In this very interesting article1, it is stated that oral rehydration was unknown until 1960. This is untrue – it was ignored, not unknown.
O'Shaughnessy, in his 1832 ‘Report on the Chemical Pathology of Malignant Cholera2, not only correctly advocated intravenous electrolyte solutions for severe cases but also, in milder cases, expected ‘much benefit from the frequently repeated use of the neutral salts by mouth … dissolved in large quantities of tepid water’. The fact that his advice was disregarded for over 100 years will have caused an enormous, tragic, avoidable loss of life.
Footnotes
Declarations
References
1.
Dean ME. Selective suppression by the medical establishment of unwelcome research findings: the cholera treatment evaluation by the General Board of Health, London 1854. J R Soc Med 2016; 109: 200–205.
2.
O'ShaughnessyWB. Report on the Chemical Pathology of Malignant Cholera, London: S. Highley, 1832.
