Albert Rakoto Ratsimamanga

Albert Rakoto Ratsimamanga was born on December 28, 1907, in Antananarivo, a royal prince of the Merina dynasty. Educated in medicine and science in Paris, he earned doctorates in medicine and natural sciences from the University of Paris and worked at the CNRS.

During World War II, Ratsimamanga served in the French Resistance. His scientific research revolutionized ethnopharmacology: analyzing indigenous Malagasy medicinal plants, he isolated the active compound asiaticoside from Centella asiatica, creating Madecassol, a world-famous wound-healing and leprosy medication. He served as independent Madagascar's first Ambassador to France and in 1957 founded the renowned Institut Malgache de Recherches Appliquées (IMRA) to integrate traditional medicine with modern science.