Dr. Noshir Hormusjee Wadia (N. H. Wadia), Padma Bhushan

Dr. Noshir Hormusjee Wadia (N. H. Wadia), Padma Bhushan
Neurologist & Founder of Contemporary Indian Neurology

A young resident once asked him after a long teaching round, “Sir, why did you leave a promising career in London to return and build neurology from almost nothing here?”

Dr. Noshir H. Wadia replied thoughtfully, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep. India needed its own neurology departments, trained neurologists, and research that reflected our own diseases. Someone had to begin. That responsibility was mine.”

That quiet resolve shaped an entire specialty in India.

Noshir Hormusjee Wadia was born on 20 January 1925 in Surat, Gujarat, into a middle-income Parsi family. His father, Hormusji, was a timber merchant, and his mother was Dinamai. He was one of five siblings. He studied at St. Xavier’s School and College in Bombay before joining Grant Medical College, from where he obtained his MBBS in 1948 and MD in Medicine in 1950.

In 1951 he went to the United Kingdom for further training. He obtained the MRCP (London) in 1952 and spent formative years as a registrar under the legendary neurologist Lord (Russell) Brain at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases and the London Hospital — becoming one of the first Asians appointed as a registrar there. He returned to India in 1957 at the age of 32.

Back home he was appointed Honorary Assistant Neurologist at Grant Medical College and Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, with the mandate to establish the first dedicated Department of Neurology in India. Starting with just a handful of beds, he built it into a nationally and internationally respected centre. He served as Lecturer and later Honorary Professor of Neurology, heading the department for 25 years until 1982, after which he was designated Consultant Neurologist for Life. From 1973 he also directed the Department of Neurosciences at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai.

Dr. Wadia’s research focused on neurological conditions prevalent in India. His major contributions include:

Description of a new form of hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia with slow eye movements (later recognised as Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 – SCA2)
Identification of a polio-like illness associated with acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis (Enterovirus 70 disease)
Studies on myelopathy due to congenital atlanto-axial dislocation, tuberculous spinal meningitis, manganese poisoning in miners, Wilson’s disease, and nutritional disorders of the nervous system

He published extensively in leading international journals and authored the influential book Neurological Practice: An Indian Perspective. He trained generations of neurologists, many of whom went on to lead departments across India.

He served as President of the Neurological Society of India and held important roles in the World Federation of Neurology, eventually becoming its Vice-President. In 2009 he received the first World Federation of Neurology Gold Medal for services to international neurology.

The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan in 2012. Other honours included the R. D. Birla Award, S. S. Bhatnagar Medal, Shri Dhanwantari Prize, and fellowships of the Royal College of Physicians (London), Indian National Science Academy, and several international neurological associations. He was conferred an honorary DSc by Banaras Hindu University.

Dr. Wadia passed away on 10 April 2016 at the age of 91. He is remembered by colleagues and students as a meticulous clinician, inspiring teacher, and gentleman of quiet dignity. His wife, Piroja, was his lifelong partner and support.

“Neurology in India had to grow from our own soil,” he often said. “We had to observe our patients carefully, describe what we saw honestly, and train others to do the same.”

From establishing India’s first modern neurology department to describing diseases that later gained global recognition and mentoring an entire generation of neurologists, Dr. N. H. Wadia is rightly regarded as the founder of contemporary Indian neurology.