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Eminent Consultant JMO, Dr. M.S.L. Salgado passes away
View(s):The eminent Consultant Judicial Medical Officer, Dr. M.S.L. Salgado, passed away on Friday. He was 89.
Dr. Salgado
A colourful personality, Dr. Salgado stood firm, steadfast and true to his calling as a specialist in forensic medicine. A case in point is his adamant refusal, in the face of political pressure, to change his report in the Kuttimani assault case in the 1980s. He promptly sent a copy of his report to well known British forensic pathologist Prof. Bernard Knight with the request that he should publish it in case of his (Dr. Salgado’s) untimely death.
Hailing from Gintota, Galle, Dr. Salgado had his education at Royal and Ananda Colleges in Colombo, later entering the Colombo Medical Faculty and passing out in 1951.
Dr. Salgado proceeded to Britain for postgraduate training in 1968, returning to Sri Lanka in 1972 to take up duties as an Acting Consultant at the Colombo JMO’s Office, moving to Maha Modara in 1974, Colombo South in 1976 and returning to Colombo as Chief JMO in 1981.
From 1990 to 1995, he taught forensic medicine as Chair Professor at the North Colombo Medical College.
Dr. Salgado’s contributions include the formulation of the Transplantation Act which legally defines what brain-death is; development of forensic histopathology at the Colombo JMO’s Office with frozen section facilities; modification of the medico-legal examination form (MLEF or police report) and medico-legal report (MLR or court report); and also updating the postmortem report.
He was instrumental in persuading the World Health Organisation (WHO) to provide a scholarship for a JMO to receive training abroad, with the UN approving his proposal with the special comment of “Sri Lanka is the first Third World country asking assistance for medico-legal training”.
In 1988, Dr. Salgado convinced the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA) to hold the Pathology Fellowship Part 1 under his supervision at the Colombo JMO’s Office. This created a furore in medico-legal circles with the then Attorney General informing Dr. Salgado that he would be asked to retire instead of facing removal from his job for having foreign examinations here. However, there was much commendation for Dr. Salgado later.
Dr. Salgado’s wife Chintamani predeceased him. He leaves behind two children.
His funeral is due to be held this evening at the General Cemetery Kanatte in Borella.