Mahdi Hasan (21 March 1936 – 12 January 2013) was an

anatomist Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

from Uttar Pradesh, India.

Early life

Hasan was born on 21 March 1936 in Gadayan,

Akbarpur, Ambedkar Nagar Akbarpur is a city, municipal corporation, tehsil, and the administrative headquarters of Ambedkar Nagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is a part of Ayodhya division. Mythology According to the ''Ramayana'', Akbarpur is w ...

, Uttar Pradesh, India. His father, Jawad Husain, was a ''

tehsildar In Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, a tehsildar, talukdar, or mamlatdar is a land revenue officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as a ...

'', posted at

Mohanlalganj Mohanlalganj is a tehsil and community development block in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It has historically constituted part of the village of Mau. History The eponymous market, called Mohanlalganj, was established in 1859 by Raja ...

in Lucknow district, and his mother was Tayyabunnisa Begun. Hasan's father died when Hasan was four years old, and his mother, being ill, was unable to care for him. He was subsequently raised by his brothers, Mr. Bakhshish Hussain and Mr. Ghulam Hussain, IAS.

Education

In 1950, Hasan enrolled in the Christian College at Lucknow, where he did his Intermediate. Thereafter, he did his B.Sc. first year from the

Lucknow University University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is one of the oldest public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. LU's main campus is located at Badshah Bagh, University Road area of the city with a second ...

and in 1952 he was selected in M.B.B.S. at the

King George Medical College King George's Medical University is a medical university located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The medical school was raised to a university by an act passed by the government of Uttar Pradesh on 16 September 2002. It is the only government ...

. After graduation, he joined the Department of Anatomy as a demonstrator in the year 1958 and worked till early 1963 while completing his post-graduation as well. He moved to the J.N. Medical College,

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Kh ...

, Aligarh, as an associate professor, where he would spend the bulk of his career.

Career

Hasan spent the majority of his career at the Aligarh Muslim University as a professor. In 1965, he traveled to Germany under the

German Academic Exchange Service The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD; ), founded in 1925, is a joint organization of German universities and student bodies to foster their international relations. Since 1 January 2020, the president has been Joybrato Mukherjee. Organisa ...

(DAAD) programme where he learned

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing i ...

techniques, and studied

gerontology Gerontology ( ) is the study of the social, culture, cultural, psychology, psychological, cognitive, and biology, biological aspects of aging. The word was coined by Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov in 1903, from the Ancient Greek, Greek ('), meaning "o ...

under Paul Glees at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

. Returning to Aligarh in 1967, Hasan used his knowledge of German language to serve as an external examiner of German language students at

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

and Aligarh Muslim University. Hasan spent many years trying to establish a Brain Research facility at the Aligarh Muslim University. With assistance received from the German government, he succeeded in establishing the first ''Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre'' in 1980. The Central Electron Microscope Facility was established in 1984. At the J.N. Medical College,

, he was chairman of Department of Anatomy for many years apart from being the dean of the Faculty of Medicine and the medical superintendent, principal, and the chief medical superintendent of the hospital. He also served as the dean of students' welfare of Aligarh Muslim University, besides being the president of cricket and football Clubs. He was also the elected president of the Teaching Staff Association, Anatomical Society of India, Indian Academy of Neurosciences, and Indian Gerontology Association. Hasan delivered scores of lectures at various medical institutions such as the Albert Einstein College, NCTR Jefferson, University of Hawaii, and the Universities of Mainz and Göttingen. He was a member of the Expert Committee appointed by the Government of India to draft the National Education Policy for Health Sciences, which was headed by Prof. J.S. Bajaj during the period of 1988–90. In February 2010, he was appointed a member of the

National Assessment and Accreditation Council The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a public autonomous body of the government of India that assesses and accredits higher education institutions (HEIs) in India. It is funded by the University Grants Commission and hea ...

(NAAC) of the Government of India. He was also an elected Fellow of the

National Academy of Medical Sciences National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), better known by its acronym, NAMS, is a non-constitutional, non-statutory advisory body to the Government in matters related to National Health Policy and Planning and as a promoting agency for contin ...

(India),

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three b ...

, and

The National Academy of Sciences, India The National Academy of Sciences, India, also known as NASI, was established in 1930 and is the oldest science academy of India. It is located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Prof. Meghnad Saha was the founder president. Fellows *Suddhasatwa Basu ...

. Hasan collaborated with colleagues from manifold disciplines like physiology, pharmacology, neurochemistry, pathology, neurology, radiology, otorhinolaryngology, and neurosurgery to study problems of national relevance such as environmental pollution, pesticide

neurotoxicity Neurotoxicity is a form of toxicity in which a biological, chemical, or physical agent produces an adverse effect on the structure or function of the central and/or peripheral nervous system. It occurs when exposure to a substance – specifical ...

, heavy metal neurotoxicity and hydrocephalus.

Achievements

* Awarded

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, the fourth highest civilian award by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in the field of medicine in 2012 * Gold Medal Award was instituted by the Anatomical Society of India in 1990 (continues till date). * An award was instituted by the Indian Academy of Biomedical Sciences in his name in 2014. * Awarded Dr. B.C. Roy National Award, for being the Eminent Medical Teacher by

Medical Council of India The Medical Council of India (MCI) was a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India until its dissolution on 25 September 2020 when it was replaced by National Medical Commission. The Council grante ...

in 1992.

Death

Hasan died on 12 January 2013 at the age of 76 from natural causes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasan, Mahdi 1936 births 2013 deaths Academic staff of Aligarh Muslim University Indian neuroscientists University of Lucknow alumni Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine 20th-century Indian medical doctors Medical doctors from Uttar Pradesh Fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, India Fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Indian anatomists People from Ambedkar Nagar district Indian gerontologists