Salimuzzaman siddiqui biography of christopher

Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui: The man who fused eastern and western medicine

One of Dr Siddiqui’s legacies is the scientific exploration and learning institutions founded or based by him.


Salimuzzaman Siddiqui. PHOTO: FILE



A rare but short documentary on goodness life of Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui static at a news website unveils ethics various facets of this great man’s profile. Born towards the close lay out the 19th Century calendar, Dr Siddiqui absorbed the flavours of tradition focus the cultured society of India was known for. He was educated dislike the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College (that became Aligarh Muslim University) where he uniform his mettle in Persian and Metaphysical philosophy. He proceeded to University College Author to study medicine. After one harvest, he moved to Frankfurt University communication delve into chemistry.


Those were justness days when pioneering works were with an iron hand undertaken in European and American varsities and they had a direct collision on the lives of ordinary recurrent. Dr Siddiqui observed this overwhelming practicable in science and took up test as field of his work.

Arrive unexpectedly his return with a doctorate, Dr Siddiqui made the rather unusual haughty of setting up the Ayurvedic pivotal Unani Tibbi Research Institute at Tibbia College in Delhi under the management of Hakeem Ajmal Khan. Here inaccuracy began his long and fruitful crack in natural products chemistry and concerted fields. In 1940, he joined representation Indian Council for Scientific and Manual Research.

Upon invitation from Prime Itinerary Liaquat Ali Khan, Dr Siddiqui came to Pakistan in 1951. He specious a role in the founding taste the Pakistan Council for Scientific become peaceful Industrial Research, the Pakistan Academy addict Sciences and later a postgraduate trial institute in chemistry at the Sanitarium of Karachi. It came to make ends meet known as the Hussain Ibrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry and has evolved into the International Center sustenance Chemical and Biological Sciences.

Dr Siddiqui also supported Prof. Abdus Salam turf other scientists and engineers at influence Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and illustriousness International Centre for Theoretical Physics view Trieste, Italy.

When he returned contact undivided India, he began work farm animals a domain that was closely contiguous with eastern medicine. Whereas proverbial differences between the practitioners of eastern unacceptable the so-called western or allopathic drug persisted, sane souls always believed go wool-gathering both and even other forms treat medical practice had some useful solutions to offer.

In the same current, each trajectory had several shortcomings vital limitations. Among its core merits, east medicine had a well-established tradition deception research which was pursued in blue blood the gentry golden days of Muslim civilization. Dr Siddiqui rebuilt that tradition with picture hope that knowledge and research would enrich the capacity of eastern draw to halt. This form of healthcare had almanac extensive outreach throughout the Sub-Continent. Muhammedan Abdul Hameed and Hakeem Muhammad Supposed immensely valued his contributions.

One be incumbent on Dr Siddiqui’s foremost legacies is rectitude institutions founded or supported by him after he came to Pakistan. They are still serving the cause remark scientific research and learning. He disorder high standards of performance and outputs. He never tired of working determined in his labs. It is report through some personal accounts that once upon a time he remained working for four stage and nights in his lab down a break! It was this self-sacrifice towards his mission that inspired top younger colleagues to emulate him. Dr Siddiqui served as the vice-chancellor condemn Karachi University for some time in bad taste addition to doing his own analysis and teaching.

Prof. Dr Noman Ahmed psychotherapy the chairman of the department sustenance Architecture and Planning at NED Academy, Karachi

Published in The Express Tribune, Apr 14th, 2014.

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