Everyman's Science

Everyman’s ScienceEVERYMAN’S Vol. XLVIII No. 2, June ’13 — July ’13 SCIENCE Vol. XLVIII No. 2 (June ’13 – July ’13) EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD EDITORIAL BOARD Prof. Swapan Kumar Datta (New Delhi) Editor-in-Chief Prof. Premendu Prakash Mathur (Bhubaneswar) Dr. Ashok Kumar Saxena Dr. R. L. Bharadwaj (Agra) Area Editors Prof. Rajneesh Dutt Kaushik (Haridwar) Dr. (Mrs.) Vijay Laxmi Saxena (Biological Sciences) Prof. Amarendra Kumar Sinha (Jaipur) Dr. Mohan Khedkar (Amravati) Dr. Pramod Kumar Verma (Earth Sciences, Engineering & Material Sciences) Dr. Pitamber Prasad Dhyani (Almora) Dr. Manoj Kumar Chakrabarti Dr. Subhash Chandra Yadav (Varanasi) (Medical Sciences including Physiology) Prof. Lalit Mohan Manocha Dr. Arvind Kumar Saxena (Vallabh Vidyanagar) (Physical Sciences) Prof. D. S. Hooda (Guna) Dr. (Mrs.) Vipin Sobti Dr. Surya Kant Tripathi (Lucknow) (Social Sciences) Prof. Parimal C. Sen (Kolkata) General Secretary (Membership Affairs) Dr. Sanjeev Ramachandra Inamdar Er. Nilangshu Bhushan Basu (Dharwad) Prof. Surinder Pal Khullar (Chandigarh) General Secretary (Scientific Activities) Prof. Arun Kumar COVER PHOTOGRAPHS Editorial Secretary Past General Presidents of ISCA Dr. Amit Krishna De 1. Prof. A. K. Saha (1980) 2. Prof. A. K. Sharma (1981) Printed and published by Dr. Ashok Kumar Saxena 3. Prof. M. G. K. Menon (1982) on behalf of Indian Science Congress Association and printed at Seva Mudran, 43, Kailash Bose 4. Prof. B. Ramachandra Rao (1983) Street, Kolkata-700 006 and published at Indian 5. Prof. R. P. Bambah (1984) Science Congress Association, 14, Dr. Biresh Guha 6. Prof. A. S. Paintal (1985) Street, Kolkata-700 017, with Dr. Ashok Kumar Saxena as Editor. For permission to reprint or Annual Subscription : (6 issues) reproduce any portion of the journal, please write to the Institutional 200/- ; Individual 50/- Editor-in-Chief. Price : 10/- per issue 85 Everyman’s Science Vol. XLVIII No. 2, June ’13 — July ’13 CONTENTS EDITORIAL : Enteric Disease and Prevention : Where We Stand ? Dr. Suman Kanungo & Dr. Manoj Kumar Chakrabarti 87 ARTICLES : Impact of the Development of Science and Technology on Environment A. K. Sharma 89 Health Benefits of Betel Leaves and the Health Effects of Betel Quid U.B. Roy and K.K. Vijayalaxmi 122 Life Sketches of Office Bearers, Sectional Presidents & Recorders of The Indian Science Congress Association, 2013-2014 127 KNOW THY INSTITUTIONS 157 CONFERENCES / MEETINGS / SYMPOSIA / SEMINARS 159 S & T ACROSS THE WORLD 160 86 Everyman’s Science Vol. XLVIII No. 2, June ’13 — July ’13 EDITORIAL ENTERIC DISEASE AND PREVENTION : WHERE WE STAND ? In the context of public health concerns across in India, rotavirus infection and cholera need special the globe, enteric infections, particularly diarrheal mention in terms of morbidity and mortality and diseases probably constitute one of the foremost require immediate attention. As far as rotavirus causes of infectious morbidity and second cause of infection is concerned, it causes more than half a infectious mortality worldwide. Recent data show million deaths, most of the deaths coming from the that diarrhoeal diseases alone account for 1.5 million sub Saharan Africa and resource poor Asian regions. deaths among under 5 children worldwide. Recent estimates show that approximately 1 child Unfortunately, India is one of the major contributors in 242 will die from rotavirus infection by the age to this global burden of enteric diseases. Though of 5 years. Children around one year of age are there is a decline in mortality due to diarrhoeal most vulnerable to rota, thus on time vaccination is diseases due to better antibiotic use and advent and imminent. A more recent analysis shows that India utilization of oral rehydration therapy, still the alone accounted for 22% of global rota viral deaths. burden remains quite high, still it remains one of Another important concern is emergence of the principal causes of morbidity and mortality cholera across the globe. Recent outbreaks in especially in children. Cuba, Haiti, and Zimbabwe show that it can cause Enteric bacterial infection is major cause of enormous loss of human lives and can spread like diarrhoea throughout the world specially in wild fire to new areas and has the tremendous developing countries. In developing countries, potential of causing outbreaks. Thus it can win enteric bacteria and parasites are more prevalent over the existing public health infrastructures and than virus and typically peak during the summer thus affecting huge economic and other resource months. Recent studies show that Vibrio cholera, E. loss for a nation. An estimate done in mid 2000 Coli, Shigella, Campylobacter Jejuni are major shows cholera causes a loss of around 100 million pathogens accounting for moderate to severe dollar in resource poor African countries alone. It diarrhoea in developing region in under 5 age is endemic in India, stays in the environment group. Typhoid is also an important bacterial enteric especially in coastal areas, that’s why the lower disease occurring in the developing world. Among Gangetic plain is called homeland of cholera. But the viral organisms, rota and norovirus are the main it’s a pity that despite an estimated annual burden pathogens for the under 5. But in reality, always of 2–4 million cases we only react, when there is there are multiple pathogens causing the diarrhoea a large outbreak. as a syndrome. Thus when we think of calculating Control of cholera and other infective enteric the burden and its causative agents and management, infections like typhoid depend on the long-term it has to be kept in mind that there is an existence strategy of improving water quality and sanitation of multiple pathogens which may have synergism systems as done in western world. This improvement among each other. will definitely reduce the burden, but it is difficult Among the enteric diseases, in current scenario to achieve in this resource poor setting, thus enteric 87 Everyman’s Science Vol. XLVIII No. 2, June ’13 — July ’13 vaccine strategies can always be an important countries in most need because of economic preventative approach along with a range of other constrains. Prioritizations may help, but should be intervention efforts. done very carefully and logically. This concept of newer novel strategies like To have an effective and meaningful impact of vaccination along with conventional measures of any preventive strategy, an ongoing robust water and sanitation has become more meaningful, surveillance and thorough knowledge on local need in the light of development of drug resistance and disease epidemiology is called for. It is highly across the globe, posing more complication in desirable to have a constant communication, prevention and treatment. Recently, Strategic collaboration and involvement of local stakeholder Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization for enhancing the durability of any direct and (SAGE) from the World Health Organization’s indirect effect of preventive strategy including (WHO’s) recommended the use of oral cholera vaccine implementation. vaccine and stock pile in case of epidemic as well Dr. Suman Kanungo as in endemic situation. At the same time, rotavirus Dr. Manoj Kumar Chakrabarti vaccines are also recommended for its use, but National Institute of Cholera and vaccine supply continues to be an issue for the Enteric Diseases, Kolkata Nothing is so fatal to the progress of the human mind as to suppose that our views of science are ultimate; that there are no mysteries in nature ; that our triumphs are complete, and that there are no new worlds to conquer. —Sir Humphry Davy 88 Everyman’s Science Vol. XLVIII No. 2, June ’13 — July ’13 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS IMPACT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ON ENVIRONMENT A. K. Sharma n our planet, the milieau of nature embraces environment as created by human agency. Industrial Oinnumerable life forms inhabiting air, soil revolution is aimed at improving and maintaining and water, created billions of years ago, of which human existence, in increasing comfort, and human beings form an integral component. The safeguarding national interests; green revolution is environmental balance is a product of natural geared to the elimination of poverty and hunger, evolution, the history of which may be traced back progress in transport and communication technology to the evolution of life. The birth and death of to making life more comfortable. All these benefits organisms, their life systems, diseases, accrue from cultural evolution. But, during this interrelationships, in the background of natural process of development, emanating from tremendous phenomena like earthquake, lightning and erosion, strides made in Science and Technology, a range of form a complex of nature in which the equilibrium byproducts and disposable materials have been between living and non-living is maintained through discharged into the environment. A very high natural selection. Man himself, though a product of proportion of such products is extremely harmful evolution, yet has created an environment of his not only to the human system but to the biological own. This man-made environment is the outcome world as a whole. This process, otherwise termed of his cultural evolution, which has far outstripped as pollution, is the ultimate consequence of the his biological evolution, defying often the forces of disturbance of natural equilibrium caused by man natural selection. His inventive genius, skill and and his technology. It has unfortunately

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