Unsung Heroes....

Chances are that most of us might have never seen this man pictured above or even heard about him ever. However there is no chance that there might be anyone, even in the remotest corner of this great nation, who wouldn't have heard of a very simple but highly useful discovery of his.

Dr Dilip Mahalanbis pioneered and contributed immensely in the development & usage of oral rehydration solution (ORS). While another doctor from Bengal, S.N. De, had demonstrated the efficacy of ORS experimentally but it was Dr. Mahalanabis who proved its efficacy by administering it to a large number of people in the refugee camp in Bongaon. Years later, the WHO (World Health Organization) acknowledged the benefits of ORS. There is no doubt whatsoever that this is one of the greatest inventions of medical science ever and these two doctors from Bengal were behind it. Needless to say, they have never ever been a recipient of any of the Indian awards, be it of any Padma series or for that matter of any nomenclature. Even though Lancet termed it as one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of the twentieth century and was instrumental in saving millions of infants from a very certain death.

Trained primarily as a pediatrician Dr. Mahalanabis started working on Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) in 1966 as a research scholar for the Johns Hopkins University International Centre for Medical Research and Training in Kolkata along with doctors David R Nalin and and Richard A Cash. While the efficacy was tested in only limited controlled lab conditions, once the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War broke out, over 10 million people had crossed over to India in the border districts of Bengal. A massive cholera epidemic followed in the refugee camp in Bongaon where stock of intravenous fluid ran out. This is when Dr. Mahalanabis introduced ORS in the camps, even before ORS was recommended for treatment. There was a shortage of saline in the Bongaon refugee camp. Mahalanabis prepared a solution of sugar, salt and water and kept it in a drum. To convince people about its usefulness, he called it “oral saline”. He told people in the refugee camp to drink the water until they felt hungry or until they did not feel weak any longer. This way, he cured many from cholera. ORT slashed mortality from 30% to about 3% among patients in the refugee camps. This feat silenced his critics and the simple, inexpensive ORS gained acceptance. Later, it was coined the greatest discovery of the 20th century in medicine.

Strangely, he was never recognized aptly by the country which he had served or was ever appropriately awarded for the monumental discovery of a simple solution that has since then saved millions of lives, a fact that has been ascertained even by the WHO. Inspite of not having received much recognition by the Indian government, Dr. Mahalanabis was never disheartened. He never led a retired life and kept himself busy with research activities which he carried out from Society for Applied Sciences Kolkata, housed on the ground floor of his house in Salt Lake. A couple of years ago, the doctor donated his entire life’s savings of ?1 crore to ICH where he had begun his journey as a pediatrician.

Chances also are that not many would know, this wonderful human being, this great doctor who was instrumental in saving millions of lives, passed away yesterday. He was 88. Perhaps he left behind a legacy, as many such superlative unsung heroes do, that their purposes and deeds are far beyond the realms of recognition that any lesser mortals can ever comprehend or care to reward. Their lives that they lead are rewards unto themselves.

Only heart wrenching pinch remains that we the recipients of such critically noble largesse most often than not, fail in our duties towards such geniuses.

almost always....

charaiveti.... charaiveti......