M.H. Panhwar as a Historian

The scope of this article is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of M.H. Panhwar’s historical work and to compare it with other scholars of Sindh. He is the initiator of scientific history writing of Sindh and the only historian who tried to uncover the face behind the social organisation of Sindh. According to him, ‘History is the history of production, control over the means of production and production to its final distribution’. The history is more about people than that of the ruling class as people are makers of history. He had vision to analyze things in their correct historical perspective and, in this context, he took support of archeology, as it is the source of scientific truth. Writing history with data acquired through carbon testing is a new phenomenon in Sindh, which was locally introduced by M. H Panhwar.1 M. H. Panhwar, therefore, was one of the pioneers in giving a new meaning to history by including both ruling elites and the common folk, progressive science, crop technology, forest, wildlife, etc.2 He was the first to throw light on areas which were ignored by other historians. According to him, history written before him is full of the accounts of the rulers’ role in relation to their nobles and foes, battles they fought, attacks, palace plotting, mausoleums, folklore, fiction and so on. Accounts regarding contemporary climate, environments, diversion of rivers, courses and the resultant ruination of irrigation systems, migrations, shifting of people, occupations, social life of the populace etc. Found little room in written histories. For instance changes in production and its means, administration and justice, agriculture, land, animal husbandry, irrigation sources and methods of mining, metallurgy, industry and industrial goods, matrimonial institutions, family and children, houses and interiors, art, architecture, archaeology, personal appearance, dresses, ornaments, foods and drinks, taxes, coins and currency, science and technology, foreign contacts, international trades and traders, routes of trades, religious beliefs, philosophy, hygiene, medicine and doctors, superstitions, common citizens, economic conditions, historical geography of bygone ages, classes of work and their relation with one another, household life, customs, entertainments, pastimes, leisure, attitude of man to nature, languages, literature, literary contacts with outside word, learning and thoughts, status of women and children in affluence and extreme poverty.3 Hence, in real sense M.H Panhwar was scholar of Haig’s Raverty’s and Lambrick’s calibre.

Fabrication and Evaluation of Various Polymeric Matrices for the Formulation of Once-A-Day Controlled Release Tablets of Some Aryl-Propionic Acid Analogs.

The main objectives of this research were to synthesize and evaluated some novel functionalized polymers to fabricate, formulate and evaluate in various polymeric matrices of once a day controlled release tablets of Propionic acid analogs, mainly Ibuprofen, Flurbiprofen and Ketoprofen and preparation and development of nanoparticles drug delivery systems to study their release pattern, rate and the involved mechanism in release process of the drug and to develop and evaluate such sustained release drug formulations which can be used less frequent and with more patient compliance. Three new polymers were synthesized including PGA, PGA- co-caprolactone and PGA-co-pentadecalactone. The polymer backbone consisting of two ester-linked, non-toxic, biological monomers, glycerol and polyvinyl adipate, was prepared using a hydrolytic enzyme. A novel polymeric prodrug was also developed by coupling a model drug, Ibuprofen, to polyester, poly (glycerol-adipate-co-pentadecalactone), via ester linkage. Ibuprofen-loaded nanoparticles were also prepared. The polymers, conjugate and nanoparticles were evaluated and characterized by GPC, NMR, FT-IR, U.V, and DSC. Among the three polymers, the particles of Ibuprofen coupled with poly (glycerol-adipate-co- pentadecalactone) showed a burst release followed thereafter by very slow release into pH 7.4 phosphate buffer. Solubility of the drugs was checked by the use of UV. Spectrophotometer (1601-Shimadzu. Japan) as described by the method of Higuchi and Connors. In this preformulation study, six solvents were used including Phosphate buffers of pH 7.4, 7.2 and 6.8, 0.1 N NaoH, 0.1 N HCl solution and distilled water.