Sambhu Nath De

Sambhu Nath De was an Indian medical scientist and researcher, who made significant contributions to the field of bacteriology and the understanding of cholera and related diarrhoeal diseases. He discovered the cholera toxin, the animal model of cholera, and demonstrated the method of transmission of cholera pathogen Vibrio cholerae. His discoveries helped to establish oral rehydration therapy, which saved millions of lives around the world. De was born in a poor family in Hooghly district, West Bengal, India. He was supported by his uncle and a benevolent neighbour to pursue his education. He passed his matriculation examination with distinction from Garbati High School and obtained a scholarship to study at Hooghly Mohsin College. He then secured another scholarship to study medicine at Calcutta Medical College, where he graduated in 1939. He also completed a diploma in tropical medicine in 1942. De started his research career as a demonstrator of pathology at Calcutta Medical College under Professor B.P. Tribedi. In 1947, he joined as a PhD student under Sir Roy Cameron at the Department of Morbid Anatomy, University College Hospital Medical School, London. He obtained his PhD degree in pathology in 1949 and returned to India to work on the pathogenesis of cholera. De became the head of pathology and bacteriology division of Calcutta Medical College in 1955 and continued until his retirement. He published more than 30 research papers and wrote an excellent monograph on cholera and its pathogenesis. He was awarded several honors and recognitions for his scientific achievements, such as the Coates Medal from Calcutta University, the honorary D.Sc. from Calcutta University, the fellowship of Royal Society of Medicine, London, and the membership of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. De was married to Nirmala De in 1942 and had two sons and one daughter. He died of a heart attack on April 15, 1985 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He was an unsung hero who never received the Nobel Prize despite being nominated for it more than once. His legacy lives on in the millions of lives he saved through his discoveries.