Y. Subbarao was an Indian scientist. He was born in Andrapradesh in a village near Narasapur. His mother wanted him to become an educated person. His brother was a school teacher at Raj Mahendri. He was Purushotham. He was a patriot and a freedom fighter Subbarao’s mother was a widow. She worked hard to pay school fees of him. He passed his matriculation very late. In 1913 he joined the presidency college at Chennai. After intermediate, since he had developed spiritualism he met a Swamiji at Ramakrishna mutt. As per his advice he decided to become a doctor. He got married in 1919. He supported Khadi during freedom struggle. He studied for LMS and got the certificate. He saw his brother suffering from diarrhea. Subbarao decided to do research on the diseases of warmer region. He went to USA in 1923. He got a job in a hospital. But not as doctor. He had to wash toilets and rubbish vessels. Some how he saved money and studied. He got a diploma. Then he joined Harvard medical school and studied biochemistry. He worked under Prof. Fiske. He did research. He did not forget his brother who died of diarrhea. In 1930 Subbarao secured Ph.D. in biochemistry from Harvard School.

After seventeen years of research he left Harvard and became joint director of Ledarl laboratory.

Subbarao found processing of medicines like Auromycin, Folic acid, Hetragen etc.,

The discovery of Folic acid helped a medical company to discover Vitamin B12. The medicines found by Subbarao helped the doctors to central Filriasis, a killer disease. Subbarao found one more medicine methotraxate which was effective in curing blood cancer.

Subbarao was instrumental in establishing a cancer research unit. But he didn’t live to see its completion. He died of heart failure at the age of 53.

Subbarao was not liking advertising of himself. He was not known to many Indians. His work was selfless. He worked in USA at the time when eminent scholars doctors didn’t allow Indians to do research in medicine.

“Subbarao – The scientist” a book was published somehow authored by S.P.K. Gupta in collaboration with Dr. Edgar L. Milford.