research. Doctors to analyse Gandhiji’s health

It may appear that Mahatma Gandhi, lean in physique and active in demeanour, was fit as a fiddle; but not many know he reeled under high blood pressure (BP).

Balram Bhargava, the newly-appointed Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and a cardiologist at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), visited the National Gandhi Museum at Rajghat a few weeks ago to collect Gandhi’s health records from 1924 to 1948.  BusinessLine  accessed the records from the National Gandhi Museum.

Gandhiji often used to fast, sometimes for periods stretching to 21 days, as a mark of rebellion in the tense political climate of the pre-independence era. At one such time, his blood pressure shot up to 180/110 mg/dL on the third day of his fast, says a note written by Sushila Nayar, former Health Minister,on March 5, 1939, in Rajkot, Gujarat.

Gandhiji used to consume ‘Sarpagandha,’ an ayurvedic medicine, to control his BP, a relic of which is preserved in the museum. Also, his ECG records indicate slight myocardosis — which is the degeneration of the heart muscle. His sugar levels, though were under control, at times dipping as low as 40 mgms. His haemoglobin was 14.96 and heart rate at 80 to 81 beats per minute, in one of the reports. His heart rate varied slightly, but was mostly normal.

“Frequent fasting may have led to high BP. ICMR will interpret the health files of Gandhiji and come out with a research paper. Bhargava had visited us to collect a copy of the records, which include comprehensive reports and analysis of Gandhiji’s BP, blood count, urine analysis, dietary patterns and electrocardiograms as well as oscillographs, which indicate his heart health,” said A Annamalai, Director of the National Gandhi Museum.

In one of the letters written by Mumbai-based physician Jeevraj Mehta to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the doctor insists that Gandhiji’s weight should be maintained at close to 50 kg. Gandhi was grossly underweight. When in Kolkata, records indicate Gandhiji was tended to by renowned doctor BC Roy.

‘Pioneering experiments’

The Central government has decided to hold year-long celebrations in 2019-2020 to commemorate Gandhiji’s 150th birth anniversary. Though he aspired to be a doctor, Gandhiji could not pursue medical studies due to family constraints.

“He later trained as a nurse in South Africa, tended to his sick father at the hospital, delivered his fourth child, Devdas with his own hands at his home when Kasturba slipped into labour. He walked up to 21 miles carrying wounded soldiers when the Zulu rebellion broke out (in South Africa). His experiments on health, diet, fasting, walking and diseases are pioneering,” said Annamalai.

Raising awareness

ICMR wants to create awareness using this rare material on Gandhiji’s health records that BP is a manageable malaise. Also, his personal work on malaria, filiariasis, tuberculosis, leprosy and such will be analysed.

“We will come out with a research paper in the 150th commemorative issue of the Indian Journal of Clinical Research in the next few months. Gandhiji pressed upon sanitation and effects on health. We will compare that along with the current status of those diseases in our research,” Bhargava said.

COMMENT NOW