On October 16, 2022, Dr Dilip Mahalanabis died in Kolkata. In 1971, he pioneered the use of oral rehydration therapy in refugee camps near Kolkata saving many lives. This was the first time it was used in a crisis setting.

In this episode of Science and Us, Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to Dr Rajib Dasgupta about the scientific mechanism of oral rehydration therapy and why it works to save lives during acute diarrhoea. Dr Rajib describes the twists and turns which led to the final acceptance of oral rehydration therapy for diarrhoea treatment at the global level. The show is co-hosted by Rakesh Kamal.

References

Dilip Mahalanabis: The ORS pioneer who helped save millions of lives | The Indian Express
MAGIC BULLET: THE HISTORY OF ORAL REHYDRATION THERAPY
ORAL MAINTENANCE THERAPY FOR CHOLERA IN ADULTS - The Lancet
Oral fluid therapy of cholera among Bangladesh refugees[1] Mahalanabis D, Choudhuri A B, Bagchi N G, Bhattacharya A K, Simpson T W
Oral rehydration therapy: the simple solution for saving lives | The BMJ
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar launches Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight – 2022 aimed at zero child deaths due to childhood diarrhoea

Exploring intra-household factors for diarrhoeal diseases: a study in slums of Delhi, India

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In 2014, skeletons were found in the well in a Gurdwara in Ajnala area of Punjab. Who do the skeletons belong to? While historical records said that these could be Indian soldiers killed by the British during the 1857 armed uprising, there were several other theories about it. How did scientists go about investigating this mystery? We spoke to Dr J S Sehrawat, a forensic anthropologist from Panjab University. This podcast is the story of the fascinating world of forensic anthropology.

Reporting and research - Menaka Rao
Co-host and audio editing - Rakesh Kamal

Additional Reading:

Short fieldwork report. Human remains from Ajnala, India, 2014
Forgotten, Discovered and Then Forgotten Again: The 1857 Martyrs in Punjab's Ajnala
Carbon dating, the archaeological workhorse, is getting a major reboot
Aspartic acid racemization of root dentin used for dental age estimation in a Polish population sample - PMC.
Forensic odontological sex determination of Ajnala skeletal remains based on the statistical equations generated from the odontometrics of known teeth - ScienceDirect
Dental Age Estimation of Ajnala Skeletal Remains: A Forensic Odontological Study
Pinpointing the Geographic Origin of 165-Year-Old Human Skeletal Remains Found in Punjab, India: Evidence From Mitochondrial DNA and Stable Isotope Analysis

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In the past couple of decades, we have been hearing of cloudbursts in some part of the country or another. How is the Indian Meteorological Department studying this phenomenon? Why are these incidents increasing over a period of time, and what can be done to minimize the damages cloudbursts cause, both to life and property?

To understand this phenomenon, we spoke to Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune studying climate change research, and extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, floods, heat waves, and cyclones among others.

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