Dr. Upendranath Brahmachari was a renowned Indian physician and scientist who made significant contributions to medicine, particularly in treating visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar. He was also the first to develop a laboratory diagnostic test for the disease.
Dr. Upendranath’s most notable achievement was the discovery of urea stibamine, a life-saving drug for treating kala-azar, a potentially fatal disease caused by a parasite transmitted through the bite of an infected sandfly. He synthesised the compound in 1922 and demonstrated its effectiveness in treating the disease. The discovery transformed the disease’s prognosis, reducing mortality rates from 90% to a cure rate of 90%. The breakthrough medicine brought down mortality rate from kala-azar from 95% to 7% by 1936. Brahmachari’s work had a profound impact, saving approximately 3.25 lakh lives in Assam alone.
Upendranath was born on December 19, 1873, in Sardanga village, West Bengal. His father, Nilmony Brahmachari, was a physician in the East Indian Railways. Upendranath pursued his early education at Eastern Railways Boys’ High School in Jamalpur, Bihar. He then graduated with honours in mathematics and chemistry from Hooghly Mohsin College in 1893. Upendranath furthered his studies, earning an MD degree in 1902 and a PhD in 1904 from the University of Calcutta.
Some of his other notable achievements include:
- Identification of dermal leishmaniasis: He discovered a new form of leishmaniasis, now known as post-kala-azar.
- Pioneering work in blood transfusion: Dr. Upendranath set up Asia’s first blood bank in 1935 at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine and chaired the Blood Transfusion Service in Bengal.
- Research on other diseases: He conducted extensive research on various tropical diseases, including malaria, leprosy, filariasis and syphilis.
Dr, Upendranath was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929 and again in 1942. He received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to medicine, including the Rai Bahadur Title in 1915, Kaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal in 1924, Knighthood by the British Government in 1934, etc.
Despite his significant contributions to medicine, Dr. Upendranath’s legacy remains relatively unknown.
What is Kala-Azar?
Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is a serious health issue in India, particularly in the eastern states. Caused by a parasite (Leishmania donovani, named after its independent discoverers, William Boog Leishman and Charles Donovan) transmitted through the bite of an infected sandfly, the disease can be fatal if left untreated.
Bihar accounts for 90% of the cases in India, followed by its neighbouring states, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The Government of India has made significant progress in eliminating Kala-azar, with 100% of endemic blocks achieving the target (less than one case per 10,000 population) by the end of 2023. Vaccination campaigns under the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 5.0 have been successful in controlling the disease.
Image: India post issued a special cover to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Upendranath Brahmachari on 12th Dec. 2024. Image courtesy MB’s stamps of India blog.