Distinguished Vincentian and Caribbean PhysicianSir Cecil Cyrus, was honoured by the University of the West Indies, with the opening of a Museum of Medical History named in his honour.
The Cecil Cyrus Caribbean Museum of Medical History (CCCMMH) in Barbados, will showcase artefacts depicting the “Caribbean’s rich medical history of traditional and orthodox approaches to medicine and health”.
Speaking at the event on Thursday in Barbados, Minister of Health Hon. St. Clair Jimmy Prince said Dr. Cyrus’s contribution is heroic and points to the ingenuity of Caribbean people.
“Dr. Cyrus was indeed a great man, he was many doctors in one, embracing a range of specialties Orthopedic, Gynecology, Ophthalmology …he did it all, he was a surgeon in all of these areas, his legendary and heroic contribution to medicine will long be remembered not only by his former patients but also by many medical practitioners, whom he mentored,” Minister Prince explained.
Dr. Cyrus is considered one of this country’s most distinguished physician and surgeon. His career path was influenced by the social inequalities he witnessed at the time, particularly the lack of access to health care for the underprivileged.
“More than just exhibits in glass cases, these artefacts are witnesses to our past, they speak of resilience, of brilliance born from necessity, of Caribbean people solving Caribbean problems with Caribbean ingenuity, through this museum Dr. Cecil’s vision becomes our classroom, yet this space is not only for students and scholars, it belongs to the region,” Minister Prince said.
For more than a decade, Dr. Cyrus was the only surgical specialist at the then Colonial Hospital (now the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital), following which he spent three decades at his private Botanic Hospital.
Dr. Cecil Cyrus died on March 24, 2023, at age 94.
