Upendranath

Brahmachari Biography
Upendranath Brahmachari was a renowned Indian scientist and
a prominent medical practitioner of his era. This biography of
Upendranath Brahmachari provides detailed information about
his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline
Quick Facts
Also Known
As

Dr. Upendranath Brahmachari

Famous as

Scientist

Nationality

Indian

Religion

Hinduism

Born on

19 December 1873 AD

Zodiac Sign

Sagittarius

Born in

Jamalpur

Died on

06 February 1946 AD

Education

University of Calcutta, Presidency University,

Kolkata

Im age Source : http://www.ebharat.in/profile/upendranathbrahma

Rai Bahadur Sir Upendranath Brahmachari was a renowned
Indian scientist and a prominent medical practitioner of his era.
He had a remarkable personality and his most outstanding
research contribution was the discovery of Urea Stibamine, an
organic antimonial compound, which played a vital role in the
treatment of Kala-azar, a protozoal infection. After gaining a
firm foundation in mathematics and chemistry, he decided to
study medicine after which he joined the Provincial Medical
Service. Later, he was appointed as a teacher at the Campbell
Medical School, where he spent the most productive time of his
life and performed his groundbreaking research regarding the
treatment of Kala-azar. During the years of his service and even
after retirement, he remained actively connected to various
spheres in the University of Kolkata. He was associated with
almost all the known scientific and literary organizations at
Kolkata and took a keen interest in humanitarian and cultural
activities. He also played a significant role in the formation of
the worlds second Blood Bank at Kolkata. He was the founder
of Brahmachari Research Institute which became successful in
the fields of both research and manufacture of medicine. He had
an insatiable thirst for knowledge and as a teacher and medical
practitioner, his contribution to the society is invaluable
Childhood & Early Life
Upendranath Brahmachari was born on December 19,
1873 in Jamalpur, Bihar, to Nilmony Brahmachari, a

physician in East Indian Railways, and his wife, Saurabh

Sundari Devi.
He received his early education from the Eastern Railways
Boys' High School, Jamalpur. T hen he attended the
Hooghly Mohsin College and obtained a Bachelor s
degree, with honors in Mathematics and Chemistry, in
1893.
T hereafter, he studied Medicine with Higher Chemistry
and passed his Master s degree from the Presidency
College, Kolkata, in 1894.
Later, he enrolled at the University of Calcutta from where
he earned his MD degree in 1902. In 1904, he earned PhD
for his thesis on Haemolysis.
Care e r
In 1899, he started his medical career by joining the
Provincial Medical Service where he was appointed a
teacher of Pathology and Materia Medica. In 1901, he
became a physician in the Dacca Medical School.
In 1905, he became a teacher in Medicine and Physician
at the Campbell Medical School, Kolkata. He served there
for many years, carrying out most of his research work on
Kala-azar and made his monumental discovery of Urea
Stibamine.
In 1923, he took the position of Additional Physician in the
Medical College Hospital. Around 1924, he founded the
Brahmachari Research Institute at his own residence in
Kolkata.
In 1927, he retired as a physician from the government
service. After retirement, he served as the Professor of
Tropical Diseases at the Carmichael Medical College,
Kolkata.
Later, he served as the Chairman of the Blood Transfusion
Service of Bengal. He played a crucial role in establishing
the world's second blood bank in Kolkata, in 1939.
He was in charge of Tropical Disease Ward at the

National Medical Institute. He also served as the Head of

the Department of Biochemistry and an Honorary
Professor of Biochemistry at the University College of
Science, Kolkata.
He became a Member of the Council of Kolkata School of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Indian Research Fund
Association, and Zoological Garden, Kolkata.
He was the first Indian to become the Chairman of the
Managing Body of the Indian Red Cross Society of the
Bengal Branch.
Major Works
He made outstanding contributions to medical science,
particularly in the treatment of Kala-azar by discovering
Urea Stibamine. It had no painful effects and was an
effective substitute for the other antimony-containing
compounds in the treatment of the disease.
He is also notably remembered for his pioneering work in
the treatment of dermal leishmaniasis, malaria, the old
Burdwan

fever,

quartan

fever,

blackwater

fever,

cerebrospinal meningitis, filariasis, leprosy and syphilis.

Aw ards & Achie v e m e nts
He received the distinguished Griffith Memorial Prize
from the University of Calcutta, and was also honored with
the Sir William Jones Medal by the Asiatic Society of
Bengal.
In 1921, he was given the prestigious Minto Medal by the
Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
In 1924, he was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal,
1st Class, by the Governor General Lord Lytton. He also
received the title of Rai Bahadur for his diverse works.
In 1929, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in the
category of physiology and medicine.
In 1934, he was conferred a Knighthood by the British
Government.
He was an Honorary Fellow of State Medical Faculty of

Bengal and the International Faculty of Science, London.

He was awarded several fellowships from prestigious
institutions such as the Royal Society of Medicine,
London, and the National Institute of Sciences, India.
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
In 1898, he married Nani Bala Devi and raised a family
with her.
He died on February 6, 1946, at the age of 72.