>Jonesey95 at 15:29, 8 April 2021

2021-04-08T15:29:51Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Dwarkanath Gooptu
| image = D Gooptu.JPG
| image_size = 200
| caption = Dr. D Gooptu, Marble sculpture
| birth_date = 1818
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal]], [[British India]]
| death_date = 1882
| death_place = [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal]], [[British India]]
| occupation = Doctor
| nationality = [[India]]n
| parents = Brindaban Chandra Gupta
| children = Gopal Chandra Gooptu, Ram Chandra Gooptu and Nandalal Gooptu
| known_for = Invented and patented medicine for malarial fever, founder of D. Gooptu and Co-the first [[Bengalis|Bengalee]] doctor to start a dispensary of western medicine in [[Calcutta]].
}}

'''Dr. Dwarkanath Gooptu''' {{post-nominal|list=[[Bengal Medical College|GMCB]]}} ([[Bengali language|Bengali]] দ্বারকানাথ গুপ্ত, 1818–1882) was one of the earliest practitioners of western medicine in Calcutta to have graduated from [[Bengal Medical College]]. He later went on to invent and patent an anti-periodic mixture prescribed to patients suffering from malarial fever.<ref name="Book, Gorai Kotha">{{cite book | url=http://www.samsadbooks.com/product-view.html?pcode=2312ed02# | title=Kolkata Medical College'er Gorar Kotha & Pandit Madhusudan Gupta | year=2017 | publisher=Samsad | pages=126 | isbn=978-81-7955-220-9}}</ref> He was among the earliest [[Vaidya]]s trained in the science of western medicine. He founded Messrs. D. Gooptu and Co.<ref name=DGC>{{cite book|title=Bengal and Assam, Behar and Orissa : Their History, People, Commerce and Industrial Resources|date=1917|publisher=The Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Co.|pages=664–666|url=http://www.mocavo.com/Bengal-and-Assam-Behar-and-Orissa-Their-History-People-Commerce-and-Industrial-Resources/352000/672#671}}</ref> at the age of twenty-two and turned it into one of the most successful business enterprises in [[British India]]<ref>Somerset Playne, ''Bengal and Assam, Behar and Orissa: Their History, People, Commerce and Industrial Resources'', 1917</ref>

==Early life==
Dr. D Gooptu was the son of Brindaban Chandra Gupta who had considerable landed property in and around [[Calcutta]].<ref name=DG_news>{{cite news|title=Gupta Nibas|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100426/jsp/calcutta/story_12374339.jsp|agency=The Telegraph|publisher=The Telegraph, Calcutta|date=26 April 2010}}</ref> Dr. D Gooptu was one of the favourite students of [[David Hare (philanthropist)|'''David Hare''']]<ref name=DGC /> and educated under his care at the [[Hare School]] in Calcutta. [[Debendranath Tagore|Mahashri Debendranath Tagore]] was his contemporary at the school.<ref name="Book, Gorai Kotha" /> When the '''Medical College of Bengal''' was established in June 1835, he was admitted as one of the first four foundation students. He assisted [[Madhusudan Gupta]] in carrying out the first human dissection in modern India and Asia.<ref name="Akhon D.Gooptu" /> Having passed his final examination on 2 February 1839 he was appointed by the Honourable East India Company as medical officer in one of the north-western towns but as he was inclined towards independent practice, he refused the post. Prince [[Dwarkanath Tagore]] had a dispensary of traditional Ayurvedic medicine at 13, Esplanade Road and entrusted Dr Gooptu to practice from there. He soon became family physician to Prince [[Dwarkanath Tagore|Dwarka Nath Tagore]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Memoir of Dwarkanath Tagore|date=1870|publisher=Tacker, Spink & Co|page=35|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BoleAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA35}}</ref> who introduced him to other well-to-do families in Calcutta, and thus at the age of twenty-two he began his career as a medical practitioner, becoming the family physician to all the [[Tagore]] households.<ref name=DGC /><ref name=Telegraph />

==Messrs. D. Gooptu & Co==
In 1840 the first indent of Messrs. D. Gooptu & Co. was written by Sir William Brook O'Shaughnessy the then professor of chemistry at the Medical College. The firm owned the first known dispensary of English drugs in India which was started by a [[Bengalis|Bengalee]] doctor. The business grew rapidly in succeeding years and in 1871 D. Gooptu became the sole proprietor of the company carrying it on till 1882, when he died, leaving the business in the hands of his three sons who continued the business until 1913, when the second son Mr R C Gooptu died. The flagship product of the company was the ''patented anti-periodic mixture'',<ref>{{cite journal|title=Royal College of Physicians, Lives of Fellows|url=http://munksroll.rcplondon.ac.uk/Biography/Details/6433}}</ref> commonly known as " D. Gooptu Tonic," which was the specific medicine prescribed for all kinds of fever and malarial fever and it had perhaps one of the largest sales among patented medicines in [[British India]]. There is a mention of the patented 'D.Gooptu' medicine in 'Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamritha'<ref name="Akhon D.Gooptu">{{cite book|title=Akhon D Gooptu|date=15 September 2010|publisher=Udbodhan Periodical Magazine|location=Kolkata|issn=0971-4316|page=789|language=Bengali}}</ref> where he describes Dr Gooptu work as something which brings quick relief compared to traditional medicine; He uses the analogy to highlight the importance of path of devotion i.e. [[Bhakti yoga]] in times of [[Kali Yuga]] or 'age of vice' compared to the path of ritualistic action i.e. [[Karma yoga]].<ref name="The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna">{{cite book|title=The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna|date=May 2019|publisher=Sri Ramakrishna Math Madras|location=Madras|isbn=978-81-7120-727-5|page=143|language=English}}</ref> It is also mentioned that when [[Ramakrishna]] was suffering from malarial fever in 1879-80, he got relief from the fever after having the medicine as traditional ayurvedic medicines were not effective.
<br />
Dr D. Gooptu's proximity to the British also helped him to export his products to Africa and the business was transacted at 369, Upper Chitpore Road and 13, Esplanade Row East, Calcutta.

[[File:G C Gooptu residence.jpg|thumb|Gopal Chandra Gooptu residence]]
[[File:D.Gooptu's Mixture.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Label used on the medicine bottle.]]
[[File:D_Gooptu_medicine_bottle.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Replica of the medicine bottle 'D.Gooptu']]

Apart from the anti-periodic mixture, there were several other proprietary medicines of the firm, the names of which are:-<ref name=DGC />
# Anti-periodic mixture "Falena Parichiyata"
# Spleen and liver ointment
# Special liver mixture for all kinds of ailment of that organ
# Diarrhoea and dysentery pills
# liver-purging pills.
# Essence of Jamaica Sarsaparilla

==Family Deity==
[[File:FAMILY OLD & NEW-51.jpg|thumb|left|The Family Deity]]
The first ancestor of the 'Gooptu's' who came and settled down in Calcutta was Ramaram Goswami and became the one in charge of the temple of Madan Mohan. His son, Laksminarayan, who was also learned, continued to be in charge of the temple after his father's demise. Laxminarayan had two son's Jaganath and Kriparam. One night, Jagganath, who became a [[sanyas]] had a dream about a deity-[[Goddess Durga]] and following his dream, he wanted to create an idol out of the image which he dreamt, and thus set forth to create the Astadhatu (eight metals) figure of the deity through a particular ritual known as the '''pranpratishtha puja'''. This four and a half inch figure of Singhabahini, forged out of eight metals 'astadhatu' is the [[Kuladevata]] (family deity) and still remains with the clan and each branch of the family take turns to perform [[pujas]] throughout the year. This ritual has been carried on for over three hundred years.<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news|title=Roving Demon Slayer|work=Page 18|agency=The Telegraph, Calcutta, India|publisher=The Telegraph Newspaper|date=6 October 2000}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gooptu, Dwarkanath}}
[[Category:Medical doctors from Kolkata]]
[[Category:1818 births]]
[[Category:1882 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian medical doctors]]

Dwarkanath Gooptu - Revision history

>Jonesey95 at 15:29, 8 April 2021