Health & biology · 1968
Oral rehydration therapy
A simple drink of water, salt and sugar saves children dying of diarrhoea for pennies.
Trials in Dhaka and Kolkata around 1968 showed glucose lets the gut absorb salt and water even during cholera. ORS is credited with saving tens of millions of lives, mostly children.
What it built on 2
Related measurements
The dashed line marks when it first worked.
Child mortality (under 5) Latest: 3.74 % (2024) Source: Our World in Data
Height of men and women by birth year Latest: Men: 171 cm (1996) Source: Our World in Data