Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose
Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose is one of the most prominent first Indian scientists who proved by experimentation that both animals and plants share much in common.He demonstrated that plants are also sensitive to heat, cold, light, noise and various other external stimuli.He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent.IEEE named him one of the fathers of radio science.He also invented the crescograph. A crater on the moon has been named in his honour.
Born in Bikrampur (present day Munshiganj District near Dhaka in Bangladesh) during the British Raj, Bose graduated from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta. He then went to the University of London to study medicine, but could not pursue studies in medicine due to health problems. Instead, he conducted his research with the Nobel Laureate Lord Rayleigh at Cambridge and returned to India. He then joined the Presidency College of University of Calcutta as a Professor of Physics. There, despite racial discrimination and a lack of funding and equipment, Bose carried on his scientific research. He made remarkable progress in his research of remote wireless signalling and was the first to use semiconductor junctions to detect radio signals. However, instead of trying to gain commercial benefit from this invention, Bose made his inventions public in order to allow others to further develop his research.
Contributions
In Plant Physiology
His major contribution in the field of biophysics was the demonstration of the electrical nature of the conduction of various stimuli (e.g., wounds, chemical agents) in plants, which were earlier thought to be of a chemical nature.He was also the first to study the action of microwaves in plant tissues and corresponding changes in the cell membrane potential. He researched the mechanism of the seasonal effect on plants, the effect of chemical inhibitors on plant stimuli and the effect of temperature. From the analysis of the variation of the cell membrane potential of plants under different circumstances, he hypothesised that plants can "feel pain, understand affection etc.
In Physics
Sir J.C. Bose did his original scientific work in the area of Microwaves. He made his own equipment by employing an illiterate tin-smith whom he trained up to do the job for him. He produced extremely short waves and done considerable improvement upon Hertz's detector of electric waves. He produced a compact appratus for generating electromagnetic waves of wavelengths 25 to 5 mm and studying their quasioptical properties, such as refraction, polarization and double refraction. These could be demonstrated by his compact apparatus mounted on an ordinary spectrometer table. The most satisfactory polarizers and analyzers were made out of pressed jute fibres or books with laminated pages. He could even produce rotation of plane of polarization by transmission of electric rays through bundle of twisted jute fibres.
The originality and simplicity of his apparatus were its remarkable features. Bose's research on response in living and non-living led to some significant findings: in some animal tissues like muscles, stimulation produces change in form as well as electrical excitation, while in other tissues (nerves or retina), stimulation by light produces electric changes only but no change of form. He showed that not only animal but vegetable tissues under different kinds of stimuli-mechanical, application of heat, electric shock, chemicals, drugs- produce similar electric responses.
The Galena detector
developed by Bose
The receiver which was made by Bose represented a great advance compared to that of even Hertz. He was said to be the first to employ a semi-conductor like galena as a self recovering detector of electric rays.
Bose could successfully produce a flash of radiation by pressing a key; the waves were only about half an inch in length; while the receiver was so sensitive that it responded to the feeblest electric reaction.
Books written by Bose
1. Response in the Living and Nonliving, Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1902.
2. Plant Response as a Means of Physiological Investigations, Longmans, Green & Co. London, 1906.
3. Comparative Electro-Physiology, Longmans, Green & Co. London 1907.
4. Reserches on Irritability of Plants, Longmans, Green & Co. London 1913
5. Collected Physical Papers, Longmans, Green & Co. London 1920.
6. Plant Autographs and Their Revelations. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1927.
7. Abyakta (in Bengali) Bangyia Vigyan Parishad, Calcutta, 1921
8. Physiology of Ascent of Sap, Longmans, Green & Co. London 1923
9. Letters to Rabindranath Tagore (in Bengali Patrabali), (edited & annotated by D.Sen). The Bose Institute, Calcutta, 1994.
In 1903 Bose was honoured with Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) at Delhi by the British Government. He received in 1912 the Commander of the Star of India (CSI) at the Coronation of the British Emperor. He was knighted by the British Government in 1916. Bose was elected a fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) of London in 1928. Bose died on 23 November 1937 at Giridih in Bihar.Prior to his death in 1937, Bose set up the Bose Institute at Calcutta. He was elected the Fellow of the Royal Society in 1920 for his amazing contributions and achievements.A documentary on RajyaSabha TV gives light on Sir Jagdish chandra bose's life and his acheivements.
We would like to end this article by quoting Geddes : “The life-story of Jagadis Bose is worthy of close and ardent consideration by all young Indians whose purpose is shaping itself towards the service of science or other high cause of the intelligence or social spirit"
References:
http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/scientists/JCBOSE.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagadish_Chandra_Bose
http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy/JCBOSE.htm
http://www.famousscientists.org/jagadish-chandra-bose/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WT2iXaGlU8
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