Google Doodle today celebrates the 100th birthday of Asima Chatterjee, a
renowned Indian chemist who was the first female Doctorate of Science
in India from an Indian university.
Born on
September 23, 1917, Dr Asima Chatterjee has made various contributions
on the research of vinca alkaloids and the development of anti-epileptic
and anti-malarial drugs.
According to
Google's blog, "Dr Chatterjee primarily studied the medicinal properties
of plants native to India. Throughout her career, her research
contributed to the development of drugs that treated epilepsy and
malaria. Dr Chatterjee's most noted contribution to the field, however,
was her work on vinca alkaloids. Alkaloids are compounds made from
plants, often to treat medical ailments. Vinca alkaloids, which come
from the Madagascar periwinkle plant, are used today in chemotherapy
treatment because they help slow down or stall the multiplying of cancer
cells."
Asima joined the Lady Brabourne College in Calcutta Universtiy in 1940 and founded the department of chemistry in the college.
Asima
Chatterjee's work in the field of science opened the doors for millions
of women to excel in the field and her research on vinca alkaloids
which is now widely used in chemotherapy and helps to slow down the
growth rate of cancer cells.
Her phenomenal
contributions have won Asima various awards and accolades from all over
the world and she was also honoured with India's third highest civilian
award, Padma Bhushan. In 1975 she became the first woman to be
appointed general president of the Indian Science Congress.
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