23 Facts About Mahidol Adulyadej

Mahidol Adulyadej was regarded as the father of modern medicine and public health in Thailand.

Mahidol Adulyadej founded the House of Mahidol or the present Royal Family of Thailand.

Prince Mahidol was the 69th child of King Chulalongkorn and the 7th of Queen Savang Vadhana.

Mahidol Adulyadej's mother adopted four other royal princes whose commoner mother had died; among them was Prince Rangsit Prayulsak, later Prince of Chainat, who became a very close friend of Prince Mahidol during his childhood.

Mahidol Adulyadej received the title of Prince of Songkla at age 13.

Mahidol Adulyadej was commissioned Lieutenant in both the Imperial German Navy and the Royal Thai Navy in 1912.

Mahidol Adulyadej continued his interest in smaller vessels, including submarines and torpedo boats; this later led to conflict at a meeting, where he was overruled by senior naval officers, most of whom were British graduates and preferred larger vessels.

Mahidol Adulyadej was at that time Chief of the Royal Medical College.

Prince Rangsit, himself a lesser-class prince, thought that to have someone of high prestige like Prince Mahidol Adulyadej supporting the movement to improve medical practice and public health in Thailand would generate more interest and probably more funding.

Mahidol Adulyadej strategically invited Prince Mahidol to a boat trip along the Bangkok Yai and Bangkok Noi canals.

Mahidol Adulyadej decided he would study in related fields himself.

Mahidol Adulyadej asked Prince Rangsit to select four students to be sent to the US: two medical students who would be funded by Mahidol himself and two nursing students who would be funded by his mother, Queen Savang Vadhana.

Mahidol Adulyadej diligently looked after his students, and thus became close to Miss Talabhat, who then accompanied him back to Thailand three years later to attend the funeral of Queen Saovabha.

Mahidol Adulyadej received his Certificate in Public Health in the following year.

Mahidol Adulyadej's first child, Princess Galyani Vadhana, was born in London in 1923.

Mahidol Adulyadej returned to Thailand in the same year to take the position of Director-General of the University Department in the Ministry of Education.

Mahidol Adulyadej was planning to return to Siriraj Hospital for an internship.

Mahidol Adulyadej worked there, day and night, as a resident doctor.

Prince Mahidol Adulyadej died on 24 September 1929 at Sapathum Palace.

Mahidol Adulyadej was posthumously given the title of the Prince Father with a special royal rank equivalent to front palaces.

Mahidol Adulyadej donated a large amount of his own fortune to set up scholarships which enabled university lecturers in science and medicine to further their studies.

Mahidol Adulyadej negotiated with Rockefeller Foundation in helping the university improve from its poor academic foundation.

In commemoration of the centenary of the Prince's birth, the Prince Mahidol Adulyadej Award was created in 1992.