Wheelchair surgeon Mary Verghese in book on 13 women who have made a global impact

Mary Puthisseril Verghese was an Indian physician who was among the earliest to pioneer physical medicine and rehabilitation in the country.

She is among the 13 women to be featured in the book She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History, which has been written by Chelsea Clinton, activist and daughter to former United States president Bill Clinton.

The book pays a tribute to 13 women who have made a global impact, and includes Marie Curie, author J.K. Rowling, Malala Yousafzai along with Dr Verghese.

In a statement. Clinton said that she wanted the stories of these women to empower kids to use their voices and dreams to shape the world around them in a positive way.

Dr Verghese became paralyzed from the waist down in a road accident when she was working as a gynaecologist in Kerala. She went on to head the first fully functional physical rehabilitation unit in India. She was involved in providing rehabilitation services for people with spinal cord injuries, leprosy, and brain injuries. She passed away in 1986.

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