Medicine & Surgery
Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)
1953; 1971 CEH. N. Chatterjee; Dilip MahalanabisChatterjee (1953); refugee-camp use (1971)Pan-Indian / unspecified
1953
A simple glucose-salt drink that treats dehydration from diarrhoea and cholera.
- Dated
- 1953–1971
- As scholars put it
- 1953; 1971 CE
- Originator
- H. N. Chatterjee; Dilip Mahalanabis
- Source text
- Chatterjee (1953); refugee-camp use (1971)
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Medicine & Surgery
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- High
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Developed in parallel with Western researchers (Bangladesh/US work).
Fair to say
Credit is shared across several researchers; the Indian contributions are often underplayed.
Path to modern innovation
Called one of the most important medical advances of the 20th century; saves millions of lives.
Transmission
Chatterjee published an early formula; Mahalanabis proved it at scale in 1971 refugee camps.
References
- 1Chatterjee (1953)
- 2Lancet histories of ORS
Further reading
Related
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-142 on GitHub.