The Physiological Society of Sri Lanka commemorating the legendary physiologists

– Late Prof. K. N. Seneviratne, the second Sri Lankan Professor of Physiology

Professor Kirthi Nissanka Seneviratne was born in Elpitiya, Galle on November 22, 1929 as the second son of Dr. Robert and Mrs. Laura Seneviratne. He had his primary and secondary education at the Royal College, Colombo and during his school days he had won the Arunachalam Prize for General Knowledge in 1946 and 1947. He obtained his MBBS degree with honours in 1954 from the University of Ceylon, Colombo gaining a distinction in Medicine and winning the Gold Medal for Operative Surgery.

After completing his clinical training as a young doctor, he joined the Department of Physiology of the Colombo Medical School on secondment as a Demonstrator in 1957. Due to his interest in research he went to UK and obtained his PhD from the University of Edinburgh. He was promoted to the post of Professor of Physiology at the age of 39 in 1969 and was in the post until 1981. He had extended his services as a reservist Captain in the Sri Lanka Army too.

Institute of Postgraduate Medicine, which later became the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine was established by Prof. K. N. Seneviratne in 1974 and he worked there as the Founder Director until he was appointed as a Regional advisor to the World Health organization in 1981 and continued to work in the same capacity until 1986.

His area of specialisation in research was neurophysiology with special attention to diabetic neuropathy. Late Prof. K.N. Seneviratne (1969-1981) had used the isolated sciatic nerves of healthy and alloxan-diabetic rats to determine permeability of blood-nerve barriers in diabetes and understand why diabetic patients develop nerve damage. He had several research publications as indicated below on the subject area in accredited International journals to his credit.

Seneviratne, K.N. and Peiris, O.A. (1969). The effects of hypoxia on the excitability of the isolated peripheral nerves of alloxan-diabetic rats. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 32: 462-469.

Seneviratne, K.N. (1972). Permeability of blood nerve barriers in the diabetic rat. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 35: 156-162.

Seneviratne, K.N. and Weerasuriya, A. (1974). Nodal gap substance in diabetic nerve. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 37: 502-513.

With the untimely death of Prof. K. N. Seneviratne on August 10, 1986 in Bali, Indonesia; Sri Lanka lost a brilliant scientist, a great teacher and above all a nice human being.

In memory of late Prof. K. N.Seneviratne, the second Ceylonese Professor of Physiology, the Physiological Society of Sri Lanka organizes the Annual KN Seneviratne Memorial Oration. This year the K.N.Seneviratne oration is delivered by the distinguished physiologist and scientist, Vidya Nidhi Professor Mangala Gunatilake, Professor, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, on 10^th December 2021 at 6.00pm. The title of the oration is “Rabies Revisited: Past, Present and the Way Forward”. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year K.N. Seneviratne oration is conducted on an online platform.

In addition, the Physiological Society of Sri Lanka awards an Annual K.N. Seneviratne Memorial Research Award for an original investigational work done in physiology by undergraduates or postgraduates.

His brother, Mr. Nihal Seneviratne and family established a fund in 1999 with the support of friends and pupils of late Prof K. N. Seneviratne to award a prize in memory of this great human being. This prize is awarded as a medal to the student who obtains a Distinction and highest marks for Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, every year. Furthermore, Mr. Nihal Seneviratne and family have established another fund for awarding ‘Prof K. N. Seneviratne Memorial award’ which is a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/- to the student who obtains highest marks for the Physiology at the examination held at the end of the first year of the medical curriculum of Colombo Medical Faculty. This is being awarded annually since 2011.