Santhosh's ramblings

In the beginning It was 1978, November. Medical college that should have started by June started only in November. There were cases in the university against the admission that continued for about 5 months. Finally, after this long wait, we were Medical students! In those days there were only 2 professions that was considered worth joining - Medicine and Engineering. And between the two Medicine was the elite one! (That is what we thought). So, it is with great anticipation and joy that we joined toe college. Of course, there was the fear of the ragging. But much to our relief there was a court order that our batch should not be subjected to any ragging and should be protected by police! This was because the previous year, a physical assault during ragging had ended in loss of life of a student and mental breakdown of another! But as we entered the college and the Anatomy dissection halls, and classrooms, we were faced with not too encouraging professors.  Or we felt as if...

A few patients that a physician came across in this “lockdown season” over Tele links, and the experiences are being shared for reflections. Late 30s lady, presented from a remote South Asia country location with a swelling in the right thumb, over the MPJ. Pain and swelling have been there for about 4 to 6 weeks, with worsening pain and swelling over the preceding week. Since there was no health care professional locally who could examine, all the consultation was over WhatsApp video calls. The joint appeared swollen and red, with self-elicited severe tenderness.  Patient was initiated on Amoxycillin with Clavulanic acid, and NSAIDS. A complete blood done showed High Leucocyte count with predominant polymorphs and a high ESR. Antibiotics were continued, but soon there was an abscess that formed at the site that burst and a non-healing ulcer and sinus was seen. ESR continued to be high and 8 weeks into the illness, an X-ray done showed an osteomyelitis of the metacarpal bone with...

I do not have much lasting impressions from this year, since in Medicine this is the watershed year. The 4 th year, with Social and Preventive Medicine, which was generally seen as a necessary evil (which I regrated in latter years - I should have given more importance) Forensic Medicine, and couple of other departments, was seen as a season to get through to enter in to the final year! Of course, the campus election politics was a good distraction too. A few events stand out in memory. One was the SPM tour and some of the learnings in that trip. The highlight was the one visit to a rural hospital at Ambilikai, Oddanchathram and the stories I heard form Dr Cherian, the founder. Walking into theatre where he was doing a major abdominal surgery under open Ether, and then hearing stories of how he had operated on some challenging patients under open ether. An Esophageal resection and a Stomach pull through for a Carcinoma Esophagus, A vascular surgery for a Axillary artery AV fistula w...

In retrospective, he could not even imagine such a day, one that ended with a total internal and external turn around! A day when his life would move from being one of significance through productivity to one that will find significance through following! It was one of those days – a f ull day’s work (a full night’s work) and at the end of the day nothing in hand. A feeling of having wasted the whole day! And he was sitting and cleaning his tools (nets) before he can go home and catch some well needed sleep. It was at this time, this teacher walked into his life. Not a welcome interruption – end of the day, tired, wanting to go home and rest, the teacher requesting use of his boat as a platform to teach. But teachers are to be respected, never say no to teachers, and guests, especially new and unknown people are to be welcomed, this is what was ingrained into his life as a value. So, with no questions asked, he allowed him to enter his boat. Peter had heard through grapevine about th...

Reading through the life of Abraham this season, with the fresh memory of some of our friends and known people who have   gone on from this world due to COVID19 or have faced imminent death and recovered, was challenging. The things we hold on, fight, grapple and struggle with, loses significance in the light of imminence of disease, morbidity and mortality! Abraham in his journey held many things loose. He held his right as uncle to choose what was rightfully his loose ! Genesis 12:8  So Abram said to Lot, “Let us not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.  9  Is not the whole land before you? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” He held what was rightfully his reward or remuneration loose ! Genesis 14:21  The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep t...

It was an excellent proposal and a project design. To build the tallest towner in the region and a city around it. A smart city with new materials called “bricks”. A tower that will stand out, a city that will attract many to come and be part off. A monument that will promote their name all over the world, unify all those who are with them! “Make Babel Great Again” was their motto! A moto that will withstand any potential internal or external threats even from the supernatural events and powers even! United, the planners felt, then can withstand anything! The design committee approved the plans, and the building committee was authorized to initiate the project. The architects and builders were on to the project, as soon as possible, since they were aware of the potential threats around them. Little did they realize that there was some one watching them and another committee meeting in progress. A committee that was reviewing the threat of this so-called potential “great city” to the ...

The breaking period was over, and most of us managed to come through the 1 st MBBS – the Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry saga, though some friends had to wait a few more months! This was in no way the assessment of who broke in or not, but part of life, some go fast some go a bit slower, but at the end of the day, all journey together! But for me the next year was more challenging than the previous year. The year of Pharmacology, Pathology and Microbiology! In one sense the beginning of the 2 water shed years, when life is taken a bit more relaxed. (We had a 4 and half year course with 1 years each of 2 nd and 3 rd MBBS, and 1 ½ years of 1 st MBBS.) I had done reasonably well in the 1 st lap of the 4 and half year journey, but the second lap I struggled, mostly in one subject – Pharmacology. I did manage to finish the year without major challenges but did not enjoy the same ! And this was observed by the 2 lady professors we had. I remember both calling me to their room, ...