Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray's a History of Hindu Chemistry defies all summary. The father of modern chemistry in India had explored an unknown world of science hundreds of years ago. The tome bears testimony to the fact that knowledge of chemistry reached a high level of perfection in ancient India. The first volume of the book was published in 1902, and the second in 1909. Both the volumes were highly applauded by scientists.
The title didn't go through reprints after 1984 and so those interested in knowing what our ancestors discovered in chemistry in those days lamented the unavailability of the book. Shaibya Prakashan Bibhag, a Bengali publishing house specializing mainly in children's titles, has printed the title.
This monumental work of Prof. Ray has a history behind its completion. When he was a student at the University of Edinburgh during the end of the 19th century he was fascinated by how much the ancients in the western hemisphere knew about chemistry. Young Ray became curious to know where Indians stood in this regard.
He studied in detail the works of Charaka, Susruta and various standard texts of Ayurveda which escaped the ravages of time. French scientist Marcellin Berthelot's Alchemists Greece influenced him to write a letter to him, mentioning India's contribution in alchemy and its significance. Berthelot, while admiring Ray's views, made a personal request to provide him more information about ancient Hindu chemistry.
In 1989, Ray submitted to Berthelot a monograph on Indian alchemy, based chiefly on Rasendrasara Samgraha. Berthelot reviewed the interesting article in Journal Des Serants and presented Ray three volumes of his encyclopedic works of Syrian and Arabian alchemy.
Inspired, Ray began writing A History of Hindu Chemistry, incorporating, among others, the alchemical ideas described in the Vedas and the works of Charaka, Susruta and the Bhagbhata. He discussed the chemistry in the Siddha Yog and of Vrinda and Chakrapani, the entire tantric period - Rasaratna Samuchchayya and much else. Pandit Nabakanta Kavibhusana collated the Sanskrit texts.
The publication was surprising in that it revealed that ancient Hindu scientists and philosophers had a remarkable insight into the nature of matter although they lacked sophisticated laboratory equipment and techniques to acquire that advanced a level of knowledge. The second volume of the title, dedicated to the memory of Berthelot, was also a treasure trove. It described the works of Nagarjuna and various Buddhist alchemical texts. The indigenous origin of Indian alchemy and the contribution of some noted alchemists here were also extensively described in it. Going through it, any reader would be left with the impression that ancient Hindu chemistry was in some respects more developed than even Greek science. The physical and chemical theories of the ancient experts, discussed by Prof. B N Seal, were an added attraction of the volume.
The centenary edition is a facsimile reprint of Ray's original work and begins with a special note by Dr Shyamal Chakraborty, from the chemistry department, Calcutta University. According to him, the book is not merely a history of science in different periods in India, but also a succinct analysis of the reason for decadence of scientific spirit in this country. In his note, Chakraborty has raised some pertinent ethical issues, for example, the publication of Ray's book with a different name by Prof. Priyada Ranjan Ray, one of Ray's favourite students, in 1956.
According to Dr Robin Bal, owner of Shaibya Prakashan Bibhag, which has published the facsimile edition of A History of Hind Chemistry, the title has got relevance even today. "Our nation has a splendid past and this should make our young generation feel proud of it," he said.
The world has come a long way from
the era of alchemy. We have entered a brave new world of chemistry, particularly
after the completion of the Human Genome Project. Will the publication
of A History of Hindu Chemistry serve any purpose today? "History is always
important," said Bal. "I decided to reprint it as it has always been regarded
as an authentic source of our excellence in chemistry in those days."