Professor Wilfred S.E. Perera, our beloved guru and mentor and a leading light in the field of maternal and gynaecological care in Sri Lanka for well over four decades, celebrated his 90th birthday on June 15.
The humble and unpretentious great man did so amongst his close-knit family, friends and grateful students, who cherish the privilege of being tutored by an extraordinary man of knowledge, talent, kindness and humility.
Prof had his primary education at St. Aloysius College, Galle. Both his parents were teachers and the ethics of hard work and discipline were instilled early in him and his siblings. His dedication for learning was such that, as he later recalled, when home lights were switched off at night, he would sit under a nearby street lamp to continue his studies.
Having entered Colombo University’s Medical Faculty, his brilliance was apparent from the beginning. Many First Classes and gold medals were to follow and he was off to the United Kingdom, with his eyes set on becoming a general surgeon.
Following a fellowship in surgery and upon returning home in his early twenties, his career destiny would change on a chance encounter with Professor Sir Nicholas Attygalle, the much-feared Professor of Obstetrics and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
On hearing that his star student had decided upon a career in general surgery, he commanded and coaxed him to change his mind into a career in his speciality, Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Prof would fondly reminisce of Sir Nicholas as a ‘man with a heart of gold, in spite of his being widely known as a highly authoritative ‘terror’. Membership and training in the speciality would follow and general surgery’s loss was the gain of maternity and gynaecological care in Sri Lanka, for many decades to follow.
To say that Prof’s clinical acumen and surgical skills were exceptional is an understatement. Anecdotal instances of us students and then registrars looking at each other in incredulity upon his diagnostic skills on examination of a patient abound. There was no need for ultrasonic confirmation as he was never wrong. It is sad to recall the demise of such diagnostic skills that have been now replaced by imaging techniques. Modern generations of medical professionals will never know the exceptional diagnostic ability possessed by clinicians of Prof’s calibre and genius.
His surgical skills were legendary and we in our long association with him as students, registrars and later consultants, cannot recall a single instance of his being overwhelmed by a surgical situation. Those were the days of radical malignancy surgeries and he set upon surgeries such as Wertheim’s hysterectomy, Schauta and Mithra procedures and radical vulvectomy with aplomb. His skill and speed in such surgeries was exceptional and his professorial unit at North Colombo Medical College became a well-known referral centre for such radical surgeries. Prof would never decline if surgery was even remotely possible. Complete surgical cure was the rule before being transferred to the Cancer Institute for further management.
Despite being an exceptionally busy professorial unit, ours was a happy team where committed hard work was the norm. Morning ward rounds were a long lesson in clinical learning and a gentle nod or a smile from Prof was reward enough for a long evening and a night’s hard work for us trainees. Prof never shouted or scolded, but we would work hard to avoid disappointment in his face. His method was simple - hard work by example, and we were keen not to disappoint the great man.
Prof’s reputation as a surgeon and a clinician was international. Our little island was then blessed by two internationally acclaimed talents in the art of gynaecological surgery, the other being Prof. Henry Nanayakkara. During our post-graduate training in the United Kingdom, many of us recall being asked by the bigwigs of gynaecology in the UK, of these professors’ well-being. These top gynaecologists took pride in knowing them personally and having seen them in action, and we took pride in being associated with them.
If ever there was anyone who shied away from obvious glory his reputation would bring, that was Prof. I recall an instance where a particularly difficult radical surgery was performed on a patient closely known to another famous professor. At the tea break following the surgery, he announced that he and another reputed clinician agreed that Prof must be the best gynaecological surgeon in Asia. With a guffaw, Prof was out of the tea room in a flash and into the operating theatre, embarrassed at such praise. That was Prof personified.
It is easy to keep reminiscing of the clinical and surgical skills of this great surgeon, but I am certain all who know him would agree that his hallmark and his greatest gift to us is his absolute humility. In spite of his iconic status, he probably never thought or felt he should live up to it. Anyone who met him not knowing who he was, would never guess he is anything other than a simple, friendly and kind man.
Whether as the young gynaecologist of repute, internationally known professor of gynaecology or in peaceful retirement, his demeanour never changed. With his gracious broad smile, your hand clasped in both his hands and with childlike eagerness to inquire of your well-being, he would greet you, whoever you are. His obvious glee to know you are well and deep concern if all was not well, made him a friend and a father figure to everyone who knew him. How nothing he achieved in his lofty life ever affected his simple ways is appreciated by us as his greatest virtue. His genuine love for humanity and his sense of duty make him attend every lecture, presentation, event or inauguration, encouraging the organisers and presenters of the event.
Rita, his beloved wife and life partner, passed away a few years back, affecting all of us who knew her, and Prof in particular. She was an amazing lady, in step with him in everything that was good of him. She was friendly, unpretentious, kind and generous to a fault. Her pretty face was always lit up with a genuine smile and a large portion of her very active life was dedicated to the welfare of others. The handsome and benevolent couple helped a large community of relatives, friends and less fortunate people to stand up in life, taking them under their wing and providing shelter, support and education over prolonged periods of time. Prof, following Aunty Rita’s demise, continues her duties of generosity to date.
Prof’s is a family of academia and music. The great Sunil Shantha was his cousin. Prof’s love for music is well known and his renditions of beautiful and lesser known Sinhala songs of yesteryear is a much looked forward to feature of gatherings.
What appears an enchanted life was no bed of roses either. He too, like all mortals, had to face up to deep personal pain in his lifetime. The loss of his beloved daughter to an unexpected illness in her teenage years, loss of his loved brother at the high point of his career as a High Court Judge following a road accident, and subsequent demise of his beloved wife were some of them. His overcoming such travails through resolute courage speaks volumes of the man. In short, he is a man with a wonderful mission - to serve humanity to the best of his ability as long as he can.
His three children too need special mention. They have inherited their wonderful parent’s gift of graciousness and humility. They, with their families, are a huge strength to Prof, and the excellence in academia and music continues.
On this very special occasion of his 90th birthday, we his ever-grateful students, friends, relations and all who enjoyed the experience of his genius and benevolence, rise to wish him many more years of good health and happiness and thank him for the privilege of being touched by a very special human being.
Sudheera Uduwela
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Courtesy
https://colombomedgrads1962.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-year-of-internship.html
Extract from THE YEAR OF THE INTERNSHIP- KUMAR GUNAWARDENE- PART 1
" Dr Ganeshan was transferred after three months, and there arrived Dr Wilfred Perera one of the most remarkable medical men I have encountered in my practice in four countries in four continents. A brilliant clinician, he was also one of the best surgeons whom I have worked with; this includes the many skilled cardiac surgeons with whom I as associated. Once he performed an urgent hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) in about ten minutes on an eighteen-year-old girl. She was virtually bleeding to death after giving birth to a child. We inserted saline and blood infusions into every available vein and sprinted to the theatre with the trolley on which she lay moribund. What a pleasure it was to meet the plump teenager a month later with the infant clinging onto her breast. He also performed the most complicated of all gynaecological operations, the Wertheim's operation faster than anyone else. I still can picture the dissected pelvic organs displayed as in an anatomy text."
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