Saturday 9 March 2013

A PROFESSOR OF PHARMACOLOGY SPEAKS AS AN AUTHOR



                       





A Professor of Pharmacology speaks as an author

    Brief profile of the author:    Dr. P.C. Dandiya obtained the Ph. D. degree from the University of Toronto after having the B. Pharm. and the M. Pharm degrees from the Banaras Hindu University. He started his teaching career at the S. M. S. Medical College, Jaipur where he became a full Professor (and later) Head of the Department of Pharmacology at the age of 35 and trained scores of M.D.’s and 19 Ph. D.’s in Pharmacology. For his researches in Phycho-neuro-pharmacology he received numerous awards from the Medical Council of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research and was elected the Fellow of the Indian Academy of Medical Sciences, a rare honour for a non-medical person. He has been the President of the Pharmacy Council of India, Indian Pharmacology Society and the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress and the Pro-Vice Chancellor and even Vice-Chancellor for some time of the Banaras Hindu University. Professor Dandiya has worked in many countries and has been a Visiting Professor at the Universities of London, Houston, Hawai and Copenhagen. In the last few years he extensively lectured at a number of Chinese Universities as a Guest Professor of Nanjing University. His students and associates, spread all over the globe whom he has immensely endeared have floated an Endowment Trust which holds an Oration in his honour every year besides promoting research activities in Pharmacy and Pharmacology. He has written many books, his Family Medicine Book has sold 5 lakh copies in 10 editions, and amongst them is a beautifully written, highly interesting autobiography, that can be seen at most book shops in the country. Presently he is an Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology at the SMS Medical College, Jaipur where he completed 64 years of teaching the Medical Students and now he is teaching the grand children of those whom he taught more than 50 years back. He is also a WHO consultant on the Rational use of Drugs.
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Q       Your book “A Professor remembers” giving details about your days at the famous BHU, Varanasi, (INDIA), appears to have been well received. What has been the average response/rating of the readers and reviewers for this book?
          Some of the responses of the readers and reviewers for this book are:
                    “A browser’s choice. He recalls days in Jaipur in his childhood when the Maharaja found a third wife……. He also talks of his experience with LSD.”--  The Hindu (An English Daily with a 12 million circulation)
It is a rare autobiography where the word “I” is missing. He talks of the events and the people who came to his life.  
--Rajasthan Patrika, (an Indian language daily-circulation 7  million)
          “A highly interesting work by an academician that reads like a novel, takes you in the interior of the country and also a tour round the world in a style spiced with wry humour. His characterization of the three women who came to his life is masterly.” --    Indian Journal of Pharmacology
          “Every part is readable and highly interesting.”-- Ranjit Roy Chaudhury (W.H.O. Consultant)
          “I could not put down the book for a week. It is difficult enough to live an interesting life. It is more difficult to write an interesting book about one’s life.”-- P.K. Wanchoo (Professor of Surgery)
          “It is a wonderfully well written autobiography. It reflects the author’s mastery at expressing thoughts and his ability to recall   events.” -- Pushkar Kaul (Professor at Atlanta University)
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Q  What is your own assessment about this book?
          Actually, the book sold out very fast and a new edition of the book has come last week. For me, it was of great satisfaction that I was able to write at length on the BHU, Pt. Malviyaji, Sir S. Radhakrishnan and many other co-students of that time, some of who have occupied very prestigious positions in this country and at other places on the globe. It was very exhilarating and I tell you, at times, I enjoy reading this again even after 13 years.
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Q    What exactly prompted you to pen down your memoirs in the form of this book?
            A lady friend of mine, Girija Vijay, a voracious reader of books, who presently lives in Las Vegas, USA had suggested to me and if you remember I have given tribute to her in the beginning of the book for having made that suggestion that worked out wonderfully well.
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Q     How many months were needed to complete the script of this book?
            About 14 months.
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Q     Who has been your role model for achieving excellence in writing?
          I have been an admirer of Kushwant Singh.
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 Q   In writing career, which aspect(s) do you generally give more weightage, money, award, admiration or popularity?
          None of the above. Only self satisfaction.
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Q   What are your other publications?
           I have written 15 other books and the Family Medicine Book of mine has done ten 10 editions in 36 years and sold more than 5 lakh copies.  It is a great satisfaction.
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Q   What are your future plans for writing books?
           I have just finished and published the new edition of the book in discussion with 18 new chapters.
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Q   Your efforts for writing by using a lap top, must be causing aches in the fingers. How do you manage to keep yourself fit in this respect?
           When I started writing this book in 1998, yes I had problems with the computer but in course of time I was able to write a chapter and email it straight to my publisher in Delhi. 
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Q    Now for some time the average life of the human beings appears to be increasing, meaning that the Longevity is increasing. What are the factors responsible for this increase?. What exactly has been the role of medicines in increasing the Longevity?
           Some time back, I gave a lecture at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical University, Jaipur, on this very topic. For answering to this question I would like to say that in the Bronze Age, the average life span was about 28 years, but with better living conditions it went on improving. During the last 50 years, the life span of the global population has changed considerably. It has increased to 67 years in men and 73 for women. The highest longevity is in Japan, men 79 and women 86. In India also it has increased to 63 for men and 67 for women. Interestingly, the relative figures for China are higher than those of us in India by about 8 years. Even Pakistan and Bangladesh are marginally better than Indians. In the 19th and early 20th century, the increase in life span was primarily due to improvement in hygienic conditions. Even in countries of Europe infectious diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid and others were rampant in the 19th century.
       The availability of reliable and effective medicines has played a major role in increasing the life span    of the humans. The big killers of the humans in India are solid fuels, smoking, low fruit intake, pollution, hypertension, diabetes, infectious diseases and high cholesterol. The first fours are yet to be taken care of but the last four have been considerably controlled by medicines. Some drugs do a lot of work, become very important, and settle as the favourite of doctors and at times, of the patients as well. At times, these may disappear from the scene because more effective & safer drugs are discovered. Digitalis, phenacetin, diazepam and sulphonomides, which were freat medicines at one time, have almost disappeared from the scene in the last 30 years or more.
The medicines that have made very significant influences in our lives are:
(i)  The penicillins have been very effective in the treatment of pneumonia, syphilis, gonorrhoea, wound infections, tetanus, and gas gangrenes. The cephaelosporins are effective even where penicillins fail and have proved wonderful medicaments.
(ii)   Insulin discovered in 1922, has saved millions from diabetes & allowed diabetics to live a new normal life.
(iii)  Aspirin, used for more than 110 years, though basically for pain and fever, is today the most widely used single medicine for preventing heart attacks and brain strokes by lowering blood clotting. It works as a wonder drug in angina, bypass surgery and kidney related problems.
Until the 1950s, most medicines were discovered in the universities but this has changed. Lately the pharmaceutical companies have discovered and marketed many a block-buster drugs which can be prescribed by any physician (even a non-specialist) and bring about great benefits to the patients. These are:
(i)  Statins like atorvastin lower cholesterol, decrease heart attacks & thus prolong life of millions.
(ii)  Beta-blockers have replaced Digitalis, the two century old drug and allowed management of angina an easy and life saving.
(iii)    Steroids are powerful inflammation lowering drugs and save life from allergic shock and bronchial asthma.
(iv)  SSRIs have made treatment of mental depression an easy game. Fuoxetine has allowed millions to live a normal life.
(v)  ACE Inhibitors lower blood pressure and save the patient from deterioration.
(vi)  Omeprazole has helped a long number of patients to live normally without surgery.
(vii)  Anti-malarials like Quinine, chloroquine and the artemisinins have cured millions of malaria but for this, more effective medicines have yet to be discovered.
        A lot more has to be done particularly for cancer, AIDS, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. The Melinda -Gates Foundation is doing a wonderful work towards finding more effective remedies for these diseases.
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                                                                                                                              Vijaiksharma


                                       









                                             

                                       




2 comments:

Govind Mathur said...

Very interesting. I would like to go through the whole book.

Govind Mathur said...

Very interesting. I would like to go through the whole book.