'Magic doctor' Sommai dies at 93
Highly-respected Dr Sommai Thongprasert, heralded a "magic doctor" for curing terminal cancer patients with traditional herbal medication, died of kidney failure on Friday morning. He was 93 years old.
His son, Assawin Thongprasert, said Sommai was pronounced dead at the Siriraj Hospital at 7:40am Friday. He was admitted to hospital on October 7. His funeral will be held in his home province Sing Buri at Wat Sangha Rachawas in Muang district, from today until October 19. A royally-granted cremation has been bestowed on the ceremony.
Despite his death, the Sommai Thongprasent clinic in Sing Buri will continue to provide a service, run by his grandson Dr Nikorn Waipradab.
Director-general of the Department for Development of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Dr Thawatchai Kamoltham, said Sommai's death meant the loss of a highly-valued member – expert in traditional herbal medication.
Sommai's herb-based treatments of cancer have been widely accepted and applied in modern medicine. A number of medications developed by Sommai are currently undergoing research by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation for possible future production, he added.
A graduate of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Pharmacy, and later of Siriraj Medical School, Dr Sommai began his pursuit and self-taught study of traditional herbal medicine in 1965. He successfully treated a terminally-ill cancer patient three years later, after the patient was discharged from a hospital with doctors predicting he didn’t have long to live.
He retired from a government career in 1978, holding the last position as director of Sing Buri hospital. After his retirement, he opened his clinic where he continued to treat cancer patients with traditional herbal medicines.
