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Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

nytimes.com

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Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#41

Post by MisterTea »

Scoundreller wrote: post #4

Also mitigated many millions of hangovers, including my own. Too bad the commercial nature of “sports drinks” have dialed up the sugar and broke away from the clinical goal of rehydration.

There's a bananna bag mix you put in water. Comes in packets. Quite invigorating.

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#42

Post by bsder »

Scoundreller wrote: post #4

Also mitigated many millions of hangovers, including my own. Too bad the commercial nature of “sports drinks” have dialed up the sugar and broke away from the clinical goal of rehydration.

So they DID tamper with Gatorade. I thought it was just me.

It used to be when I was sick I could down those literally like water. The last time I got sick, I gagged at how cloying the taste was at my second one. I also noticed it didn't have that characteristic "salty aftertaste".

I guess I'll go have to keep some low-sodium salt on hand for when I get sick and make my own from now on. Bummer.

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#43

Post by FrancoisT »

Another unsung hero that contributed to improve the world, IMHO it's a beautiful example of the fact that in the end it's not the degree of sophistication (even of the road to find it is steep) that really matters but how it translates into positive outcome in the physical world that eventually matters. Rip

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#44

Post by avery17 »

cyberax wrote: post #6

People tried oral rehydration before with isotonic solutions, even going as far as matching the concentration of minerals in plasma. It didn't work well for cholera. The amazing discovery was that just a bit of glucose made the world of difference.

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down???

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#45

Post by cyberax »

avery17 wrote: post #44
cyberax wrote: post #6

People tried oral rehydration before with isotonic solutions, even going as far as matching the concentration of minerals in plasma. It didn't work well for cholera. The amazing discovery was that just a bit of glucose made the world of difference.

A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down???

No, it activates receptors in the gut cells that let the water in.

Without this bit of sugar, water just passes through, without getting absorbed.

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#46

Post by gus_massa »

acyou wrote: post #35

I also have a feeling that the pH of rehydration drinks should be low (acidic). To an extent, my body knows pretty well what's good for it. The salt+water tastes terrible, add a little acid and it's delicious. Maybe it takes a little load off of the digestive system by providing the acid that would otherwise need to be generated.

The Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_rehydration_therapy recommends to add sodium citrate or bicarbonate to make it basic instead and prevent "Acidosis".

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#47

Post by emmelaich »

throw0101d wrote: post #39
emmelaich wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ORT seems to have been developed in the mid 1960s, around the same time as Gatorade. I wonder how much one informed the other.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatorade#Origin

Yep, I read that. But what particularly is relevant to Richard Cash?

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#48

Post by Suppafly »

throw0101a wrote: post #18

Regarding the dehydration work see: > Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent and treat dehydration, especially due to diarrhea.[1] It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salts, specifically sodium and potassium.[1] Oral rehydration therapy can also be given by a nasogastric tube.[1] Therapy can include the use of zinc supplements to reduce the duration of di…

What happens after age 5 that zinc no longer helps?

Re: Richard A. Cash, who saved millions from dehydration, has died

#49

Post by myworkinisgood »

emmelaich wrote: post #38
throw0101a wrote: post #18

Regarding the dehydration work see: > Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent and treat dehydration, especially due to diarrhea.[1] It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salts, specifically sodium and potassium.[1] Oral rehydration therapy can also be given by a nasogastric tube.[1] Therapy can include the use of zinc supplements to reduce the duration of di…

ORT seems to have been developed in the mid 1960s, around the same time as Gatorade. I wonder how much one informed the other.

If you read the article, you'll see the knowledge of electrolytes to prevent dehydration was commonly know. The more difficult part was to get it in a form that is cheap enough and robust enough to be able to distribute in distant, hot parts of Indian subcontinent.
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