PN Saxena
Encyclopedia
Prem Narain Saxena was the Founder Professor and Chairman Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
, India. Being a distinguished pharmacologist of the country, he made several notable contributions in traditional medicine and Neuropharmacology. His demonstration of wound healing property of Curcuma longa was a major contributor to India's successful challenge of the US Patent on wound healing property of Haldi. He was intimately involved in discovery and pre-clinical development of the non-barbiturate hypnotic Methaqualone. His basic studies have helped in understanding the role of various neurotransmitters in thermoregulation. He also standardized the use of Setaria cervi for discovery of new anti-filarial agents.
. It was a joint orthodox family village.
Dr. Saxena was the first child of his parents Mr. Raghunandan Prasad and Mrs. Saraswati Devi, apart from three other sisters. He married Ms Rajeshwari Saxena, MA (LT), a working lady but latterly left the job and remained as housewife .
as ‘Accountant’ in the Department of Irrigation. Dr. Saxena was a very brilliant student since school days despite of malnutrition
, rickets
and typhoid. He topped with first position both in matriculation from AP Mission School and Intermediate from DAV College of Dehradun
. In the very first attempt, he qualified medical entrance and did MBBS
with 10th position from the King George Medical College, Lucknow (now Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University
) in 1947. He did (MD
) (Medicine
) in 1950 and (MD
) (Pharmacology
) in 1952 again from the King George Medical College, Lucknow. In addition, he completed his PhD from the Patna University, Patna, in 1963 and DSc from the Aligarh Muslim University
, Aligarh, in 1978.
, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, on April 14, 1964 as Professor and Founder Chairman Department of Pharmacology. He served as Head Department of Pharmacology till September 30, 1985 and in view of his outstanding merits, he was reemployed by the University for two years that is till September 30, 1987. Soon after retirement, he was selected as emeritus scientist of ICMR
, New Delhi, for a period from September 1, 1987, which he served till September 14, 1990. On January 31, 1991, the University appointed him as Professor Emeritus. He was amongst the few scientists in the university, who was offered this ‘Professor Emeritus’.
. He was awarded the Fellowship of Rockefeller Foundation
Fellow in USA during 1960-61; Commonwealth Medical Fellowship and then Wellcome Research Fellowship in England during 1970s. In London at the National Institute for Medical Research
, he worked on mechanism of action of Pyrogen and in the field of thermoregulation
, with Wilhelm Feldberg
(1900–1993), a renowned German-British-Jewish pharmacologist and biologist. Wilhelm Feldberg assisted many research workers who came to England as a part of their Commonwealth Medical Fellowship and Wellcome Research Fellowship. Under this Fellowships, Prof. PN Saxena during 1970s got many papers published together with Wilhelm Feldberg. Most of these reprints of their research papers are preserved in the Library of Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences
, Aligarh, India.
Prof PN Saxena has to his credit, approximately 145 published research papers. He wrote Hospital Formulary in 1969 and a book-cum-manual for practical pharmacy and experimental pharmacology laboratory. After having served the university as professor and head of the department of pharmacology, he was retired from the active service on September 30, 1987. In the university, he had also acted as Dean, Faculty of Medicine, In-charge, Animal House and on few occasions as acting Principal Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College and acting Vice Chancellor of the University. As a Professor Emeritus, he continued his active research in the Department of Pharmacology till late December 1994 but due to illness of his wife (suffering from cancer and ultimately died on March 19, 1996); he did not manage to visit the department regularly and discontinued all his academic services from 1995.
He had been founding member of many academic bodies such Indian Pharmacological Society, Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India, Indian Medical Association
, Indian Academy of Neurosciences and Indian Association for the Advancement of Medical Education in India. Indian National Science Academy
(INSA) elected him Fellow (FNA) in 1987.
Dr. Saxena was very simple, kindhearted and pious. He used laboratory animals (dogs, rabbit, frog, mice) very gently and was very kind towards all the staff of the medical college.
and Persian
poetry and maintained a diary where he used to write his favourite couplets of Urdu poetry. His mother tongue was Urdu. He had a good friends’ circle in academics. To name a few, Professors RD Myers, C. von Euler, Wilhelm Feldberg
, WJ Lang, A Herxheimer, Richard J. Schain, KP Bhargava, MB Waller, Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman
, WR Martin, Eleanor Zaimis (recipient of Gairdner Foundation International Award
in 1959), JN Sinha, BN Dhawan, were the most closest colleagues.
Coincidentally, his both of the parents Mr. Raghunandan Prasad and Mrs. Saraswati Devi were died in Aligarh due to paralytic attack. Dr. Saxena invited them in Aligarh to stay with his family. Amongst the three sisters of Dr. Saxena, Ms. Usha Saxena was married to Mr. P. C. Saxena, Former Director, Animal Husbandry
, Uttar Pradesh Government, Lucknow; Kamla Saxena was married to Dr. R. C. Gaud (Former Professor of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh) and Bimla Saxena is still a teacher of repute at Udai Singh Jain College, Aligarh.
Dr. PN Saxena had two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter Ms Poonam, who did Engineering
Course from Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology
, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, is married to a Physician, working presently at BHEL, Delhi; his son Dr. Pankaj Saxena did MBBS
from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
, AMU, Aligarh and now working his own private MRI Instruments, Chicago (USA). The youngest daughter Dr. Indu Saxena, who did PhD
in Biochemistry
from AMU, Aligarh and her husband Dr. Manoj Kumar (Medical physiologist) are working in Sri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences, Bareilly.
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College is a medical college located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.The college is affiliated under the with Aligarh Muslim University.-History:...
, India. Being a distinguished pharmacologist of the country, he made several notable contributions in traditional medicine and Neuropharmacology. His demonstration of wound healing property of Curcuma longa was a major contributor to India's successful challenge of the US Patent on wound healing property of Haldi. He was intimately involved in discovery and pre-clinical development of the non-barbiturate hypnotic Methaqualone. His basic studies have helped in understanding the role of various neurotransmitters in thermoregulation. He also standardized the use of Setaria cervi for discovery of new anti-filarial agents.
Biography
Professor Prem Narain Saxena was born on 15 October 1925 in a respected family of a village Bithri-chainpur of BareillyBareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
. It was a joint orthodox family village.
Dr. Saxena was the first child of his parents Mr. Raghunandan Prasad and Mrs. Saraswati Devi, apart from three other sisters. He married Ms Rajeshwari Saxena, MA (LT), a working lady but latterly left the job and remained as housewife .
Education
Dr. P. N. Saxena took early education first in his hometown village Bithri-chainpur. He then shifted to Dehradun at an early age of 6–7 years to take admission in the first standard as his father was posted already in DehradunDehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
as ‘Accountant’ in the Department of Irrigation. Dr. Saxena was a very brilliant student since school days despite of malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
, rickets
Rickets
Rickets is a softening of bones in children due to deficiency or impaired metabolism of vitamin D, magnesium , phosphorus or calcium, potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries...
and typhoid. He topped with first position both in matriculation from AP Mission School and Intermediate from DAV College of Dehradun
Dehradun
- Geography :The Dehradun district has various types of physical geography from Himalayan mountains to Plains. Raiwala is the lowest point at 315 meters above sea level, and the highest points are within the Tiuni hills, rising to 3700 m above sea level...
. In the very first attempt, he qualified medical entrance and did MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
with 10th position from the King George Medical College, Lucknow (now Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University
Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University
Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University, is a medical university located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It came into being after the upgrade of King George Medical College into a university by an act passed by government of Uttar Pradesh on 16 September 2002...
) in 1947. He did (MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
) (Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
) in 1950 and (MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
) (Pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
) in 1952 again from the King George Medical College, Lucknow. In addition, he completed his PhD from the Patna University, Patna, in 1963 and DSc from the Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
, Aligarh, in 1978.
Career
He joined the Department of Pharmacology of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical CollegeJawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College is a medical college located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.The college is affiliated under the with Aligarh Muslim University.-History:...
, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, on April 14, 1964 as Professor and Founder Chairman Department of Pharmacology. He served as Head Department of Pharmacology till September 30, 1985 and in view of his outstanding merits, he was reemployed by the University for two years that is till September 30, 1987. Soon after retirement, he was selected as emeritus scientist of ICMR
Indian council of medical research
The Indian Council of Medical Research , New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.-History:...
, New Delhi, for a period from September 1, 1987, which he served till September 14, 1990. On January 31, 1991, the University appointed him as Professor Emeritus. He was amongst the few scientists in the university, who was offered this ‘Professor Emeritus’.
Contribution, awards and achievements
He is nationally and internationally known as a leading Neuro-pharmacologist as he worked mostly in the field of neuroscienceNeuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
. He was awarded the Fellowship of Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
Fellow in USA during 1960-61; Commonwealth Medical Fellowship and then Wellcome Research Fellowship in England during 1970s. In London at the National Institute for Medical Research
National Institute for Medical Research
The National Institute for Medical Research, commonly abbreviated to NIMR, is a medical research facility situated in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of London, England. It is mainly funded by the Medical Research Council, or MRC, and is its largest establishment and the only one designated as an...
, he worked on mechanism of action of Pyrogen and in the field of thermoregulation
Thermoregulation
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different...
, with Wilhelm Feldberg
Wilhelm Feldberg
Wilhelm Siegmund Feldberg CBE FRS was a German-British-Jewish physiologist and biologist.- Biography :...
(1900–1993), a renowned German-British-Jewish pharmacologist and biologist. Wilhelm Feldberg assisted many research workers who came to England as a part of their Commonwealth Medical Fellowship and Wellcome Research Fellowship. Under this Fellowships, Prof. PN Saxena during 1970s got many papers published together with Wilhelm Feldberg. Most of these reprints of their research papers are preserved in the Library of Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences
Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences
Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences is one of the Indian NGOs, which is registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882. Mohammad Hamid Ansari, former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, formally inaugurated it on April 21, 2001...
, Aligarh, India.
Prof PN Saxena has to his credit, approximately 145 published research papers. He wrote Hospital Formulary in 1969 and a book-cum-manual for practical pharmacy and experimental pharmacology laboratory. After having served the university as professor and head of the department of pharmacology, he was retired from the active service on September 30, 1987. In the university, he had also acted as Dean, Faculty of Medicine, In-charge, Animal House and on few occasions as acting Principal Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College and acting Vice Chancellor of the University. As a Professor Emeritus, he continued his active research in the Department of Pharmacology till late December 1994 but due to illness of his wife (suffering from cancer and ultimately died on March 19, 1996); he did not manage to visit the department regularly and discontinued all his academic services from 1995.
He had been founding member of many academic bodies such Indian Pharmacological Society, Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India, Indian Medical Association
Indian Medical Association
The Indian Medical Association , the national organization of “Doctors of Modern Scientific System of Medicine”, was organized in 1928, and currently IMA has around 1,78,000 members belonging to different branches of medical profession and function through a network of more than 1700 local...
, Indian Academy of Neurosciences and Indian Association for the Advancement of Medical Education in India. Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
(INSA) elected him Fellow (FNA) in 1987.
Dr. Saxena was very simple, kindhearted and pious. He used laboratory animals (dogs, rabbit, frog, mice) very gently and was very kind towards all the staff of the medical college.
Legacy, friends and family
Dr. PN Saxena succumbed to death due to 2nd stroke on November 29, 1999. He was admitted to KK Hospital, Aligarh before death. He was fond of UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
poetry and maintained a diary where he used to write his favourite couplets of Urdu poetry. His mother tongue was Urdu. He had a good friends’ circle in academics. To name a few, Professors RD Myers, C. von Euler, Wilhelm Feldberg
Wilhelm Feldberg
Wilhelm Siegmund Feldberg CBE FRS was a German-British-Jewish physiologist and biologist.- Biography :...
, WJ Lang, A Herxheimer, Richard J. Schain, KP Bhargava, MB Waller, Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman
Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman
Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman , is well known for his contribution to Unani medicine. He founded Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences in 2000...
, WR Martin, Eleanor Zaimis (recipient of Gairdner Foundation International Award
Gairdner Foundation International Award
The Gairdner Foundation International Award is given annually at a special dinner to three to six people for outstanding discoveries or contributions to medical science. Receipt of the Gairdner is traditionally considered a precursor to winning the Nobel Prize in Medicine; as of 2007, 69 Nobel...
in 1959), JN Sinha, BN Dhawan, were the most closest colleagues.
Coincidentally, his both of the parents Mr. Raghunandan Prasad and Mrs. Saraswati Devi were died in Aligarh due to paralytic attack. Dr. Saxena invited them in Aligarh to stay with his family. Amongst the three sisters of Dr. Saxena, Ms. Usha Saxena was married to Mr. P. C. Saxena, Former Director, Animal Husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
, Uttar Pradesh Government, Lucknow; Kamla Saxena was married to Dr. R. C. Gaud (Former Professor of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh) and Bimla Saxena is still a teacher of repute at Udai Singh Jain College, Aligarh.
Dr. PN Saxena had two daughters and one son. The eldest daughter Ms Poonam, who did Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
Course from Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology
Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology
The Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology is a school affiliated with the Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is dedicated in the name of Dr...
, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, is married to a Physician, working presently at BHEL, Delhi; his son Dr. Pankaj Saxena did MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College is a medical college located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.The college is affiliated under the with Aligarh Muslim University.-History:...
, AMU, Aligarh and now working his own private MRI Instruments, Chicago (USA). The youngest daughter Dr. Indu Saxena, who did PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
from AMU, Aligarh and her husband Dr. Manoj Kumar (Medical physiologist) are working in Sri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences, Bareilly.