The Discovery of Saline by icddr,b and the Theft of a Bengali Scientist’s Invention

The oral saline for cholera and diarrhea, which saves thousands of lives each year, was discovered by a Bengali. His name is Hemendra Nath Chatterjee. But worldwide, everyone knows the inventors of oral saline as two Western scientists, David Nalin and Cash. In 1913, saline was invented for the relief of cholera and to address nutritional deficiencies in the body through injection. Afterwards, seeing a cholera outbreak in Kolkata, Hemendra experimented with taking saline orally and succeeded. In 1953, Hemendra published a research-based formula of oral saline in The Lancet journal.

After a long 13 years, in 1968, at Matlab in Chandpur, a team led by Nalin and Cash of icddr,b conducted a field trial of oral saline. Being an influential organization, icddr,b heavily publicized this trial as the revolutionary discovery of oral saline, almost like stealing the credit. The formula of saline promoted by icddr,b matches exactly with Hemendra’s. Unfortunately, and quite mysteriously, not a single line mentioned Hemendra’s name anywhere. A few years ago, when Sarwar Hossain, a medical scientist working at icddr,b, contacted the authorities to verify this information, they became very agitated and avoided the matter.

The oral saline for cholera and diarrhea, which saves thousands of lives every year, was discovered by a Bengali named Hemendra Nath Chatterjee. But everyone around the world believes the inventors are two Western scientists, David Nalin and Cash. In 1913, saline was discovered for treating cholera symptoms and restoring nutrients to the body via injection. Later, seeing a cholera outbreak in Kolkata, Hemendra tested oral saline administration and succeeded. In 1953, Hemendra published a research-based oral saline formula in The Lancet journal.

After a lengthy 13 years, in 1968, a team led by Nalin and Cash at icddr,b in Matlab, Chandpur, conducted a field trial of oral saline. Since icddr,b is a powerful institution, they widely promoted this trial as the groundbreaking discovery of oral saline, as if stealing the entire credit. The formula promoted by icddr,b closely matches Hemendra’s. Unfortunately, and rather mysteriously, Hemendra’s name was not mentioned even in a single sentence. A few years ago, when a medical scientist named Sarwar Hossain, who worked at icddr,b, contacted higher authorities seeking the truth, they reacted angrily and avoided the matter.

Such a great inventor’s contributions are utterly buried in the history of medical science. On the other hand, with the success of this saline discovery, icddr,b has achieved the Bill Gates Award 2002, the Pollin Award 2001, but astonishingly, they have never once mentioned the real inventor’s name. In the history of oral saline on Wikipedia, Hemendra’s name is missing. Only in Medical History Journal, 1994, 38: 363-397 is there a single line giving him half-hearted recognition: “It is generally agreed that racism or the lack of a ‘scientific’ rationale prevented the widespread adoption of his (Hemendra’s) work.”

Here is the link to the abstract of Hemendra Nath Chatterjee’s published research paper so that no one has any doubts regarding this subject.

Abstract Link

Most inventors are from Western countries. One main reason is that Western scientists know well how to establish their names as inventors. In many cases, even with documentary proof, they have managed to establish their names due to massive publicity. On the other hand, in suppressing inventors from less developed countries, commercial interests play a big role. For over a hundred years, Marconi received credit for the invention of radio. Now, thanks to the internet, the truth is coming out that Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose is the real inventor of radio. On Wikipedia, Sir Jagadish Bose’s name appears first among radio inventors, but it is presented as if not commercializing the radio was his failure.

The purpose of this writing is not to belittle the role of icddr,b but rather to ensure that Hemendra Nath Chatterjee receives the recognition he deserves and that our national conscience remains clear.

The information about Hemendra Nath’s discovery was provided by Sarwar Hossain, a Bangladesh researcher currently living in Singapore, who worked at icddr,b for a year. Also, portions of this article have been published with permission from http://fresnel-lens.blogspot.com.