Prof A P Hardas
Prof Mahadeva Lal Schroff, rightly called as the Father of Pharmacy Education in India, departed this mortal world on August 25, 1971, and he certainly remains an ideal to all pharmacists working in this country irrespective of their branches and diversity of duties.
Prof. Schroff, who was not trained as a pharmacist, gave the right direction not only to pharmaceutical education but also to the industry as well in India with his inclination, understanding, capacity and broad vision.
Born on March 6, 1902 at Darbhanga in Bihar, Schroff had his schooling from Bhagalpur and passed the Intermediate Examination in 1920. He joined Engineering College Banaras Hindu University for his studies and was inspired by the talk delivered by Swamy Satya Deo at BHU in 1921.
Encouraged by the call given by the Mahatma Gandhi, Prof. Schroff raised a voice against the then principal Charles A King and he was asked to leave the Institution as punishment. Schroff left India soon after this and stayed in China and also 15-16 months in Japan, during which he worked with a newspaper and succeeded in collecting a good amount and then proceeded to America for his higher studies.
In 1922, he enrolled for his BSc at Chemical Engineering Course at Iowa and earned the coveted scholarship. However, soon he left the institution and joined Cornell University and got his degree in Arts (AB) with honours in Chemistry, in 1925. Further, he obtained his MS in Chemistry and Microbiology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1927.
After returning to India in 1929, he took up a job with Birla Brothers Ltd. He was very much frustrated with the trade and self-interest of the society and momentarily thought of going back to the United States. However, the meeting with Jamnalal Bajaj transformed his attitude towards patriotism for his country and involved himself in the movement for freedom. With the pursuance of J. L. Bajaj he was introduced to the then Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University. Pt. Madan Mohan Malviyaji, who spotted the spirit of education in his eyes and he was invited to join BHU as a staff in an honorary capacity.
In 1932, at BHU, Prof. Schroff, with his chemical technology background urged Pt. M.M. Malaviyaji to start a separate branch (section) of Pharmaceutical Sciences at BHU. Pt. Malaviyaji realized its importance and Schroff was given the green signal to organise this new discipline in India, for the first time.
Prof. Schroff introduced Pharmaceutical Chemistry as the principal Subject in the B.Sc. course in 1932 in BHU. From 1934 an integrated 2-year BSc. Course with the subjects -- pharma chemistry, pharmacy and pharmacognosy, was introduced, which later from 1937 was turned into a full-fledged three-year B Pharm course at BHU for the first time in India. This was the first and the foremost creation of Prof M L Schroff, which earned him the title of the pioneer and father of Indian pharmaceutical education.
Soon, Prof Schroff -- in December 1935 -- started United Provinces Pharma Association, which soon crossed the borders of UP in 1939 and took the shape of Indian Pharmaceutical Association in 1939 with branches all over the country. He himself edited the Indian Journal of Pharmacy, founded in January 1939.
Prof. Schroff very carefully earned the confidence, love and affection of the top intellectuals, scientists and industrialists, doyens of chemistry, technology, pharmacology and medical practitioners, and successfully created the awareness of this science for the development of pharmaceutical education of science and technology in India.
Prof Schroff started the M Pharm Education in 1940 at BHU with his efforts. Slowly the pharmacy education sprung up in different places in India. He left BHU in 1943 and joined Birla Brothers as their Chief Chemist and Research Officer and served as Secretary to the Birla Laboratories till 1949 at Calcutta. But the teacher within him made him restless and he was given the position and responsibility as principal at Birla College, Pilani, where for the next five years he organized Pharmacy education at intermediate and degree level successfully. His skill in journalism flourished when he started his own periodical "Indian Pharmacist" from 1945 for a further period of ten years.
During the period 1940 to 1950 Prof. Schroff''s services were utilized by the government of India in the capacity as member of scientific and government bodies inclu-ding DTAB, Indian Pharmacopoeial list committee, Health Panel of the Planning Commission etc. He was elected president of Bengal Pharmaceutical Association in 1946 and in 1948 he formed the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress Association (IPCA), which exists till date and organizes annual conferences while professional activities are controlled by its counterpart IPA.
In 1952 he was called back to Calcutta for solving the technical problems of Birla concerns. His wife Prabhaji was constantly ill, and she breathed her last in the year 1953 at Calcutta. By the time he was among the towering personalities in pharmacy in his times.
He was elected the first vice president of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) in 1949 and later on became the first-elected PCI president in 1954. For a period of five years, 1954 to 1959, Prof. Schroff was assigned by Birla Brother the task of managing the technical side of Sirsilk Ltd at Sirpur near Hyderabad.
During this time he toured USA and Europe extensively and studied the recent developments in the manufacture of artificial fibres. But the educational field saw again a teacher in Prof. M.L. Schroff, and he was asked to head the Deptt of Pharmacy at University of Saugar and he took charge in 1959 for a period of two years. He introduced courses like Diploma in Pharmacy, B Pharm, B Pharm (Hons.), and B.Sc with Pharmacology, Microbiology and Biochemistry.
He was again taken up by the industry of Sahu Jain Group who placed him in charge of the Dharangdhara Chemical works at Tirunelveli, in Tamil Nadu. He served there for four years and introduced many new formulations and technical developments. In 1964 Prof. Schroff was again summoned back to the educational field, now this time in the Jadhavpur University and he was appointed as Head of Department at the newly established Pharmacy Deptt. After serving for nearly forty years (1932 to 1968) including the last four years at Jadhavpur (July 1964 to January 1968), he relinquished his office as Prof. And Head of Pharmacy Deptt at Jadhavpur University.
His services in the field of pharmacy education was appreciated and praised by one and all, subsequently Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India was founded in 1966 and Prof. M.L. Schroff was elected as the first president of APTI - what a befitting tribute to the great personality! Under his editorship he started Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, which he edited from 1965 to 1971, till his last.
Besides serving the cause of Indian pharmacy he also offered his services as member of Postwar Development Committee of Bihar, Scientific Advisory Board of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal Chemical Division of the Council of the Indian Standard Institute, Council of the Indian Institute of Chemists. All India Council of Technical Education etc. His important contribution includes: Founder of the Indian Pharma Association (1935 as U.P. Pharma Association and 1939 as Indian Pharmacy Association), Indian Journal of Pharmacist (1945), Bhaishaj Patrika in Hindi (1980), Bheshjayan (1968), Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (1968). President of various States (Bengal, Bihar) Pharmacist Association and President, Pharmacy Council of India (1954-1959).
His book `History of Indian Pharmacy'' is a classic treatise unfolding the various aspects of practice of pharmacy in ancient and medieval India, which has roots and relevance even in today''s modern pharmacy in our country. Prof. Mahadeva Lal Schroff''s life leads us to devotion to work, sincerity of purpose and service to the motherland. He will remain a beacon of inspiration to Indian Pharmacists as the pioneer who lit the torch of pharmaceutical education in the country. Let us take a pledge to carry this burning torch bright and unflickering.