INDIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE最新文献

This review focuses on tracing the history of entomophagy practice since the time of ancient archaic humans and the development of this practice that persisted until today among ethnic communities, with particular reference to the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Insects as food is a trending research topic due to their potential as a future sustainable food. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the tribal population of Arunachal Pradesh was largely isolated, though the practice of eating insects prevailed among the majority of its tribal groups. Only in recent times has the need for alternative food resources, due to the impact of globalization, climatic crisis, and resource depletion worldwide, pushed for scientific exploration, which is gaining momentum. The history of anthropo-entomophagy and its sociocultural significance is explored in this study. The present paper also describes the ongoing scientific exploration toward the value of edible insects as neutraceutical, entomoceutical, and pest control tools historically being used by Apatanese and the prospect of these edible insects for the tribe in the future.

Dr. Suresh Prasad Sarbadhikari (1866–1921) was a leading surgeon and a gynaecologist of colonial Bengal who left his mark not only in medical science, but also as an educationist and social worker. Born into an affluent and educated family, Sarbadhikari graduated from Calcutta Medical College and became a well-known doctor, contributing to ovariotomy and medical research. His name spread worldwide when he presented the impactful paper ‘Ovariotomy in Bengal’ at the first Indian Medical Congress in 1894. His reputation as a gynaecologist who could operate on patients at their homes, gradually replaced the monopoly of European doctors in Bengal and brought brilliant Bengali doctors into prominence. Sarbadhikari played a prominent role in establishing Carmichael Medical College in Kolkata and actively participated in the senate of Calcutta University. He formed the Bengal Ambulance Corps during WWI, comprising Bengali medical men who played heroic roles in Mesopotamia. He earned fabulously but donated generously to social causes. Brilliant, highly professional, honest, and patriotic- Sarbadhikari became a role model for many subsequent generations of doctors. Yet, the present generation has nearly forgotten the name of this great son of Bengal. This article is a homage to Dr. Sarbadhikari.

India’s first test baby-Kanupriya, also known as Durga, was born on 3 October 1978, just 67 days after the birth of Louise Brown in England. She was the brainchild of Dr. Subhas Mukherjee, a reproductive biologist from Kolkata, India. This idea was way ahead of its time. Thus, it met with harsh criticism and rejection. Dr. Subhas faced severe humiliation, constant repudiation, and multiple transfers. This led to his tragic death on 19 June 1981. In 1997, Dr. T. C. Anand Kumar, former director of the Institute of Research in Reproduction (now ICMR-NIRRCH), Mumbai, who had headed the team that led to the birth of India’s first ‘scientifically documented’ test-tube baby ‘Harsha’ in 1986, assessed Dr. Mukherjee’s diaries, papers, and handwritten notes on his technique and after that credited Dr. Mukherjee by extensively writing about his pioneering feat. In 2002, after 21 years of his death, ICMR recognized his work for the first time. Dr. Mukherjee’s method of combining in vitro fertilization and cryopreservation of human embryos is the currently preferred technique of medically assisted reproduction. Dr. Edwards was awarded the Nobel Prize for creating a test tube baby in 2010. Though Dr. Subhas Mukherjee was the first Asian to discover such a process and the first to discover live birth from frozen embryos, he never got recognition during his lifetime. Till now, he has not received any honor of such magnitude. Much of Dr. Subhas’s work remains unpublished because of restrictions and prohibitions by the authorities. We believe, there is a need to preserve and document Dr. Mukherjee’s work to make it a familiar name in India. For this purpose, meticulous, unbiased, and thorough analysis of all the available material was necessary. This project was undertaken with this intention.

Devasthal observatory, established over a period of ~ 5 decades, is located in the central Himalayan region of Devabhumi in Nainital district of Uttarakhand state, India. Operated and maintained by the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Science (ARIES), its location was selected after an extensive site survey. The first measurements of atmospheric seeing and extinctions at Devasthal were carried out from 1997 to 2001. Since 2010, three optical telescopes with apertures of 1.3, 3.6, and 4 m have been successfully installed at Devasthal. Optical and near-infrared observations taken with these telescopes testify to the global competitiveness of Devasthal observatory for astronomical observations. The article chronicles the collaboration with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, beginning around 1996, for the purpose of establishing the observatory. A brief overview of the main science results obtained using these facilities is also presented.

Ayurveda narrates the concept of prakṛti as a framework to understand human behaviour. Prakṛti determines an individual’s physical, physiological, and mental disposition. The three doṣas,vāta, pitta, and kapha, form the basis of the body and mind. The dominance of one or two of these influences the physical and mental makeup of the individual. The lead characters of Kālidāsa’s dramas are studied and analyzed to understand the relevance of prakṛti in literary studies. The concept of prakṛti is helpful for writers to build their characters and in literary criticism. Hence, it should be taught to students of academic studies.

In his comprehensive mathematical treatise Gaṇitakaumudī, Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍita has presented a nuanced, systematic, and elaborate exposition of cyclic quadrilaterals. Here, besides discussing its key properties, Nārāyaṇa fashions a “third diagonal" by interchanging two sides of a cyclic quadrilateral. He also provides a variety of mathematical expressions for computing the area, altitude, circumradius, and so on of a cyclic quadrilateral. It turns out that some of these expressions come out very elegant when we involve the third diagonal in them. In this paper, apart from bringing out the verses of Nārāyaṇa, we also present modern mathematical derivations for the results given by him pertaining to the cyclic quadrilateral.

The first theoretical system of tracking sun in the tropical annual cycle is cryptically mentioned in the Maitrāyaṇīya Āraṇyaka Upaniṣat (MAU) of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, as the southern sojourn of sun starting at the summer solstice. This is called maghādyaṁ, the first point of the maghā nakṣatra, identified most likely with the early morning visibility of ε-Leo, near the azimuth of the sunrise point on the horizon as observed at Kurukshetra. Twenty seven equal nakṣatra sectors named in the traditional sequential order cover one tropical circuit of sun of 366 days with the winter solstice falling exactly at the middle of the śraviṣṭhā sector. Even though MAU mentions each nakṣatra to be made up of four quarters, no practical application of this ¼-nakṣatra sky part amounting to 3º20´ in longitude is seen in Vedic texts till we come to the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, a text closer to the Vedas. This Purāṇa states, observed equinoctial full moon positions corresponding to spring equinox at ¼-kṛttikā and autumn equinox at ¾-viśākha exactly 180º apart as they should be. This statement is analysed in this paper by computer simulation of full moon time series for the years − 2400 to − 800 to show that the Purāṇa data would be realistically valid for the period 1980 BCE to 1610 BCE. It is further demonstrated that the Purāṇa has followed the maghādi system of solar nakṣatra system stated in the MAU. The central epoch circa 1800 BCE of this maghādi equal nakṣatra solar zodiac got modified, due to precession effects, to the śraviṣṭhādi scheme of Parāśara, Vṛddha Garga and Lagadha dateable to circa 1300 BCE.

The first theoretical system of tracking sun in the tropical annual cycle is cryptically mentioned in the Maitrāyaṇīya Āraṇyaka Upaniṣat (MAU) of the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, as the southern sojourn of sun starting at the summer solstice. This is called maghādyaṁ, the first point of the maghā nakṣatra, identified most likely with the early morning visibility of ε-Leo, near the azimuth of the sunrise point on the horizon as observed at Kurukshetra. Twenty seven equal nakṣatra sectors named in the traditional sequential order cover one tropical circuit of sun of 366 days with the winter solstice falling exactly at the middle of the śraviṣṭhā sector. Even though MAU mentions each nakṣatra to be made up of four quarters, no practical application of this ¼-nakṣatra sky part amounting to 3º20´ in longitude is seen in Vedic texts till we come to the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, a text closer to the Vedas. This Purāṇa states, observed equinoctial full moon positions corresponding to spring equinox at ¼-kṛttikā and autumn equinox at ¾-viśākha exactly 180º apart as they should be. This statement is analysed in this paper by computer simulation of full moon time series for the years − 2400 to − 800 to show that the Purāṇa data would be realistically valid for the period 1980 BCE to 1610 BCE. It is further demonstrated that the Purāṇa has followed the maghādi system of solar nakṣatra system stated in the MAU. The central epoch circa 1800 BCE of this maghādi equal nakṣatra solar zodiac got modified, due to precession effects, to the śraviṣṭhādi scheme of Parāśara, Vṛddha Garga and Lagadha dateable to circa 1300 BCE.

For a couple of decades, the ‘history of science, technology, and medicine’ (HISTEM) has received widespread attention from scholars worldwide. Historians have paid adequate attention to exploring India's scientific and technological contributions to the global history of science. Simultaneously, the “codified” and “institutionalized” forms of certain medicinal practices and health-seeking traditions of the Indian subcontinent have achieved international recognition for their medicinal values to maintain good health. However, there are many indigenous (tribal/autochthonous/adivashis/marginal) communities whose medicinal practices have remained beyond the purview of HISTEM. In such a background, an intensive study has been undertaken in the context of Indian Sundarbans located in the southern part of North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas Districts of West Bengal. Here, the indigenous communities have developed and preserved their medicinal practices, preventive food habits, and folk culture with their long experience of interactions with the available natural elements. This project thus seeks to construct a brief history of diseases, medicinal practices, inheritance and transmission of medicinal knowledge, and the socioeconomic background of the indigenous healers and retailers of medicine of Indian Sundarbans.