Today is the 74th Death Anniversary of Dr Yellapgrada Subba Rao, one of the brightest Scientists / Discoverers, the World of Medicine had witnessed, hailing from India.

A famous Writer Doron Antrim observed in 1950 –

“ You’ve probably never heard of Dr. Yellapragada Subbarao yet !!

Because he lived you may be alive and are well today.

Because he lived &you live longer. ”

Why did he say so?

1)His Discovery Tetracycline saved millions of lives during the Surat 1994 Plague outbreak.

Doxycycline today is one of the front line Antibiotics for many Chest Infections

2) He discovered another Antibiotic, Polymyxin which is very widely used

3) He discovered Hetrazan a drug used in Filariasis (Elephant leg) that’s very common in India.

4) Developed Vitamin B12.

From 1988 onwards, US FDA instructed every Cereal to be fortified with Vitamin B12

5) The Energy pockets of our Body, are ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) and ADP ( Adenosine Diphosphate).

Phosphorus is a very important part in these Energy pockets.

Fiske and Subba Rao both worked together how to estimate the Phosphorus Content, used even today.

6) He developed Methotrexate, a Cancer Drug and also used in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Methotrexate was first used in Children with Blood Cancer.

A man with so many Discoveries, he deserved a Nobel Prize

But being a Nationalist Indian, he was first denied a MBBS Degree by the Britishers, when he studied at Madras Medical College.

He was awarded LMS degree instead.

He worked in an Ayurveda college, through his father in law, went to USA, got registered as a Physician at Harvard Medical School, but registered as a Chemist as that was the Category Indians could get into the USA then.

Later, he was denied a Faculty position at Harvard; but none of these deterred his Brilliant Accomplishments.

India has not given the due credit for its own citizen who contributed so much to the World of Medicine.

This great Scientist and the likes of whom come once in a Generation only.

Courtesy; Praveen Kumar