Adyar Cancer Institute, at Chennai was founded in the year 1954 by Dr.(Mrs) Muthulakshmi, with the support of the Women’s India Association (WIA).

Ms.Muthulakshmi was born on30th July 1886, in a middle class family in Pudukkottai District of Tamilnadu. Ms. Muthulakshmi was the first woman to get graduated in Medicine in the year 1912.

She became the first Indian member of WIA, Madras in 1918 and she was the President of WIA Madras for 30 years. Dr.Muthulakshmi was a Member and Vice-President of Madras Legislative Assembly from 1927 to 1930.She was an active member of the Freedom Struggle of India. In 1930 she founded an orphanage, named “Avvai Home” for the female children of the devadasis.

In 1922 Dr.Muthulakshmi found cancer in her sister’s rectum and she stayed by the bedside of her suffering sister who passed away in a year. This induced Dr. Muthulakshmi to concentrate more on cancer. In 1949 she initiated Cancer Relief Fund of WIA and set up a Cancer Hospital. In 1954 she formed Cancer Institute. She was awarded “Padma Bhusan” in 1956 by the Government of India.

Dr. Muthulakshmi made her son to be with the Cancer Institute for serving the poor cancer patients of India, after his completing his studies in Medicine at USA. Today, Adyar Cancer Institute is serving the poor cancer patients from allover India, in a notable way.