From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia P. K. Sethi
P. K. Sethi
Pramod Karan Sethi Sharma,
Ram Chandra Sharma an illiterate craftsman, is the
co-inventor of the foot. The original idea of the Jaipur
Born November 28, 1927(1927-11-28) foot is supposed to have come to him serendipitiously
Varanasi, India
while he was riding a bicycle and had a flat tire.[3]
Died January 6, 2008(2008-01-06) (aged 80)
Jaipur
Awards
Nationality Indian
Sethi was awarded the Magsaysay Award for Community
Other names P. K. Sethi Leadership in 1981[4], the Padma Shri by the Government
Occupation orthopaedic surgeon, inventor of India in 1981 [5] and he also won a major Rotary Inter-
national award.[1] He was elected a fellow of the British
Known for Jaipur foot
Royal College of Surgeons.[3]
Pramod Karan Sethi (28 November 1927 – 6 January 2008)
was an Indian orthopaedic surgeon. With Ram Chandra References
Sharma, he co-invented the "Jaipur foot", an inexpensive [1] ^ Oransky I. (2008) Obituary: Pramod Karan Sethi.
and flexible artificial limb, in 1969. Lancet 371: 298
He was awarded the Magsaysay Award for Communi- [2] ^ Singhal D, Nundy S. (2004) No mean feet. BMJ 328:
ty Leadership in 1981 and the Padma Shri by the Govern- 789 (accessed 28 January 2008)
ment of India in 1981. [3] ^ McGirk T. (1997) The $28 Foot. Time (Heroes of
Medicine Special Issue) (accessed 28 January 2008)
Personal life and career [4] The 1981 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community
Leadership: Citation for Pramod Karan Sethi
Sethi was born at Varanasi (then Benares),[1] where his
(accessed 28 January 2008)
father Nihal Karan Sethi, himself a renowned scientist,
[5] "Padma Awards Directory (1954-2009)". Ministry of
was a physics professor at Benares Hindu University.[2]
Home Affairs. http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/LST-
Sethi trained as a general surgeon at Agra under G. N.
PDAWD.pdf.
Vyas. In 1958, he specialised in orthopaedics, when the
Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur where he worked
needed an orthopaedics department because of a Medical External links
Council of India inspection.[2] He later cited his lack of • Jaipurfoot
qualifications in orthopaedics as an advantage in devel- • Time Magazine article on PK Sethi and Jaipur Foot
oping the Jaipur foot.[2] Much of his practice was in phys- • The 1981 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community
iotherapy, including the rehabilitation of amputees.[1] He Leadership: Biography of Pramod Karan Sethi
retired in 1981.[3] • New York Times: P. K. Sethi, Inventor of the Low-
He was married to Sulochana, and the couple had a Tech Limb, Is Dead at 80
son and three daughters. Sethi died of cardiac arrest in • News item about Dr. Sethi’s death
Jaipur, India.[1]
Persondata
Name Sethi, P.K.
Jaipur foot Alternative names
The Jaipur foot is made of rubber and wood and is proba-
Short description
bly the lowest cost prosthetic limb available in the world.
The International Red Cross Committee has used it exten- Date of birth 28 November 1927
sively in Afghanistan and other places to help amputees. Place of birth Varanasi, India
Several injured soldiers in the Kargil war were benefited Date of death 6 January 2008
due to the Jaipur foot. Sethi was recognized by the Guin-
Place of death Jaipur
ness Book of World Records for helping a large number of
amputees in obtaining mobility again. The Indian dancer
and actor Sudha Chandran was one of his patients.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia P. K. Sethi
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=P._K._Sethi&oldid=449750241"
Categories:
• 1927 births
• 2008 deaths
• Cardiovascular disease deaths in India
• Indian surgeons
• People from Rajasthan
• People from Varanasi
• Ramon Magsaysay Award winners
• Recipients of the Padma Shri
• Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons
• Orthopedic surgeons
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