Salimuzzaman Siddiqui

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Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
Karachi University
Pakistan Academy of Sciences
Doctoral advisorJulius Von Braun

Salimuzzaman Siddiqui,

natural products, and a professor of chemistry at the University of Karachi
.

Siddiqui studied

Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry.[1]

Siddiqui is credited with pioneering the isolation of unique chemical compounds from the

domestic plants found in South Asia to extract novel chemical substances of medicinal importance.[2][3] During his career, Siddiqui published more than 300 research papers and obtained 40 patents mainly from the field of natural product chemistry. In addition to his scientific talents, Siddiqui was also an avid painter, poet, and a great connoisseur of Western music. His paintings were exhibited in the United States, Germany, India, and Pakistan.[1]

Early life

Salimuzzaman was born in Subeha (

All India Muslim League leader and one of the founding fathers of Pakistan.[4] He received his early education from Lucknow, both in the Urdu and Persian languages, and soon developed interest in literature, poetry, and calligraphy from his father Sheikh Muhammad Zaman. He graduated in Philosophy and Persian language, from Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (that would later become Aligarh Muslim University) in 1920.[5]

In 1920, Siddiqui proceeded to University College London to study medicine. However, after one year of pre-medical studies, he moved to Frankfurt University in 1921 to study chemistry. In 1924, he married his German classmate, Ethel Wilhelmina Schneeman.[2] He received Doctor of Philosophy under the supervision of Julius Von Braun in 1927. During his college days in Germany in the 1920s, Germany experienced high inflation and he went through some hard economic times. In these tough times, India's then eminent philanthropist Hakim Ajmal Khan used to send him Rupees400 every month. Many years later, as a successful scientist in Pakistan, Siddiqui repaid Hakeem Ajmal Khan's kindness by dedicating his discoveries to him.[1]

On his return, he established the

Tibbia College Delhi, under the guidance of Hakim Ajmal Khan. He was appointed its first director. However, soon after the death of Hakim Ajmal Khan, Siddiqui left the post. In 1940, he joined Indian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research where he worked until 1951 when he migrated to Pakistan on the request of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan.[5][6][7]

Pioneering research

Siddiqui's first breakthrough in research came when he successfully isolated an

cardiovascular ailments, especially as antiarrhythmic agents in Brugada syndrome.[9]

Discoveries from Neem

An average Neem tree is 15 meters high with the crown's diameter up to 15–20-meter

Siddiqui was the first scientist to bring the

antibacterial ingredient, and the highest yielding bitter component in the neem oil.[11] These compounds are stable and found in substantial quantities in the Neem. They also serve as natural insecticides.[12]

In acknowledgement of these revolutionary discoveries, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1946.[2]

In his later career, Siddiqui continued to discover and isolate numerous unique anti-bacterial compounds from various parts (leaves, bark, etc.) of the Neem[13] and other plants.[14] He had more than 50 chemical compounds patented in his name[2] in addition to those discovered as a result of his joint research with other colleagues and students. Most of these discoveries still remain vital natural ingredients of various medicines[9] as well as biopesticides.[12]

Research leadership

Siddiqui migrated to Pakistan in 1951, four years after the

PCSIR was to support the industrial infrastructure through research and development. The regional laboratories of the institution were located in Dhaka, Rajshahi and Chittagong (East Pakistan), and in Lahore and Peshawar (West Pakistan). In 1953, he founded the Pakistan Academy of Sciences as a non-political think tank of distinguished scientists in the country.[15] In 1956, when Government of Pakistan established Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) as an atomic research agency, Siddiqui was designated as its technical member.

In recognition of his scientific leadership,

Sitara-e-Imtiaz for distinguished merit in the fields of science and medicine.[2] Siddiqui remained the director and chairman of PCSIR until the time of his retirement in 1966. In that year, the President of Pakistan awarded him the Pride of Performance
Medal for the respectable completion of his service. In 1967, Siddiqui was invited by University of Karachi to set up a Postgraduate Institute of Chemistry in affiliation with the Department of Chemistry. He was designated as the institute's Founder Director, whereas the additional research staff was provided by PCSIR.

In 1976, the institute was offered a generous donation from Hussain Jamal Foundation. In appreciation of this donation, the institute was renamed as

Third World Academy of Sciences and became its Founding Fellow. He remained the director of the Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry until 1990. Later on, he continued research in his personal laboratory. He published over 400 research papers and was granted 50 patents.[7]

Death and legacy

Siddiqui died on 14 April 1994 due to cardiac arrest after a brief illness in

Karachi University
Graveyard. Despite his death, the academic and research institutes that he founded during more than 65 years of his research career are still contributing to the international level research in natural products chemistry.

As a person of multiple talents, Siddiqui was also a refined poet, musician, and a painter. In August 1924, he held his first international exhibition of paintings in Frankfurt. Later in 1927, his works of art were exhibited at the Uzielli Gallery, Frankfurt. During his stay in Germany, he also translated Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry into Urdu, which was published in the journal of Jamia Millia Islamia. Though, his passion for arts was superseded by the enthusiasm in scientific research, he continued to patronise arts and culture. In 1966, he was at the forefront for setting up the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts in Karachi. He also compiled a selection of poetry of Mir Taqi Mir into Intekhab-e-Meer. In 1983, he published a portfolio collection of charcoal drawings from 1920 to 1950s.

On 14 April 1999, the

mentor.[19]

Awards and honours

Siddiqui was a founder-member of the Indian and Pakistan Academies of Sciences, and later a founder member of the international body the

Third World Academy of Sciences. The following are the honours he received, in reverse chronological order:[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Yusuf, Suhail (18 October 2013). "Salimuzzaman Siddiqui – A visionary of science". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Akhtar (1996), pp. 400–417
  3. PMID 11619337
    .
  4. ^ "Homage: Our own Einstein". Dawn (newspaper). 15 August 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b Suhail Yusuf (14 April 2011). "Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  6. ^ Dawn InpaperMagazine (19 November 2011). "A leaf from history: Pioneers in science". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui: The man who merged eastern and western medicine". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  8. ^ Siddiqui and Siddiqui (1931). pp. 667–680.
  9. ^ a b Hong, Brugada, et al. (2004)
  10. ^ Ganguli (2002). p. 1304
  11. ^ Siddiqui (1942). pp. 278–279
  12. ^ a b Sidhu et al. (2004), pp. 69–75.
  13. ^ Ara, Siddiqui et al. (1989). pp. 343–345
  14. ^ Siddiqui et al. (1989)
  15. ^ a b Salimuzzaman Siddiqui listed as founding fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences Pakistan Academy of Sciences website, Retrieved 14 January 2018
  16. ^ Homeopathic in Pakistan Retrieved 14 January 2018
  17. ^ Commemorative postage stamp to honour Salimuzzaman Siddiqui on Pakistanphilately.com website Retrieved 13 January 2018
  18. ^ Ali et al. (1995). p. 12.
  19. ^ Faizi and Naz (2002). p. 6185.
  20. ^ "Prizes and Awards". The World Academy of Sciences. 2016.

Bibliography

External links
Government offices
Preceded by
Office created
 Science Advisor to the Prime minister Secretariat
1 January 1951 – 27 October 1959 		Succeeded by

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