Dilip Mahalanabis
Encyclopedia
Dilip Mahalanabis is an India biologist
. He was the director of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
(the ICDDR,B) during the 1970s (at the time of the Bangladesh War). The Centre claims credit for discovering, during the time of Mahalanabis, inexpensive methods oral rehydration therapy
(ORT) for the treatment of diarrhea and cholera. The 2006 Prince Mahidol Prize was awarded jointly to Dr. Richard A. Cash
of Harvard School of Public Health
, Dr. David Nalin
and Dr. Mahalanabis. Oral rehydration therapy
is an alternative to intravenous rehydration therapy where IVT is not available or feasible. Oral rehydration therapy
is calculated by the World Health Organization
to have saved the lives of over 60 million persons, and it is still saving millions of people from diarrhea
. Dilip Mahalanabis started his own work on oral rehydration therapy
in 1966 as a research investigator for Medical Research and Training in Calcutta.
At present, Mahalanabis lives with his wife, Dr. Jayanti Mahalanabis (a high energy physics researcher), in Kolkata
, India
(Calcutta) and holds the post of Director of Society for Applied Studies (a public post), Kolkata
.
In 1994 Mahalanabis was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
.
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
. He was the director of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
(the ICDDR,B) during the 1970s (at the time of the Bangladesh War). The Centre claims credit for discovering, during the time of Mahalanabis, inexpensive methods oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy is a simple treatment for dehydration associated with diarrhoea, particularly gastroenteritis or gastroenteropathy, such as that caused by cholera or rotavirus. ORT consists of a solution of salts and sugars which is taken by mouth...
(ORT) for the treatment of diarrhea and cholera. The 2006 Prince Mahidol Prize was awarded jointly to Dr. Richard A. Cash
Richard A. Cash
Prof. Richard Alan Cash, MD, MPH is an American global health researcher, public health physician, internist, and Prince Mahidol Medal . He is a and Director of the Program on Ethical Issues in International Health in the of the in Boston...
of Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
, Dr. David Nalin
David Nalin
David R. Nalin is an American physiologist, and Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research and Mahidol Medal winner. Nalin had the key insight that Oral rehydration therapy would work if the volume of solution patients drank matched the volume of their fluid losses, and that this would drastically...
and Dr. Mahalanabis. Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy is a simple treatment for dehydration associated with diarrhoea, particularly gastroenteritis or gastroenteropathy, such as that caused by cholera or rotavirus. ORT consists of a solution of salts and sugars which is taken by mouth...
is an alternative to intravenous rehydration therapy where IVT is not available or feasible. Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy is a simple treatment for dehydration associated with diarrhoea, particularly gastroenteritis or gastroenteropathy, such as that caused by cholera or rotavirus. ORT consists of a solution of salts and sugars which is taken by mouth...
is calculated by the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
to have saved the lives of over 60 million persons, and it is still saving millions of people from diarrhea
Diarrhea
Diarrhea , also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having three or more loose or liquid bowel movements per day. It is a common cause of death in developing countries and the second most common cause of infant deaths worldwide. The loss of fluids through diarrhea can cause dehydration and...
. Dilip Mahalanabis started his own work on oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy is a simple treatment for dehydration associated with diarrhoea, particularly gastroenteritis or gastroenteropathy, such as that caused by cholera or rotavirus. ORT consists of a solution of salts and sugars which is taken by mouth...
in 1966 as a research investigator for Medical Research and Training in Calcutta.
At present, Mahalanabis lives with his wife, Dr. Jayanti Mahalanabis (a high energy physics researcher), in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(Calcutta) and holds the post of Director of Society for Applied Studies (a public post), Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
In 1994 Mahalanabis was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
.
Awards
- Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis received the Pollin PrizePollin Prize for Pediatric ResearchThe Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research is an annual award given to physicians who contribute important advances to the field of pediatrics, and is the only existing international pediatric award. The prize was created in 2002 by Irene and Abe Pollin, and funded by the Linda and Kenneth Pollin...
for 2002. - Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis received the 2006 Prince Mahidol Award (Thailand) (in January 2007) jointly with Drs. Richard A. CashRichard A. CashProf. Richard Alan Cash, MD, MPH is an American global health researcher, public health physician, internist, and Prince Mahidol Medal . He is a and Director of the Program on Ethical Issues in International Health in the of the in Boston...
of HSPH and Dr. David NalinDavid NalinDavid R. Nalin is an American physiologist, and Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research and Mahidol Medal winner. Nalin had the key insight that Oral rehydration therapy would work if the volume of solution patients drank matched the volume of their fluid losses, and that this would drastically...
. - International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
was awarded the Gates Award for Global Health in 2001 (the first time that Award was offered).
Further reading
- ICDDR,B
- http://en.scientificcommons.org/dilip_mahalanabis
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the efficacy of treatment with zinc or vitamin A in infants and young children with severe acute lower respiratory infection
- "A Simple Solution" by Andrea Gerlin, Time magazine article about ICDDR
- Long-Term Oral Supplementation with Iron Is Not Harmful for Young Children in a Poor Community of Bangladesh
- A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Bivalent Killed, Whole-Cell, Oral Cholera Vaccine in Adults and Children in a Cholera Endemic Area in Kolkata, India