The surgeon is generally regarded by the intelligentsia of science and medicine as a mechanical craftsman if not “hewer of wood and drawer of water”. MarthandaVarma Sankaran Valiathan, more commonly known as M. S. Valiathan, a small town boy had no such ambitions or a clear goal, but he grew up with an unstated assumption that he would follow the rich family tradition set by his predecessors over last two generations of serving in the field of medicine.
Prof. Valiathan was born on 24th May 1934 in Mavelikara, a small town in Kerala, India to MarthandaVarma (father) and Janaki (mother). His early education was in a government school in Mavelikara and then at the University College, Trivandrum. Dr. Valiathan’s medical education began at the Medical College in Trivandrum, where he studied from 1951 to 1956. He later went to the Liverpool University, UK as a surgical trainee and obtained his F.R.C.S. from the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh and England in 1960. After a brief stint as a faculty member at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India he underwent further training in cardiac surgery at the Johns Hopkins, George Washington, and Georgetown University Hospitals in the United States. There he worked with Dr. Vincent Gott and Dr. Charles Hufnagel who strongly influenced him and instilled a lifelong interest in biomedical innovation.
Professor Valiathan served on the faculty of the Georgetown University Hospital, USA; Postgraduate Medical Institute, Chandigarh; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Biomedical Engineering) and the SreeChitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram (1974-1994). After laying down office at the Sree Chitra Institute, Professor Valiathan became the first Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University and played a significant role in its early development.
Dr. M SValiathan is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Canada in cardiac surgery. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Indian College of Cardiology and a Doctor of Science (honoriscausa) of the Delhi, Banaras, IGNOU, Kanpur and Punjab Universities. As a HomiBhabha Senior Fellow and a student of Sanskrit, he carried out a study of the “Caraka Samhita”, which was published by Orient Longman in 2003 as “The Legacy of Caraka”. The companion volumes on the Legacies of “The Great Three” of Ayurveda – Susruta and Vagbhata – were released by the same publisher in 2006 and 2009. A new book “An Introduction to Ayurveda” is under publication.
His major contribution is seen in developing the indigenous prosthetic valves.More than 75,000 valves have been implanted in patients (till 2012) and over 1200 are being produced monthly. The valves are also being exported to other countries.The multidisciplinary team at the Sree Chitra Institute led by Dr.Valiathan, developed a series of disposable devices such as blood bag, oxygenator and cardiotomy reservoir, and a vascular graft which are in commercial production in several industrial units in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Currently, Dr. Valiathan is engaged in promoting research in basic science, based on cues from Ayurvedic concepts and procedures. The research in prominent institutes is being supported by government funding in the form of “A Science Initiative in Ayurveda” (ASIIA). ASIIA made good progress and has been taken over by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, for regular support under a “Task Force in Ayurvedic Biology”, which appears on the DST website.
Professor Valiathan is a Hunterian Professor of the Royal College of Surgeons, England. The French Government honoured him by making a Chevalier in the order of Palmes Academiques. He is a recipient of many Awards for Science, Technology and Education, which include the R.D. Birla Award, O.P. Bhasin Award, Jawaharlal Nehru Award, Dhanwantari Prize, Aryabhata medal, Basanti Devi Amirchand Prize, J.C. Bose medal, Kerala State Science and Technology Award, B.C. Guha Award, Pinnamaneni Foundation Award, Sat Pal Mittal Award, G.M. Modi Award, M. V. Pylee Award, and H.K. Firodia Award. He received the Dr. Samuel P. Asper International Award from the Johns Hopkins University, USA for his contributions to medical education.
Dr.Valiathan was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour, in 2005.
Reference:
Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Valiathan
PrespectivesàValiathan, MS (2008). “A Surgeon’s Quest”.J Biosc 33 (3) Page 1 – 14.
Read Dr. M S Valiathan Exclusive Interview with KYS.