Fr. Muller's Hospital, a well-known household name, opened its doors to the people of South Canara in 1880. It started when Fr. Augustus Muller S.J, a German Jesuit priest dispensed homeopathic medicines under a Banyan tree. It went on to become a Leprosy hospital (now known as the St Joseph's Leprosy Hospital) and then into a fully fledged hospital. It started the School of Nursing which offered diplomas in General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) and later College of Nursing which offered degree in Bachelor of Nursing Science.