Yellapragada Subbarow

Yellapragada Subbarow was born on 12 January 1895 in Bhimavaram, a small town in the coastal district of West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, India. He belonged to a poor Brahmin family and faced many hardships in his early life. He lost his elder brother and younger brother to tropical sprue within a span of eight days when he was 15 years old. He also suffered from the same disease and had to undergo a prolonged treatment. He was deeply affected by the death of his brothers and developed a keen interest in medicine and science. He completed his schooling from Hindu High School in Madras (now Chennai) and joined the Presidency College for his intermediate course. He then entered the Madras Medical College where he studied anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology. He was influenced by the Indian independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and started wearing khadi surgical dress as a sign of protest against the British rule. This incurred the displeasure of his surgery professor, M.C. Bradfield, who failed him in his practical examination despite his excellent performance in the written papers. As a result, he was awarded the lesser Licentiate of Medicine and Surgery (LMS) certificate instead of the full Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. He tried to enter the Madras Medical Service but was rejected due to his lack of MBBS degree. He then took up a job as a lecturer in anatomy at Dr. Lakshmipathi's Ayurvedic College in Madras. He was fascinated by the healing powers of Ayurvedic medicines and began to engage in research to put Ayurveda on a modern footing. He received financial support from Malladi Satyalingam Naicker Charities in Kakinada and his father-in-law, Kasturi Suryanarayana Murthy, who also arranged his marriage with Rajamani Subbarow in 1922. In 1923, he got an opportunity to go to the United States to study at the Harvard School of Tropical Medicine. He had to overcome many challenges such as lack of funds, visa issues, language barriers and racial discrimination to pursue his dream. He worked part-time as a waiter, dishwasher and laboratory assistant to support himself while studying. He completed his diploma in tropical medicine in 1924 and joined the Harvard Medical School as a research assistant under Dr. Cyrus Fiske. At Harvard Medical School, he made several groundbreaking discoveries in biochemistry and medicine. Along with Dr. Fiske, he developed a method for estimating phosphorus in biological fluids, which became known as the Fiske-Subbarow method and is still widely used today. They also discovered phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecules that store and transfer energy in living cells. He received his PhD degree in 1929 for his work on phosphorus metabolism. Despite his outstanding achievements, he was denied a regular faculty position at Harvard due to his foreign origin and lack of MBBS degree. He faced prejudice and discrimination from some of his colleagues who tried to undermine his work and take credit for his discoveries. He was also denied the recognition and rewards that he deserved for his contributions to science and medicine. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times but never received it. In 1940, he left Harvard and joined the Lederle Laboratories, a division of American Cyanamid Company, as the director of research. There he continued his remarkable research and made many more discoveries that revolutionized the fields of medicine and pharmacology. He extracted and synthesized folic acid, a vitamin that is essential for the production of red blood cells and the prevention of birth defects. He also synthesized methotrexate, a drug that inhibits the action of folic acid and is used to treat cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. He discovered diethylcarbamazine, a drug that is effective against filariasis, a parasitic disease that causes elephantiasis. He also played a key role in the discovery of tetracycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is used to treat various bacterial infections. He was a prolific researcher who published over 100 papers in reputed journals and filed over 50 patents for his inventions. He also trained and mentored many young scientists who went on to become eminent in their fields. He was a humble and generous person who donated most of his earnings to charitable causes. He supported many educational and medical institutions in India and the United States. He also helped many Indian students and scholars who came to the United States for higher studies. He died on 8 August 1948 at the age of 53 due to myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer. He was buried at the Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. His wife Rajamani died a few months later due to tuberculosis. They had no children. His death was mourned by many eminent scientists and leaders who acknowledged his immense contributions to science and humanity. He was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honors in India, in 1976. His life story has been documented in several books and films. He is regarded as one of the greatest Indian scientists of all time and a pioneer of modern medicine.