Unbelievable, but true. Robert Liston, a Scottish surgeon (1784-1847) practised orthopaedic surgery all over Britain. He obtained specialisation in amputations, practising in an era when anaesthesia was in infancy. Cutting and sawing on a conscious, screaming patient took strong nerves and a strong stomach. The shorter the operation, Liston thought, the lesser the pain the …
More is not always better
Atul Gawande, the surgeon-researcher-public health activist in his recent essay describes the current medical practice so succinctly : “Millions of people are receiving drugs that aren’t helping them, operations that aren’t going to make them better, and scans and tests that do nothing beneficial for them, and often cause harm.” Once a test or a …
Bevan Congdon
Bevan Congdon died today. I remember his two towering sixes in the 1969 Nagpur test (India vs. New Zealand) – incidentally, the first cricket match that I saw live at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur. A connoisseur’s dream, he scored match-winning sixty-plus in the first inning and had no problems reading the variations in …
Tongue twisters
I am unable to pronounce the names of many new drugs. I tried hard and then gave up. Incurable diseases and unpronounceable drugs- the combination is deadly.
Vidarbha wins Ranji trophy
Vidarbha did it! What a victory! This day reminds me of Kapil Dev lifting the 1983 World cup in England: the Vidarbha team was as much an underdog as the Indian team was in 1983. Thirty-five years ago, a bunch of Indian players took over the mighty West Indian team and made history by defeating …
Vidarbha inching towards a victory
Rajneesh Gurbani seems to be in sublime form! This morning, he scythed through Delhi’s middle and tail for a hat-trick against Delhi— no mean achievement in a Ranji Trophy final— and went on to claim four wickets in just six balls. He bowled intelligently today: neither Mishra, nor Saini, nor Shorey could read his incredible …
Dr Sushila Nayar
26 December brings vivid memories of Dr. Sushila Nayar—fondly called Badi behenji—across the kaleidoscope of mind. She was born on this day—103 years ago. Five decades ago, she began working to implement mission impossible—designing a medical school in Sevagram. She fought all odds, relentlessly and ensured that her dream of starting a rural medical school …
Vidarbha in Ranji trophy final
What an exciting victory! Vidarbha in Ranji Trophy final! Absolutely unbelievable! Vidarbha cricket’s finest hour! The teams were so closely matched and the result so incredibly close! The way Vidarbha held its nerves in what turned out to be a nail biting finish and snatched victory from the tightening jaws of defeat makes me very …
Madhukar Anant Mehendale
Dr Madhukar Anant Mehendale. This 98-year-old living legend defies his age. Whenever we see him strolling in our colony in Sevagram, he reminds us of his wit, intelligence, sense of humour and deep love for languages and history- qualities that leave us mightily impressed. We have one more reason to be proud about: his son, …
MGIMS alumni
Sadhana Bose and Dipali Trivedi (MGIMS Alumni 1985 batch) visited Sevagram recently. While Sadhana was busy monitoring the educational activities and shaping the career prospects of the school children she is closely associated with, Dipali took some time off and requested me to give her a guided tour of the hospital. This is the first …