Rustom Jal Vakil (17 July 1911 – 20 November 1974) was a

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular hear ...

from India who was awarded a

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

for his contributions to medicine. He was the first Indian to win a

Lasker Award The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1945 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, which was f ...

. Born in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

in 1911, Vakil completed his medical education in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He pioneered the use of

reserpine Reserpine is a drug that is used for the treatment of high blood pressure, usually in combination with a thiazide diuretic or vasodilator. Large clinical trials have shown that combined treatment with reserpine plus a thiazide diuretic reduces m ...

to control

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

. Reserpine is derived from Indian Snakeroot, ''Rauwolfia serpentina'', known in

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

as Pagal-ki-dawa (‘‘medicine for the insane’’) Himachal Pradesh. It was later explored as a treatment for

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

Books authored

*''Clinical Diagnosis'' *''Textbook of Medicine'' *''The romance of healing and other essays'' *''Heart in Health and Disease''

Awards received

*1958 Padma Bhushan *1959 International

Albert Lasker Award The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1945 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, which was f ...

*1965

Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Sir Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar OBE, FNI, FASc, FRS, FRIC, FInstP (21 February 1894 – 1 January 1955) was an Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific administrator. The first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industr ...

Award *1969 B.C.Roy Award *1971 The V World Congress of Cardiology Souvenir Award by the Cardiological Society of India *1973 The First Dhanwantari Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vakil, Rustom Jal Indian cardiologists Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in medicine Parsi people from Mumbai 1911 births 1974 deaths Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Medical Science Recipients of the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Medical doctors from Mumbai 20th-century Indian medical doctors Parsi people Indian expatriates in the United Kingdom