Background
Hermenegild Santapau was born on December 5, 1903 in La Galera, Catalonia, Spain.
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Hermenegild Santapau was born on December 5, 1903 in La Galera, Catalonia, Spain.
Hermenegild Santapau secured the theological degree of doctor of philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome in 1927 and reached India in 1928 to complete his regency. Moving to London, he graduated in Botany with honours (BSc Hons) from the University of London from where he, later, obtained his doctoral degree (PhD). He also secured an associateship diploma from the Royal College of Science and another diploma from the parent institute of Imperial College of London.
From 1934, Hermenegild Santapau worked in Eastern Pyrenees and Italian Alps collecting plant specimens, for four years. After doing two years of research from 1938 at the herbarium of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, England, he joined St. Xavier's College, Mumbai as a member of the faculty of Botany in 1940. He also served as an accredited lecturer for post graduate studies in Botany at the universities of Mumbai, Pune, Agra and Kolkata.
When the Government of India decided to revive the Botanical Survey of India, Santapau was appointed as the chief Botanist in 1954. He served at the BSI till 1967, holding the post of the director from 1961. He headed the Indian delegation to the tenth edition of the International Botanical Congress held at Edinburgh in 1954 and represented India at the International Standards Organisation conference of 1964 held at New Delhi. Hermenegild Santapau was the leader of the delegation of botanists who toured USSR for three months in 1962.
Santapau returned to the St. Xavier's College, Bombay after his retirement from the Botanical Survey of India in 1967 and worked there as the rector till his death, aged 66, on 13 January 1970.
Hermenegild Santapau was credited with the Latin nomenclature of several Indian plant species. A recipient of the Order of Alphonsus X the Wise and the Birbal Sahni Medal, he was honoured by the Government of India in 1967, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the society.
Hermenegild Santapau became a member of the Society of Jesus based at Gandia city in Valencia at the age of 16.
Hermenegild Santapau served many government committees formed under the aegis of such organizations such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Council of Medical Research and the Central Council of Indian Medicine.
Hermenegild Santapau was involved in the activities of the Bengal branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Bombay Natural History Society, Indian Science Congress Association, Indian Phytopathological Society, International Society of Phytomorphology, International Association for Plant Taxonomy, International Association of Botanical Gardens and the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of Bengal. He was a fellow of the Indian Botanical Society, National Academy of Sciences, India and the Linnean Society of London.
