Baldev Singh | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1904-04-06)6 April 1904 |
| Died | 2 February 1998(1998-02-02) (aged 93) |
| Other names | Grandfather neuron |
| Occupation(s) | Neurologist, professor |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (1972) |
Baldev Singh (6 April 1904 – 2 February 1998) was an Indianneurologist. He was best known for collaborative works with neurologistsJacob Chandy,Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi andS. T. Narasimhan and together they have been credited to be pioneers in development ofepilepsy surgery in India.[1] They also helped in establishing theNeurological Society of India in 1951 at Madras (nowChennai). After training in theUnited States of America, he returned to India and established himself at Delhi.[2] He was presented with thePadma Bhushan in1972 for his contributions in the field of medicine.[3]
Singh was born on 6 April 1904 in a well-to-do family.[4] In school, he won various scholarships and further went to join theKing Edward Medical College, Lahore in 1922 and graduated in 1927. He developed interest in neuroanatomy and later went toNational Hospital atQueen Square inCentral London. At the National Hospital, Singh was associated with various notable neurologists likeRussell Brain, 1st Baron Brain andMacDonald Critchley. Singh returned to India in 1931 and set up his medical practice in a village nearAmritsar. With study ofAlpha wave, also called Berger's rhythm in memory ofHans Berger, Singh undertook a training in electronics. In the 1940s, he developed an apparatus to record the electrical activity of the brains of laboratory animals. In 1950, he moved to Chicago and studied epilepsy patients of neurologistPercival Bailey taking theirEEGs.[1][4]
The first department of neurology in India was established in 1949 byJacob Chandy at theChristian Medical College ofVellore in theMadras State (nowTamil Nadu). Singh was unable to find suitable job at Amritsar or Delhi and he hence joined Chandy in 1950. Singh's work with Bailey helped him organize a surgery program at Vellore for epilepsy. On 25 August 1952, Chandy performed the first surgery in India on a 19-year-old boy suffering with infantile righthemiplegia. Singh supervised the EEG records of the patient during the surgery.[1]
In 1950,Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi started the neurological department at theMadras General Hospital whereS. T. Narasimhan was also associated. Ramamurthi performed his first surgery in epilepsy in 1954 and Narasimhan helped with EEG recording. Singh, Chandy, Ramamurthi and Narasimhan have been credited for pioneering the epilepsy surgery in India.[1] They also established the Neurological Society of India in 1951. Until then, all the disciples of neurology were not associated together as the field was still in an emerging state postindependence of India in 1947.[2]
Singh headed the newly inaugurated neurological department at the Tirath Ram Shah Hospital, New Delhi in 1954. He also taught at theLady Hardinge Medical College and Willingdon Hospital (now calledRam Manohar Lohia Hospital) in Delhi. In 1964, as Singh was beyond his retirement age, he was invited for three years to help in establishing the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at theAll India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi (AIIMS). He was also an Emeritus Professor at the Department of Physiology at AIIMS.[4] In 1972, theGovernment of India presented him with thePadma Bhushan award, the third-highest civilian award, for his work in the field of medicine.[3] He died on 2 February 1998 and was popularly called "grandfather neuron".[4]