Jyoti Bhusan Chatterjea
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Jyoti Bhusan Chatterjea (1919–1972) was an Indian
hematologist Hematology (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to ...
, medical academic and the director of Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, He was known for his hematological and clinical studies of Hemoglobin E/β-thalassaemia and was an elected fellow of the
National Academy of Medical Sciences National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), better known by its acronym, NAMS, is a nodal agency under the Government of India, which acts as an advisory body to the Government in matters related to National Health Policy and Planning and as a ...
, and the Indian National Science Academy. The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Medical Sciences in 1966.


Biography

J. B. Chatterjea, born on 16 February 1919 in
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, the capital city of the Indian state of
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
, graduated in medicine from
Calcutta Medical College Calcutta Medical College, officially Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, is a public medical school and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the oldest existing hospital in Asia. The institute was established on 28 January 1835 by L ...
of the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
in 1942 and secured the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the same institution in 1949. Starting his career as an assistant research officer at Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine and served as a professor of
hematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
from 1956 till he was appointed as the director of the institution in 1966. He was holding that position when he died on 29 February 1972, at the age of 53, survived by his wife and a daughter.


Legacy

Chatterjea's researches were focused on the hematological aspects of tropical diseases and his studies on the human red blood cells widened the understanding of th
etiopathogenetic
aspects of hereditary disorders. His work covered the roles played by iron,
folic acid Folate, also known as vitamin B9 and folacin, is one of the B vitamins. Manufactured folic acid, which is converted into folate by the body, is used as a dietary supplement and in food fortification as it is more stable during processing and ...
, vitamin B12 and conjugate foliate compounds in human system and assisted him in the discovery of
Hemoglobin E Hemoglobin E (HbE) is an abnormal hemoglobin with a single point mutation in the β chain. At position 26 there is a change in the amino acid, from glutamic acid to lysine (E26K). Hemoglobin E is very common among people of Southeast Asian, Northea ...
in
Bengali people Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of S ...
. His inquiries led to the clinical, hematological, biochemical, biophysical and the genetical studies of Hemoglobin E/β-thalassaemia prevalent in Bengal region. He documented his researches by way of several medical papers published in peer-reviewed journals and his work has been cited by a number of authors and researchers. Chatterjea chaired the Medical and Veterinary Section of the 51st Indian Science Congress held at Kolkata in 1964 and was the Asian representative on the executive committee of the
International Society of Blood Transfusion The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society founded in 1935, which promotes the study of blood transfusion and spreads reliable information about the ways in which blood transfusion medicine and science can bes ...
the same year. He served as the president of various medical organizations; at Indian Society of Hematology for two terms in 1963 and 1964, at Indian Anthropological Society during 1967–68, at Indian Public Health Association and at Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists in 1968. He also served as a counselor to international organizations such as International Society of Hematology,
International Society of Blood Transfusion The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society founded in 1935, which promotes the study of blood transfusion and spreads reliable information about the ways in which blood transfusion medicine and science can bes ...
and the Reticuloendothelial Society.


Awards and honors

Chatterjea received the Coates Medal of the University of Calcutta in 1958 and the Barclay Medal of the Asiatic Society in 1963. In between, the Indian National Science Academy elected him as a fellow in 1960. The Indian Council of Medical Research honored him with the Basanti Devi Amir Chand Prize in 1964, the same year as he was elected as a fellow by the
National Academy of Medical Sciences National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), better known by its acronym, NAMS, is a nodal agency under the Government of India, which acts as an advisory body to the Government in matters related to National Health Policy and Planning and as a ...
and he received the Minto Medal the next year. The
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada''), abbreviated as CSIR, was established by the Government of India in September 1942 as an autonomous body that has emerged as the l ...
awarded him
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, Applied science, applied or Fundamenta ...
, one of the highest Indian science awards in 1966. He was also a fellow of a number of international medical societies which included the
American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a national organization of internists, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults.Sokanu "What is an Internist?" Retrieved October 20, 2014 With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest ...
,
Royal College of Pathologists The Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) is a professional membership organisation. Its main function is the overseeing of postgraduate training, and its Fellowship Examination (FRCPath) is recognised as the standard assessment of fitness to pr ...
, Swiss Society of Hematology, German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists, Indian Anthropological Society and Indian Public Health Association. J. B. Chatterjea Memorial Committee published a
festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
on him in 1975, titled ''Trends in Haematology'' which featured several articles including those of Chatterjea.


Selected bibliography

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Notes


References


External links

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Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chatterjea, Jyoti Bhusan Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Medical Science 1919 births 1972 deaths Indian medical writers 20th-century Indian medical doctors Fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences Indian hematologists Medical doctors from Kolkata University of Calcutta alumni Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India Fellows of the Royal College of Pathologists