching anatomy, with an emphasis on clinical and surgical anatomy, to undergraduates and retired only due to declining health at the age of 85. He contributed his collection of slides of the rare and unusual surgeries he had performed to the Anatomy Department. He received the national award of Johan Setia Mahkota (JSM) from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1982, followed by the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) from the state of Penang (Pulau Pinang) in 1985, giving him the title Datuk. In retirement, Somasundaram enjoyed reading, gardening, and spending time with his family. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from old age on 24 December 2023, at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife, Sakunthala, and his children, Kallashini, Narendra and Priadarshini, and their families. As a mentor, Prof. Soma shaped the careers of many surgeons. His impact on their careers is a testament to his guidance, support, and encouragement. His legacy as a generous mentor, a surgeon of incredible technical skill, and a true role model will endure for generations to come.