Dr. P.Y. Deshmukh, former professor of Medicine and Dean GMC Nagpur, passed away yesterday at the age of 95, and since then, many of us from GMC Nagpur’s 1970s era have been reminiscing—not just about the good old days, but about our unforgettable teachers. This morning, Vinayak Sabnis called to share a story that perfectly captures Dr. Deshmukh’s razor-sharp wit and our rather… inventive way of voicing discontent.
We belonged to the 1973 batch. Our day began with a 7:30 a.m. lecture—an hour-long marathon—followed by a short break before the 9:00 a.m. ward clinics. One morning, as Dr. Deshmukh wrapped up his lecture and the clock inched toward 8:30, he made a casual announcement: “Bacterial meningitis in ten minutes!”
Now, GMC Nagpur students had a protest technique that was anything but subtle. Forget murmurs of dissent or raised hands—when displeased, we unleashed the Chappal Chorus: a synchronized, deafening scrape of footwear against the floor, capable of drowning out even the most determined lecturer.
Dr. Deshmukh, a man of keen observational skills (and an even keener sense of humor), caught on immediately. He listened to the growing rumble and, without missing a beat, adjusted his timeline. “Ten minutes?” he mused.
“Perhaps… five?”
The scraping intensified.
He paused, eyes twinkling. “Two minutes it is!”
And with the precision of a master clinician, he delivered: “Bacterial meningitis is a neurological infection caused by various bacteria, leading to intense inflammation of the meninges. Diagnose it with Kernig’s and Brudzinski’s signs. Lumbar puncture reveals pus cells. Treat with penicillin.”
Two minutes. Exactly.
Then, with a triumphant smile—one that suggested he’d just won a high-stakes cricket match truncated by the Duckworth-Lewis method—he walked out, leaving behind a lecture hall that had fallen into awed, amused silence. One can almost picture him taking a bow.
He had delivered a perfect googly. The first full question in the exam? Bacterial meningitis. Twenty marks. Classic PYD.
