Mangalore medic’s miracle in Bombay 1957

Mangalore medic’s miracle in Bombay 1957

Mangalore Today News Network

By I J Saldanha-Shet

Mangaluru, July 31, 2025: Mangalore’s renowned genealogist, historian, and writer wizard Dr.Michael Lobo, recently brought to notice, a very rare medical achievement of  - Late Dr.Titus Sequeira in Bombay (now Mumbai), in the 1950s. Mangalore Today fans   all over the world will be interested in knowing something about Dr.Titus another great Kanara person. Over the Centuries folks of Kanara have excelled to Super levels in practically every field in the past and present.  Mangalore Today has been making every effort to connect folks and publish amazing regular accounts. My duty here is only to support such wonders.   So, let’s dive into and look into what Dr.Michael Lobo, has shared :               

                      
To introduce the achievement this is what Dr Titus’ son Manuel Sequeira from Canada communicated  : " Picture 1 here  is a picture of my father, Dr. Titus William Sequeira, who on October 17,1957 made medical history having delivered  Siamese twins by simple natural childbirth at his ’Dr T W Sequeira’s Maternity Hospital’ Mazagon Bombay. It was a sensational landmark in the annals of medical history, he having delivered these twins without any special  instruments/equipment, or by surgery to extricate these entwined babies;  by natural childbirth with the mother alive, and both twins alive as well, at delivery in Bombay. 

Any delay, would have caused complications at the time of childbirth and almost definitely have ended in one or two or all of the three being exposed to the danger of death! Thanks to the deft hands of my father, all three survived the ordeal. That’s what makes this case so very unique. All three miraculously survived. Unheard of in the medical world and perhaps. 

The Siamese twins remained under the care of my father and hospital staff until they were released about six or seven days later into the hands of the Bombay Govt Hospital staff. I remember that later surgery was conducted on the conjoined twins, and my understanding is that one died on the operating table and the other a few hours later. Tragic! I was almost 13 years old at the time and I recall very clearly all the excitement and buzz, not to mention the anxiety as well, surrounding this event around our small maternity hospital in Mazgaon, Bombay. Named after my father: Dr T W Sequeira’s Maternity Hospital. and later run by my brother Dr.Anthony Sequiera in whose time it’s stature grew in great measure.

At the time when this happened in the 1950s, medical ethics was far more stringent and did not permit the advertisement of a doctor or a doctor’s profession for  gain or exposure. My father, being scrupulous about such protocol, when approached by the Press, declined to allow his name or that of his hospital to be published in the media.  Medical ethics has changed much since.  But a brief piece of news did appear in two of the three morning papers of the day. I do recall reading them, appearing in any of these dailies: The Free Press Journal, or The Indian Express and/or The Times of India. I recall we did keep copies of these editions from those publications, but over time, unfortunately, with the family scattered all over the world, these copies have ended up being misplaced! My elder brother,Dr. Anthony tells me that there was an insert of this event recorded in one of the publications of the Bombay Medical Journal (he thinks it was in the December issue of that year, 1957). I also recall my father being invited to attend symposiums arranged by the local medical organizations in Bombay, to share his experience with the medical fraternity."

Fortunately, we current readers here, due the technologies available are fortunate to glimpse this rare story and the tip of the iceberg of this distinguished family whose presence is very much seen the world over in India and Kanara, albeit blended with numerous growth and progress -The law of life is ’change’.   Some of you may recognise people/names here and there and probably even find connections very common. I am positive,  much interest and association could result from the details given by Dr.Micheal Lobo are chief links.  Very grateful to Mangaloretoday.com for publication.  Readers must see this website regularly and keep abreast with local news, history and culture.

Brief Genealogy history/information from Dr.Micheal Lobo:  

The first documented members of this Sequeira family are from a ’Kamath’ family of Kadri, ’Joao Sequeira and his wife Esperanca Souza’ from the first decade of the 1800s, and may have been in the Captivity too. Our protagonist Dr.Titus Sequeira’s parents were Joseph Salvador Sequeira(Shaba) and Mary Albuquerque. They were married in Rosario Cathedral on Jan 12, 1892 (Before the present edifice of the Cathedral came up in 1915) . Joseph Sequeira did his studies from St.Aloysius College and later from Presidency College Madras. He served at the District Court Mangalore. Was a member of the Municipal set up and a director of the Mangalore Provident Fund, a forerunner of MCC Bank. Mary was the daughter of the well known Alexis Albuquerque Pai,  in 1868 the founder of the Mangalore Tile Factory of Bolar, and still operating. Joseph and Mary had 13 children between 1893 and 1918 (Evline, Paul, Alice, Arthur, TITUS, Adele, Martin, William, Magdalen, Rose,Thomas, James and Stanislaus) . We see Titus was the 5th of these. Mary died on Sept 21, 1945 and Joseph on July 26, 1958 both buried in Bendur. It is noteworthy that a younger brother of Dr.Titus is Fr.William Sequeira SJ, well known as the Head of St Aloysius high school from 1942 to 52 and Director of the Jeppu Workshop for 12 years and contributed special efforts, he later lived in Bangalore for long till 1991 .

Dr.Titus, about whom we here recall, married Ethel Pinto on April 23, 1929. at Mazagon Bombay. He graduated from Grant Medical College , Bombay and Practiced in Bombay, operating his "Dr T W Sequeira’s Maternity Hospital",  and was well known to the Mangalore community for his services to the church and poor. It grew in fame in the hands of Dr Titus’ son Dr.Anthony Sequeira, a highly popular person in many spheres with the Catholic Community of Mumbai.  Picture 2 here Dr.Titus & Ethel had 8 children - Magdalen, Marie, Rita, Anthony, Augustine, Monika, Alfonso, and Manuel.  Rita the 3rd child of Dr Titus and Ethel, in May 1954 joined the Religious Sisters of the Good Shepherd (RGS). She took her final vows in 1957 and the religious name of Sr.Annunciata. In picture 2 she is seen between her parents just before she joined the convent.  In picture 3 hre, she is prominently seen on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2007 with family in Bangalore.  

We appreciate the renown of this Mangalorean rooted family now spread in India and overseas. It is for us to know and understand the great efforts and talents that are put in to excel in this 21st century too.  May it bring inspiration and motivation to our younger generations.  May GOD the author of all goodness and blessings provide in good measure as HE always has proved. 

---

 

By I J Saldanha-Shet