Subhash Mukhopadhyay Death Anniversary: Must-Know Facts About The Celebrated Indian Scientist

Subhash Mukhopadhyay (Mukherjee), born on 16 January 1931 and died on 19 June 1981, was an Indian scientist, physician who created the world's second and India's first child using in-vitro fertilisation. And, on this day in 2023, take a moment to know more about his contributions to India’s scientific community.

All you need to know about Subhash Mukhopadhyay:

He was born to a Bengali Brahmin family on 16 January 1931 in Hazaribagh, Bihar and Orissa Province (now in Jharkhand), India. He studied B.Sc. (Hons.) in Physiology (1949) from the University of Calcutta. 

He then studied MBBS (1955) at the Calcutta National Medical College, which was then affiliated with the University of Calcutta. 

Mukhopadhyay later earned a PhD (1958) from the Rajabazar Science College campus of the University of Calcutta in 'Reproductive Physiology' under the stewardship of Prof. Sachchidananda Banerjee. Later he earned his second PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 1967 in 'Reproductive Endocrinology'.

After completing his MBBS from Calcutta National Medical College, he worked as a Lecturer, Reader and Professor of Physiology at NRS Medical College, Kolkata from 1967 to 1975.

He created history when working with Sunit Mukherji, a Cryobiologist and Gynecologist Dr Saroj Kanti Bhattacharya and became the first physician in India (and second in the world after British physicians Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards) to perform in vitro fertilisation resulting in a test tube baby "Durga" (alias Kanupriya Agarwal) on 3 October 1978.

He faced social ostracisation, bureaucratic negligence, reprimand and insult instead of recognition from the West Bengal State government, and refusal of the Government of India to allow him to attend international conferences.

The Bengal government had appointed a panel headed by a radiophysicist with a gynaecologist, a neurophysiologist and a physiologist as members, to examine the claims by Mukerji. The committee members were Dr Mrinal Kumar Dasgupta, Chairman Radio-Astronomer (Calcutta University), Dhiren Kundu, Nuclear Physicist (Saha Institute), Dr J C Chatterjee, Gynecologist and Dr Ajit Maiti, Neurophysiology (Calcutta University). 

He committed suicide in his Calcutta residence on 19 June 1981 after he was humiliated and insulted by the committee.

His recognition is attributable to T. C. Anand Kumar who is credited to be the mastermind behind India's second (officially the first) test-tube baby. Kumar came to the conclusion that he was not the first after reviewing Subhash Mukhopadhyay's personal notes. Kumar was ably helped by Sunit Mukherji, who was a one-time colleague of Mukhopadhyay. Kumar was involved in setting up a research institute in reproductive biology in memory of Mukhopadhyay.

The film 'Ek Doctor Ki Maut' directed by Tapan Sinha was made on his life.