Goan Inventors

[Themistocles D'Silva]

I would like to collect information about scientists of Goan origin who have  made inventions that resulted in commercial products.

These individuals could be based anywhere, living or past.

To narrow the field, I would like to limit to medicinal and organic chemistry. Any significant contribution in another profession would also be acceptable.

Iam sure there are some families who have documents or some information about their members  that they would like to share so that these Goan heroes are duly  recognized and a place in historical records.

Inventors should be recognized just 

like authors.

Themistocles 

[Joao Paulo Cota]

I am not sure if this is of help:

• The ancestors of my friend Dr Luis Dias (opposite the GPO Panjim) have distinguished doctors who were firsts on various fields, specially medical. I think one of them was involved with malaria research/control, with some indigenous solutions during the late 1800's. Unsure if they have developed these... I am familiar with one of Luis's ancestors who was into railways, but everybody else was a specialized medic.

• There are some postcards in Portuguese India philately (attached) that mention a product called PENTHOTAL which is mentioned it is widely used at the GMC hospital, which at the time was a pioneering medical place in the entire Asia. I wonder if it was developed in-house at the GMC.

• The CMM group was closely involved with the medical field (imports/exports). I think I recall one of their descendants works for CIBA at Old Goa and that the family might have a patent over some medical product.

Apologies if this is random info, maybe they could be considered as potential leads to something useful for your work.

Thanks,

Joao Paulo Cota

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From: goa-rese...@googlegroups.com <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Themistocles D'Silva <themis...@gmail.com>
Sent: 31 October 2023 23:02
To: goa-rese...@googlegroups.com <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [GRN] Goan Inventors

 

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[Frederick Noronha]

Recall reading about Dr Emidio Afonos:
All Time Greats of Goa - Emidio Afonso

https://www.ecb.torontomu.ca/~elf/pub/misc/All%20Time%20Greats%20of%20Goa%20-%20Emidio%20Afonso%202015.pdf

Birth centenary of Dr Emidio Afonso - scientist and ...

https://www.heraldgoa.in/Review/Voice-Of-Opinion/Birth-centenary-of-Dr-Emidio-Afonso-scientist-and-physician-extraordinary/103845

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[Themistocles D'Silva]

Thanks Frederick,

The info about Dr. Emidio Afonso is very interesting.

It looks like the scientific genes run in the family.

Read about Dr. Adrian Afonso. Sr. Research Fellow at Schering-Plough Research Institute.

He died in 2010 at the age of 75. Adrian was the son of Joaquim Bossuet Afonso and Albertina Dias Afonso.

(grandson of Dr. Emidio).

" Adrian was instrumental in the discovery of the cholesterol absorption inhibitor drug, Zetia. His pioneering work for the process of the synthesis of penems is still used today. He had 37 U.S. patents, including a process for preparation of steroidal compounds, antiviral and anti-hypertensive compounds and other new drug entities, "

I happened to meet him once at a scientific conference. 

Themistocles

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[MILIND KAMAT]

Dear Themistocles bab,

Dr. Froilano De Mello (Benaulim - 1887 to Sao Paulo - 1955) was one of the prominent medicinal scientists in Goa. 

After finding a postal cover sent by  Dr. Froilano in the year 1926 to his Swiss in-laws, I tried to find more information about him. I have written an article about him and this postal cover for a philatelic society's bulletin. However, I think PDFs cant be shared here (only photos permitted?). Hence, I will email the article to you. Any member interested, please let me know on kamat_...@yahoo.com. Thanks !

Best wishes, 

- Milind Kamat 

[Luis Dias]

Thanks for that Joao Paolo.

The ancestor in question was my paternal grandfather Dr. Vitor Manuel Dias: 

https://victormanueldias.wordpress.com/


Among many initiatives  (including Saneamento da Velha Goa, eradication of malaria and other pestilence from Old Goa in the late 1940s) he also started what was arguably the first pharmaceutical laboratory of its kind then, Laboratorio "SIDA" (an anagram of his surname; he wasn't to know it would become an acronym for AIDS in Portuguese many decades later)  where he created novel drugs in the treatment of several illnesses which ranged from bronchial asthma, to pulmonary tuberculosis, to lung infections, leprosy and gout to name but a few. These were used within Estado da India and also exported to British India and newly independent India until his untimely death in 1949.

Best wishes,

Luis


_____________________________
Dr. Luis Francisco Dias
Casa da Moeda
Near Head Post Office
Panaji, Goa - 403001
INDIA

Tel: (+91) 9011051950
http://luisdias.wordpress.com
http://www.childsplayindia.org

On Wednesday, 1 November 2023 at 12:20:57 GMT+5:30, Joao Paulo Cota <joao...@hotmail.com> wrote:






I am not sure if this is of help:

    * The  ancestors of my friend Dr Luis Dias (opposite the GPO Panjim) have distinguished doctors who were firsts on various fields, specially medical. I think one of them was involved with malaria research/control, with some indigenous solutions during the late 1800's. Unsure if they have developed these... I am familiar with one of Luis's ancestors who was into railways, but everybody else was a specialized medic.



    * There are some postcards in Portuguese India philately (attached) that mention a product called PENTHOTAL which is mentioned it is widely used at the GMC hospital, which at the time was a pioneering medical place in the entire Asia. I wonder if it was developed in-house at the GMC.



    * The CMM group was closely involved with the medical field (imports/exports). I think I recall one of their descendants works for CIBA at Old Goa and that the family might have a patent over some medical product.

Apologies if this is random info, maybe they could be considered as potential leads to something useful for your work.

Thanks,


Joao Paulo Cota


________________________________
From: goa-rese...@googlegroups.com <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Themistocles D'Silva <themis...@gmail.com>
Sent: 31 October 2023 23:02
To: goa-rese...@googlegroups.com <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [GRN] Goan Inventors
 



I would like to collect information about scientists of Goan origin who have  made inventions that resulted in commercial products.
These individuals could be based anywhere, living or past.

To narrow the field, I would like to limit to medicinal and organic chemistry. Any significant contribution in another profession would also be acceptable.

Iam sure there are some families who have documents or some information about their members  that they would like to share so that these Goan heroes are duly  recognized and a place in historical records.

Inventors should be recognized just 

like authors.




Themistocles 



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[cristiana bastos]

Dear Milind Kamat

Here is a bio of Dr Froilano de Mello written some years ago:   https://www.johost.eu/vol2_fall_2008/vol2_cb.htm

His son Victor was an engineer and professor of the University of São Paulo -- as far as I know, he (Victor) had  several inventions and patents in civil engineering.  I had the pleasure to meet him and wife in São Paulo almost twenty years ago and build a friendship. Unfortunately, I did not meet in person the other siblings, but corresponded with some of them, including Alfredo, who lived in Uruguay. 

regards

Cristiana Bastos

Institute of Social Sciences | University of Lisbon | Av Anibal Bettencourt, 9 | 1600-189 Lisboa, Portugal 

https://cristianabastos.org/

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[Santosh Helekar]

There are many Goans working in India and abroad today who have
invented various things and hold patents for them. Most are members of
teams that have developed patentable software and drugs, some of which
may have been commercialized. But some like me have invented medical
devices that are in various stages of being commercialized.

Cheers,

Santosh

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[fredericknoronha]

Please take a look at the following:

* Suman Moolgaokar (1906-1989), TELCO, and considered Father of Indian automotive sector

* Dr Victor F B de Mello (b 1926). Chief design engineer, technical director, superntendent from 1951-1966 of Geotecnica Inc, also executive partner etc.

* F Paul de Mello: GE, Rio Light & Power Co, Extensive research efforts on modelling of dynamics of power systems and power plants, etc. IEEE Fellow, 69 technical papers, etc.

* Charles Correia: innovative designs closely attuned to the environment and local conditions. Emphasises utility and comfort over external grandeur.

* Fleming Rodrigues Dias, known for designing the city of Vasco da Gama with its tree-lined boulevards and gardens. In 1962, joined the Zeneth Radio Corp of Chicago, where he worked on two key technologies (i) FM used for colour TV and (ii) Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW), etc. In 1972 joined Hewlett-Packard central research lab at Palo Alto, Calif. There for 21 years, working on ultrasound imaging devices, invasive blood pressure devies, intravascular ultrasound imaging.

* Claudio Gama Pinto: "the man who gave Portugal its ophthalmology"

* Dr Med Bossuet Afonso (1880-1957)
* Dr Ernest Joachim Joseph Borges (1909-1969) Chief Surgeon and Superintendent, Tata Memorial. Cancer.

* Dr Vithal Nargesh Shirodkar.  Originated surgical techniquest which have since formed part of medical text books. Particularly the famous Shirodkar Technique for opening blocked fallopian tubes and the cerfical hood, and a technique for creating an artificial vagina. (By the way, my mum worked under him as a very young nurse in the Bombay Hospital of the 1950s, and she often mentioned his work to us.)

* Dr Arthur E de Sa (1910-1981), editor of the Indian Journal of Surgery since 1964.

* Dr Manuel Vicente Alfredo da Costa, has a maternity hospital named after him in Lisbon,  Published several papers.

* Dr Anthony Charles Duarte-Monteiro (b 1906). Noted clinician.

* Dr Luis Jose de Souza (b.1943) (Luzito). Prominent name in cancer treatment. Launched Shanti Avedna Ashram, as a registered public charity trust in Loutolim, to take care of terminally-ill cancer patients.

* Dr Yvan J Das Dores Silva (b. 1936) Member of 24 professional societies relating to medical and surgical care.

* Dr Eustace J De Souza (b. 1921) Basic and applied research in anatomy, histology, histochemistry and also on medical education and bio-medical ethics.

* Dr Chicot Vaz: Leading neurologist in India.

* Dr Ms Sandra de Sa Souza (b. 1943)  In 1988 was the pioneer of India's first cochler implant surgery, which offered new hope to the totally deaf.

* Dr Sanjay Khope: Goan paediatric surgeon internationally acclaimed for operative procedure on vernal hernia following a life-threatening defect called omphalocele. Known as "Khope's Operation".

* Jose Custodio de Faria (Abade Faria), global pioneer in hypnotism

* Agostinho Vicente Lourenco: bust on the premises of the Academy of Sciences in Lisbon, besides those of Lavoisier, Liebig, Hoffman, etc, also at the Municipal Garden in Margao.

* Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi: Scientist Emeritus of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India

* Indalencio Froliano de Mello: Participated in 40 world medical conferences,  research scientist of a high calibre, successful professor, literary man with a mastery of Portuguese and French.

* Emidio Afonso: Known for his research, writing and considered a "great experimental innovator"

* Norman Francis Lewis: PhD in Food Tech and jointed the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

* Datta V Naik: Certificate of Recognition from NASA. Over 28 publications.
This is from the 2016 edition of J. Clement Vaz's Profiles of Eminent Goans: Past and Present, now available as a reprint from Concept, New Delhi. Please check for details. Done hurriedly as it's late... FN

[John de Figueiredo]

Am I correct that you are only looking for scientists of Goan origin with patents that resulted in commercial products? If so, some of the names suggested would not qualify.

Also, what is the time frame of your study?

JM de Figueiredo 

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 31, 2023, at 8:36 PM, Themistocles D'Silva <themis...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[John de Figueiredo]

Is Suman Mulgaonkar related to the famous physician Dr. Shamrao Mulgaonkar, who, I believe, was father-in-law of Dr. V. N. Shirodkar?

John M. de Figueiredo 

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:20 PM, fredericknoronha <frederic...@gmail.com> wrote:

Please take a look at the following:

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[Themistocles D'Silva]

No time limit.

No viable input .

Inventors only documented patents 

Two prominent past scientists  _  Paulo de Miranda Ph.D and Armando Aguiar Ph.D made significant contributions .

Paulo worked at Burroughs Welcome .  

Can someone provide biographical?

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[John de Figueiredo]

I could try to contact his brother Dino Miranda who lives in Brazil.

JM de Figueiredo 

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 7, 2023, at 5:45 PM, Themistocles D'Silva <themis...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Santosh Helekar]

Actually, almost all of the names listed in this thread do not qualify, in terms of just holding even a single patent on something they have "invented". I think only Dr. V. N. Shirodkar succeeded in patenting his stitch. 

It is very easy nowadays to do a patent search on the internet and figure out if someone has a patent granted, if they have a track record of multiple publications (not just a one-off report in an obscure journal) on the underlying invention, and if that invention has resulted in a commercial product. 

Cheers,

Santosh

[fredericknoronha]

Patents might be a 20th/21st century way of looking at things.

Did Abbe Faria have any patents against his name?

FN

[John de Figueiredo]

It all depends on what the topic of the Research is and how it is defined. If the topic is “inventions that resulted in commercial products” as he wrote in his original message, then Abbe Faria and many others should obviously be excluded.

John M. de Figueiredo 

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 7, 2023, at 10:35 PM, fredericknoronha <frederic...@gmail.com> wrote:

Patents might be a 20th/21st century way of looking at things.

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[John de Figueiredo]

That is correct. It is all in the public domain (mandated by law in the US).

John

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 7, 2023, at 10:35 PM, Santosh Helekar <chimb...@gmail.com> wrote:

Actually, almost all of the names listed in this thread do not qualify, in terms of just holding even a single patent on something they have "invented". I think only Dr. V. N. Shirodkar succeeded in patenting his stitch. 

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[cristiana bastos]

As far as I got it correctly from Goa born, MIT trained and São Paulo resident Victor Froilano de Mello, he had several inventions related to bridges and dams. Not being an engineer I can't assess their relevance but I know he was a celebrity in Brazil.  At least this patent  is listed in his Biodata -- "Solidificação química dos solos (Patente Invenção n°US 2651619)" (Source:  https://victorfbdemello.com.br/biodata/ )

also of note, although not about a patent but about remarkable scholarship, the Goa-born historian Angela Barreto Xavier was a  Infosys Laureate (humanities 2021):  https://www.infosysprize.org/laureates.html

cheers 

Cristiana Bastos

Institute of Social Sciences | University of Lisbon | Av Anibal Bettencourt, 9 | 1600-189 Lisboa, Portugal 

https://cristianabastos.org/

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[Carlos Peres da Costa]

Dr. João Manuel and Cristiana,

                I sent to  Mr. Themistocles the following message in response to his posting on Goan Inventors:

   I saw your message and your proposal to have a list of Goan inventors.

  In the true sense an inventor is a person with a recognized PATENT.  What  YOU  should do is    COMPILE   A LIST a WHO IS WHO  List in different Areas of Humanities, Science and Technology.  And in a short line describe that person's contribution to that area of Science.

    There is a Person in Portugal   who has done of Goans  : 

    https://galeriadosgoesesilustres.blogs.sapo.pt/2020/02/       It has a lots of mistakes also. No Criteria. If not mistaken some never lived in Goa !!!!

          This is my point of view

                                                Warm regards

                                             Carlos Peres da Costa   MD PhD   

Mr.  Themistocles replied , thanked me for my observation and suggested I post it in GRN which I am doing.

          The value of an Inventor is to register it as a PATENT, but what about inventors  of devices and techniques before the PATENT concept started ?

  Also to be organized it has to be divided in Areas.  

          I think what Mr. Themistocles is looking for is to Organize a Who is Who  List of Notable Goans. This also has to be divided into Areas  and Subareas of Science  and the Year/ Century . This compilation of Goans would be interesting.  But please define when you start the compilation- who is a Goan ! ( Born in Goa, not born in Goa but of Goan parents upto what generation  ?????)

                                                     Carlos Peres da Costa           

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[Amita Kanekar]

Shami Kanekar (1963- )

My sister. She has some patents relating to neuroscience. 

https://medicine.utah.edu/faculty/shami-kanekar

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[Themistocles D'Silva]

Great.

Would appreciate a brief biographical and ancestral information. 

Mail @ themisdsilva @gmail.com

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[Joao Paulo Cota]

Interesting!

My final year Civil Engineering project at GEC, Farmagudi alongwith three more colleagues, was about designing an earthen dam for Ponda area. Unusual construction material, clay.

We did refer to various sources in hard copy - as there was no internet in Goa in early 1990's - and I think I recall the Mello surname, from one of our references.

I thought he was Brazilian, not Goan, so paid no more attention to it!

Regards,

Joao Paulo Cota

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From: goa-rese...@googlegroups.com <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of cristiana bastos <bastosc...@gmail.com>
Sent: 08 November 2023 12:07
To: goa-rese...@googlegroups.com <goa-rese...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [GRN] Goan Inventors

 

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[Santosh Helekar]

If one wants to produce a genuine list of Goan inventors who hold Indian and/or international patents, besides investigating their Goan origin or ancestry, one needs to verify whether they have an authentic patent granted or at least a pending patent application. The best way to do that is the following. 

Whenever one is provided a name of a person who is claimed to be an inventor, one can plug that name in the search engines of the following genuine patent search websites:

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/

https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/search.jsf

https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/landing.html

https://iprsearch.ipindia.gov.in/publicsearch

https://patents.google.com/

It is usually not prudent to rely on self-published lists or websites, including Wikipedia, even if they belong to a company, organization or academic institution. 

Cheers,

Santosh

[FM N]

Biochemistry with medical applications -- Dr Desmond Mascarenhas

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/16KnhzuBvbz9tq/bibliography/public/

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