Soorjo Coomar Goodeve Chuckerbutty, also spelled Surjo Kumar Chakraborty MRCS (28 February 1826 – 29 September 1874) was the first Indian to pass the examination of the Indian Medical Service (IMS) in 1855 and subsequently became the Professor of Materia Medica at Calcutta Medical College (CMC) in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Upon return to India in 1850, despite his achievements being celebrated and supported by some of his British colleagues, he was prohibited from taking up a senior post in the IMS.

[4] Subsequently he completed his early education in Bengali, Sanskrit and Persian at his home village school (Pathshala).

[8][9] Together with Bholanath Bose from Barrackpore and Gopal Chunder Seal, who were sponsored by a regional entrepreneur, Dwarkanath Tagore[10] and another student, Dwarka Nath Basu, the four travelled by ship with Goodeve.

[17] In 1848, he reported to the Medical College in Calcutta, his spontaneous conversion to Christianity and his adoption of his new name Soorjo Coomar "Goodeve" Chuckerbutty.

[2] Chuckerbutty had a particular close tie with the professor of comparative anatomy, Robert Edmond Grant, who previously taught Charles Darwin.

[5] Professor Grant also mentored Chuckerbutty and allowed him to be involved in three of his natural history expeditions around Europe.

However, this was denied by authorities and he therefore, took up a post as an assistant physician to the uncovenanted service at the Calcutta Medical Hospital (CMH) in 1850.

[2] In 1854, under the uncovenanted medical service, he was appointed the Professor of Materia Medica and Clinical Medicine and Second Physician to the Hospital.

[2] Opportunities for Indians to take up higher posts was one mission of Sir Edwards,[5] and in 1854, the East India Company opened up the covenanted Medical Service examination to all.

He was one of the twenty-two candidates out of twenty-eight,[2] and the first Indian to pass this exam of the IMS in January 1855, coming second[7][20][21] after George Marr.

The social stigma from dissecting a corpse and travelling abroad counted him an outcast for much of the Indian community.

[2] He published notes on a case of epilepsy in the Medical Times and Gazette, London, in 1852, whilst he was assistant physician at the CMH.

William Maurice attended the University of London to study science and was the father of the famous pianist Oliphant Chuckerbutty.

[2] However, he died the same year in Kensington, aged 48,[26] and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in West London.