Hemendra Nath Chatterjee was an Indian scientist from

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

known for the earliest publication of a formula for Orally Rehydrated Saline (ORS) for

diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

management in 1952. Although his results were published in ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and also one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes ...

'', they didn't receive much recognition from Western scientists until later. Some argue this was for cultural reasons as his treatment protocol included traditional medicine, and also because the scientific underpinnings of ORS weren't well understood. However, some argue he shouldn't be given credit for its invention at all, as some of his results contradict the results of modern studies, and argue his success was likely due to using only mildly ill patients. In his 1953 study, Chatterjee gave a dilute salt and glucose solutions both rectally and orally to a small percentage of pre-selected mildly ill cholera patients. He did not measure intake and output and presented no balance dated confirming absorption. In that paper he states that Avomine can stop

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, pre ...

during

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

and then oral rehydration is possible. Patients also received a leaf decoction of Coleus aromaticus, a folk anti-diarrheal, which is now known to make diarrhea worse. The formulation of the fluid replacement solution was hypotonic

sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as Salt#Edible salt, edible salt, is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. It is transparent or translucent, brittle, hygroscopic, and occurs a ...

, 25 g of

glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...

and 1000 ml of

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

.Control of vomiting in cholera and oral replacement of fluid; Chatterjee HN; Lancet. 2 November 1953;2(6795):1063
/ref>MAGIC BULLET: THE HISTORY OF ORAL REHYDRATION THERAPY; JOSHUA NALIBOW RUXIN
/ref>

References

Indian medical researchers Indian microbiologists University of Calcutta alumni Academic staff of the University of Calcutta Scientists from West Bengal Bengali scientists Medical doctors from West Bengal {{India-med-bio-stub