This quality of experimenting upon himself was to remain with John Burdon Sanderson Haldane, the English-born Indian biologist, throughout his life. He used to conduct horrifying experiments upon his own body to test how it behaved under different conditions.

Sometimes, after an experiment on himself, J.B.S.,as he was popularly known, used to lie panting in bed for weeks together. But such was his dedication to science that whether he was feeling pain or was about to vomit he used to go on recording whatever was happening to him. The savage courage required for such experiments he had inherited from his father ,John Scott Haldane, a noted physiologist.

J.B.S. was born on November 5,1892, at Oxford and he grew up in his father's laboratory in the house. Very early in his childhood he began to toy with scientific apparatus and by the age of eight began to help his father in experiments. He also accompanied him on various hazardous scientific trips into deep mines. Meanwhile he learnt several languages and on his own read diverse subjects. His brilliance in mathematics enabled him to win the Russell Prize at the age of 16.

The training in fearlessness J .B.S. received from his father made him a "different" boy. During World War I he was popular among his troops as "Bombo". It is said that he used to sneak into enemy lines at night and return with valuable information. Once, when he heard something nasty being talked about Britain in an enemy camp, he dropped a bomb there in anger and came back under heavy fire.

J.B.S. was a hefty man with a short temper and a booming voice, but at heart he was sentimental and sympathetic.
He had his basic education in humanities, but he took up scientific research as a career. Under the guidance of his father he first did research in physiology, the study of the processes happening inside a living body, at Oxford. In 1922 he joined Cambridge University and did research in biochemistry , the study of chemical reactions taking place inside a living body, under the discoverer of vitamins, Frederick Gowland Hopkins. In 1925 he became interested in genetics, the study of heredity and variation, and his brilliant work led to his being elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1932. A year later he joined University College,London, as Professor of Genetics, a position he held as long as he stayed in Britain.

J.B.S.made original contributions to several diverse subjects -physiology, medicine, evolution, genetics,biochemistry, mathematics, cosmology. Renowned for his experiments on himself, he was also excellent at mathematics and utilised it fully in his biological researches. He believed that "if you are faced with a difficulty or a controversy in science, an ounce of algebra is worth a ton of verbal argument".

In fact, he was the first to use mathematics in genetics. Among his significant contributions is an estimate of the rate of mutation of a human gene.Mutation is a sudden change in a gene which enables a child to inherit a characteristic totally absent in his or her parents. He calculated that mutation occurs once for every 50,000 people per generation. Through such calculations he was able to show that Darwin's theory of evolution is correct. Using the latest findings in biochemistry he also explained how life could have originated on the earth from a "hot dilute soup" of certain chemicals.

Some of his discoveries in biochemistry have already become laws of enzyme chemistry .Enzyme is an organic catalyst which assists in speeding up some chemical processes occurring inside a living body. His findings in physiology are also noteworthy. Through experimentation upon himself he studied how chemicals, carbon dioxide gas, ice cold temperature and the like affect breath. From these studies he also discovered a cure for tetanus and convulsions.

J.B.S. was not a scientist confined to the laboratory.: He was also a social worker who fought for causes.From his boyhood days when he used to meet miners and fishermen, he had attained respect for the common man. During World War II he criticised the air raid precautions taken by the British Government, calling i them inadequate.

To tell laymen what science is and what it stands for , J.B.S. also wrote popular science articles and gave lectures. He wrote on varied subjects from genetics to politics. Some of his most famous books are: The Causes of Evolution, What is life? and Science and Ethics. He also wrote My friend, Mr Leakey for the benefit of children. In science popularisation his writings are at par with those of Julian Huxley, an eminent biologist. Some of the ideas he discussed in his writings and lectures made a profound impact on research.

He left the United Kingdom in 1957 and came to live in India, a country he had come to love during several visits. He was inspired by Hindu philosophy, the Hindu way of life and the principle of non-violence. The Gita impressed him. He even liked the dhoti and kurta and used to wear them.J.B.S. came to India with a purpose. He knew the country contained a large variety of animals and plants in large number. He, therefore, wanted to develop research in biology. He gave science lectures at various places and also guided young scientists in their research. He was first appointed a professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, and later became Director, Genetics and Biometry Laboratory, in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa.

At the age of 71 he died of cancer at Bhubaneswar .Even during his illness, he wrote a cheerful poem, Cancer's a Funny Thing, which is considered to be one of the best poems written on a scientific subject.