Raman Viswanathan was born on 8th September 1899. After graduating in English literature and Science from the Madras University, he had his medical education in Madras Medical College where from he took his M.B.B.S. in 1926 and M.D. in General Medicine in 1931. He became member of the Royal College of Physicians, London, in 1932 and elected Fellow in 1980. He obtained D.T.D. (Diploma in Tuberculosis Diseases) from Wales in 1938. He became a Fellow of American College of Chest Physicians in 1947 and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Medical Sciences in 1964. Dr. Raman Viswanathan – the Father of Chest Medicine in India – died after a brief illness on 16 July, 1982.

From 1928 to 1942, Dr. Viswanathan held posts of Assistant Professor (Medicine), later Head of the Department of Tuberculosis and Infectious Diseases and lastly Professor in Clinical Medicine. He served in the Army from 1942 to 1946 as Medical Specialist, and Officer Commanding, Medical Division. After his stint in the Army, he held the post of Adviser in Tuberculosis, Govt. of India, and later Deputy Director-General, Health Services. Concurrently, he was Head of the Department of Medicine (Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases) and Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Delhi University from 1946 to 1964.

Dr. Viswanathan was mainly responsible for the establishment of a unique national institute for research and post-graduate training in Chest Diseases, under the aegis of the University of Delhi. Formally opened in 1953, the V.P. Chest Institute, during the course of years has attained national and international status through the outstanding contributions made by him and his colleagues in the field of Medicine and Allied Sciences. He held the post of Director-Professor, V.P. Chest Institute from 1953 to1964. He was Emeritus Scientist, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Honorary Professor, V.P. Chest Institute, Delhi University from 1964 to 1969. After this, he continued working as Honorary Professor in the V.P. Chest Institute till his death.

Dr. Viswanathan founded the Indian Association for Chest Diseases in 1958 of which he was the President till 1981 when it emerged as the National College of Chest Physicians (India). He was Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Journal of Chest Diseases and Allied Sciences from inception.

He was closely associated with the Tuberculosis Association of India since its inception in 1939 and became the President of the National Conference of the Association in 1968. He served as a member of the Technical Committee, Chairman, Local Advisory Committee and Chairman, Research Committee of the Tuberculosis Association of India.

Dr. Viswanathan’s entire career has been characterised by his deep passion for the advancement of medical education and dedication to research. About 8 weeks before his death the ‘Octogenerian’ punctually attend the Institute full time, treating patients, conducting experiments, teaching post-graduate and guiding research. As he once quipped ‘I refuse to be driven by any one’, he drove his own car-about 60 km daily. Even on his ‘death bed’, he felt very concerned about his students, the Institute and his research work. Dr. Viswanathan’s extensive experience and his natural gift as a teacher and researcher made him one of the outstanding figures in the field of Chest Medicine in India as well as abroad. He not only actively participated in numerous national and international medical conferences at home and abroad, but actually organized several of them.

Dr. Viswanathan won several national and international awards and honours. His research work has received wide recognition at home as well as abroad. He published over one hundred scientific papers in reputed Indian and foreign journals. Besides, he wrote several books notable amongst which are: Pulmonary Tuberculosis; Diseases of the Chest; Medical Problems of Old Age; and While the Light Lives (Reminiscences). Some of his important contributions to research include: work on tropical eosinophilia; pathogenesis of basal tuberculosis; mechanism of lung atelectasis; etio-pathogenesis of bronchiectasis, mechanisms underlying the production of high altitude pulmonary oedema; epidemiology of chronic obstructive lung diseases; asthma and occupational diseases; chemotherapy of tuberculosis.

In recognition of his contribution to medical research and education, Dr. Viswanathan was honoured by the Government of India with Padma Bhushan in 1974. Dr. Viswanathan is truly considered as “Father of Chest Medicine in India”.