BHATNAGAR SHANTI SWAROOP: (1894-1955) Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific ...

BHATNAGAR SHANTI SWAROOP: (1894-1955) Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific administrator, revered as the ‘father of research laboratories’ in India. Typed D.S., S. S. Bhatnagar, one page, folio, New Delhi, India, August 1946. Bhatnagar responds to a researcher’s questionnaire entitled World Inquiry, with their manuscript questions at the head of the page, ‘ 1. Were your scientific “debut” easy or difficult? 2. Did means of living……enable you to make yourself known in science? Or did you live solely through your work of laboratory? 3. What work (or what discovery) made yourself more famous? Which do you consider as your master-piece?’ Bhatnagar provides his answers beneath, in part, ‘(1^st) I consider it has been difficult, largely because I had to earn my living and spend a great deal of time on routine and administrative work……(2^nd) No, I had no private income……(3^rd) My work on emulsions and emulsification carried out in Lahore attracted considerable attention. My work on applications of physical chemistry to petroleum problems for Messrs. Steel Brothers……added to my reputation, but I think it is generally recognised that my work on Magnetochemistry and my book on Physical Principles and Applications of Magnetochemistry……in 1935 are perhaps my best contributions to science’. Some light age wear, creasing and a few small tears to the edges, and one longer tears to the central right fold (neatly repaired to the verso). G