Discovery and development of Homoeopathy was first done by an allopath Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann and it was spread and made popular in Calcutta and India by an allopath converted Homoeopath Dr. Pratap Chandra Majumdar. His eldest son Dr. Jitendra Nath Majumdar was the father of Dr. Jnanendra Nath Majumdar, next pioneer in this series of ‘Pioneers’ Expedition’. Dr. Jnanendra Nath Majumdar belong to a rich ancestral background and family of three generation allopath who later converted Homoeopathy. He was also commonly known as Dr. Jnan Majumdar. He was a well learned physician who dedicated rest of his life to betterment and increased acceptance of Homoeopathy in early 20th century in India. Let’s look into life and works of Dr. Jnanendra Nath Majumdar closely.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Dr. Jnanendra Nath Majumdarwas born on 15 September 1907. He did his schooling from reputed Metropolitan School in Kolkata which founded by Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 1884 and chaired by none other than Swami Vivekananda as Headmaster over there. He passed his intermediate in Science in 1924 from City College of Calcutta. He joined Carmichael Medical College (present day’s R.G. Kar Medical College) and received his MBBS degree in 1929 with Honours in subject of Surgery and Midwifery.
His thirst for knowledge did not stop here. He further took his degree of M.Sc. in 1932 and then flew to London to complete his further medical studies. He took his L.R.C.P. degree from London in 1933 and F.R.C.S. from Edinburgh University in 1973. It was after all this that at the age of 66 years Dr. Jnan Majumdar took his D.M.S. examination in Homoeopathy from West Bengal. He was awarded the degree of M.D. from the Council of Homoeopathic Medicine, West Bengal in 1973.
Dr. Majumdar was also actively involved in politics from his college days.
ANCESTORS AND FAMILY
The Homoeopathic lineage of Jnan Majumdar’s family started with conversion of Dr. Bihari Lal Bhaduri from allopathy to Homoeopathy on coming in contact with Dr. Salzer and Rajendra Dutta and he became one of the early Homoeopathic stalwarts in India. Dr. Pratap Chandra Majumdar was his great son-in-law who later became much bigger pioneer of Homoeopathy and established the first Homoeopathic institute, Calcutta Homoeopathic Medical School and was the founder editor of Indian Homoeopathic Review. Dr. Jitendra Nath Majumdar was eldest son of Dr. Pratap Chandra Majumdar. He was also an allopath converted Homoeopath who established Pratap Chandra Memorial Homoeopathic Medical College and also established a Homoeopathic hospital in Madhupur, Bihar.
Dr. Jnanendra Nath Majumdar was born to father Dr. Jitendra Nath Majumdar and mother Smt. Rajeshwari Devi. Dr. Jnan Majumdar’s childhood was spent in a family full of Homoeopathic stalwarts. That is why despite studying M.B.B.S., he later took ahead his Homoeopathic family legacy and achieved bigger milestone for Homoeopathy.
Dr. Jnan Majumdar was married to Smt. Anima Majumdar. She was the iron lady who stood behind Jnan Majumdar and anchored their family in his absence while working for Homoeopathy. All the sons and daughters of Jnan Majumdar were well settled as surgeons and engineers.
HOMOEOPATHIC CONTRIBUTIONS
Dr. Majumdar played a vital role in promoting and establishing Homoeopathy in West Bengal and in India as well. In 1943, he helped passing a law regarding statuses of State Faculty in Bengal. He was an eminent member in Homoeopathic Advisory Committee from 1956 to 1966 and drafted the Act for Central Council of Homoeopathy. It was his hard work and dedication which led to enactment of Homoeopathic Act of 1963. The syllabus in the Council was the result of hard work of Dr. Majumdar. All his commitments got rewarded when Central Homoeopathy Council Act was passed and National Institute of Homoeopathy was established in Calcutta in 1975.
Dr. Jnan Majumdar was one of most famous and probably most learned Homoeopath of his time. He was President of All India Homoeopathic Medical Association and sole patron behind All India Conference held in Calcutta in 1977 (probably). He also presided first session of Assam State Homoeopathic Conference in 1951. He was Principal of Pratap Hering Memorial Homoeopathic Medical College and visiting Professor in Surgery in National Medical College.
Dr. Majumdar is known not only for his administrative works and achievements. He was a great clinician and a very successful homoeopathic practitioner. He was an admirer of Kent, Boericke and Stuart Close but greatly followed Boenninghausen and Boger in his practise. Homoeopathy in Bengal was spread and ruled by Majumdars through their widespread clinics and dispensaries in Calcutta. Not only from Bengal but many patients consulted him for their illnesses from Nepal, Sri Lanka, East Pakistan and even from more far-off places like America, Canada and Russia.
He was a great experimenter beside an administrator and a clinician. He used to verify and experiment with proved as well as characteristic of a remedy on regular basis. He even worked in Homoeopathic Research Sub-Committee from 1958. He has done some extensive work on Aqua cosmos.
LATER LIFE
Dr. Jnan Majumdar worked tirelessly for Homoeopathy till end of his life. He neglected his own health in the process and suffered a major heart attack and got bedridden. Despite such condition he continued his work till 29 November, 1978 when he left for his heavenly abode.
