Dilip Mahalanabis (English: Dilip Mahalanabis, born 12 November 1934; died 16 December 2022) was an Indian pediatrician who is credited with introducing the use of ‘oral rehydration therapy’ (ORS) for the treatment of diarrheal diseases. Known for.
ORS is a simple, cheap but effective solution that has seen the world reduce deaths from diarrhea, cholera and dehydration by 93 percent, especially among infants and children. During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, Dr. Dilip Mahalan was serving in twenty cramped refugee camps. Widespread cholera and diarrhea forced them to search for ORS. His magic potion was called ‘the most important medical discovery of the 20th century’ by The Lancet.
Dilip Mahalanabis was born on November 12, 1934 in Kishoreganj, Bengal (pre-independence). He was an Indian pediatrician known for his contributions to oral rehydration therapy for the treatment of diarrheal diseases. He conducted research on cholera and other diarrheal diseases at the Johns Hopkins International Center for Medical Research and Training in Kolkata, India in the mid-1960s. When cholera broke out in 1971 among refugees from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) who had sought refuge in West Bengal, he led Johns to demonstrate the dramatically life-saving potential of oral rehydration therapy during the Bangladeshi fight for independence. The Hopkins Center led the effort.[1]
Throughout his journey as a physician, Dr. Dilip has played various roles and left his mark everywhere. Some of the designations he served are as follows-
During the mid-1980s and early 1990s, he fulfilled his responsibilities as a medical officer in the Diarrheal Disease Control Program of the World Health Organization. He also served as the Director of Clinical Research at the ‘International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research’ in Bangladesh in the late 1990s. In 1994 Dilip Mahalanbis was elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In the year 2002, Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis and Dr. Nathaniel F. Pierce were jointly awarded the ‘Polin Award’ by Columbia University for their contributions to the discovery and implementation of oral rehydration therapy. In 2006, Dr. Mahalanabis, Dr. Richard A. Cash and Dr. David Nalin were awarded the ‘Prince Mahidol Award’ for their role in the development and application of oral rehydration therapy. Despite initial skepticism from the medical community, WHO later adopted ORS as standard treatment for treating cholera and other diarrheal disorders.[1]
In the year 2023, he was honored with Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India for his services and contribution.
