Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Oct;16(4):467-77.
doi: 10.4103/0972-2327.120422.

Historical perspective of Indian neurology

Shrikant Mishra  1 , Bhavesh Trikamji, Sandeep Singh, Parampreet Singh, Rajasekharan Nair
Affiliations

Historical perspective of Indian neurology

Shrikant Mishra et al. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2013 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To chronicle the history of medicine and neurology in India with a focus on its establishment and evolution.

Background: THE HISTORY OF NEUROLOGY IN INDIA IS DIVIDED INTO TWO PERIODS: ancient and modern. The ancient period dates back to the mid-second millennium Before Christ (B.C.) during the creation of the Ayurvedic Indian system of Medicine, which detailed descriptions of neurological disorders called Vata Vyadhi. The early 20(th) century witnessed the birth of modern Indian medicine with the onset of formal physician training at the nation's first allopathic medical colleges located in Madras (1835), Calcutta (1835) and Mumbai (1848). Prior to India's independence from Britain in 1947, only 25 medical schools existed in the entire country. Today, there are over 355. In 1951, physicians across the field of neurology and neurosurgery united to create the Neurological Society of India (NSI). Four decades later in 1991, neurologists branched out to establish a separate organization called the Indian Academy of Neurology (IAN).

Design/methods: Information was gathered through literature review using PubMed, MD Consult, OVID, primary texts and research at various academic institutions in India.

Results: Neurological disorders were first described in ancient India under Ayurveda. The transition to modern medicine occurred more recently through formal training at medical schools beginning in the 1930's. Early pioneers and founders of the NSI (1951) include Dr. Jacob Chandy, Dr. B Ramamurthi, Dr. S. T. Narasimhan and Dr. Baldev Singh. Later, Dr. J. S. Chopra, a prominent neurologist and visionary, recognized the need for primary centers of collaboration and subsequently established the IAN (1991). The future of Neurology in India is growing rapidly. Currently, there are 1100 practicing neurologists and more than 150 post-graduate trainees who join the ranks every year. As the number of neurologists rises across India, there is an increase in the amount of basic, clinical and epidemiological research being conducted across the country every day.

Conclusions: The history of neurology in India roots back to its rich culture and tradition. Over time, there has been great structural and organizational evolution and the future of neurology in India appears to be bright. However, the number of neurologists and research in neurology needs to experience a significant growth in the future to ensure the best patient care.

Keywords: Ayurveda; Epilepsy; dementia; history; stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: Nil

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sushruta performing a surgery with his students
Figure 2
Figure 2
Charaka 500 B.C.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The 3 humors of Ayurveda
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sushruta
Figure 5
Figure 5
Sushruta Samhita
Figure 6
Figure 6
Charaka Samhita
Figure 7
Figure 7
Calcutta Medical College, Kolkata (1835)
Figure 8
Figure 8
Stanley Medical College, Chennai (1835)
Figure 9
Figure 9
Grant Medical College, Mumbai
Figure 10
Figure 10
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Figure 11
Figure 11
Dr. Chandy seated second from the left (1963)
Figure 12
Figure 12
Dr. Chandy inauguarates neurology wards (1953) with Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Union Health Minister of India at the time[11]
Figure 13
Figure 13
Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute, Chandigarh
Figure 14
Figure 14
Madras Institute of Neurology, Chennai
Figure 15
Figure 15
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru
Figure 16
Figure 16
Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Cochin
Figure 17
Figure 17
Institute of Medical sciences BHU, Varanasi
Figure 18
Figure 18
Dr. Eddie Barucha
Figure 19
Figure 19
Dr. Noshir Wadia
Figure 20
Figure 20
Dr. Baldev Singh
Figure 21
Figure 21
Dr. Ram Ginde
Figure 22
Figure 22
Prof. Kalyanaraman, Prof. B. Ramamurthi, Prof. Balasubramaniam
Figure 23
Figure 23
Dr. T. K. Gosh
Figure 24
Figure 24
Founder of Indian Academy of Neurology, Dr. Chopra
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nair KR, editor. Thiruvananthapuram, India: Neurological Society of India; 1998. Evolution of Neurosciences in India : Biographical Sketches of Some Indian Neuroscientists.
    1. Khadilkar SV. Neurology: The scenario in India. J Assoc Physicians India. 2012;60:42–4. - PubMed
    1. Rao MS. The history of medicine in India and Burma. Med Hist. 1968;12:52–61. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Griffith RT. Explanatory Notes and Review. 1st ed. London: Christian Literature Society for India; 1897. The Atharva-Veda Described: With a Classified Selection of Hymns.
    1. Srivastava U. Vol. 3. New Delhi: D.P.S. Publishing House; 2011. Encyclopaedia of Indian Medicine.