Doctor's word....
It is almost 24 years now,when i was just married,my father in law ,a surgeon by profession had asked me " I heard you love to read and write. Have you read Doctor's word? A legendary story by R. K. Narayan in Malgudi days? " I had not read it then. I answered " No,I have not read". Then he took me to show a big box of non medical books which my brother in law and he had read and told I can read from them whatever I like... Years passed,I rarely could visit that home and could hardly read any. But it had wonderful treasures. Even he had collected and kept there two of our Medical college Magazines where I used to write stories and had read them too. Because of my residency,followed by job, responsibility of the kids,home etc,I rarely visited that home and my intent to read those books remained unfulfilled. Many years later ,nature keeping it's law intact, "what is created ,will be destroyed"..Due to their deteriorating health and we not getting to visit the house and take care of the books, the box got infested by termites and they had to dispose of many valuable treasure of knowledge,but they didn't have any choice either ! I felt sad and at the same time realized "nature will take it's course always and however we think,many things will go back to the origin where it had come from... The Earth,the water,the fire,the wind ,the sky... The 5 fundamental ingredients of the universe...
But I remember the short story,one of his experience of his doctor career ,he had narrated to me that evening as vividly as I had heard that day... He had narrated,"Once when I had visited to my native village Bhuban to see my old mother and new born child taking a day off from my job,a man came to see me in the evening. He came with excruciating pain, almost bent with it and not able to stand straight, catching his abdomen tightly with a futile effort to lessen it a bit... But alas!!! He literally fell down on my feet to relieve him of his pain. Knowing that I being the first doctor from my village and being a general surgeon in that era and knowing my nature,he hoped to get well soon. The best I could offer him then was a patient hearing of his complaint and thorough examination. He had a strangulated hernia ! I knew he needs immediate survey and I have no ways and means there to treat him without any facility. I told him what he is suffering and advised to go to the nearest available hospital to get it operated immediately.... But in vain.. He didn't leave our varanda and lied down there and didn't show any sign to go off. He kept on saying I ony can save him and cure him. Hours passed,he didn't leave. It was such a pitiful,yet difficult situation. "Every doctor must have realized the monumental agony we go through when we know,we can't help the patient in the given situation, expertise or available facilities and it is nature's decision but yet the patient has so much faith ,not to think beyond us... He narrated again... When it was almost 10 pm and he didn't show any sign of leaving,I felt I must do something to relieve his pain knowing well that if he doesn't get operated ,in no time his bowel will be necrosed and his death would be imminent.. but without any medicine, without any hospital, facility,what choices did I have.?... His continuous pressure to relieve his pain had also drained my patience... I thought for a moment,took out an one rupee coin from my pocket and handed over to him,to buy a little opium and take it ,so the pain becomes less knowing in my scientific knowledge that the strangulated hernia needs immediate surgery and not doing that death is hanging on his head,but it was not possible to tell him about that seeing his unflinching faith...with that one rupee coin he left our varanda with help of his attendant. Years had passed,and I forgot about that patient and moved on in life...After years one evening when I was visiting my village once more, someone came in and told that a man is at the door who wants to see me. I came out,saw a man standing with a pack in his hand and as I came out , could not recognize him and asked whom he wants to see, he touched my feet in gratitude and reminded me of that evening years back when he had been here,the same varanda with excruciating abdominal pain and I had cured him... I tried to recollect. He told,the one rupee coin I had given him ,helped him to get a little opium,he had it,slept off and next morning he got up with no sign of pain...And got a new lease of life because of me ! Thereafter whatever he earned everyday,saved a little and after he could gather a little,he has bought a saree for "Maa",my wife to show his reverence and gratitude and wanted to meet us! " I stood frozen for a moment being flabbergasted. Thought what helped him, a word I had said ,he will get relieved of the pain when he was desperately expecting me to treat him,I knew I had no power to heal him there in that circumstances and his death was imminent and his unflinching faith on a doctor !!! " He continued," may be scientifically,the opium provided much needed analgesia and the guarded muscles relaxed and the hernia got reduced,relieving his pain,but probably not only the science,the art of faith and hope,the desire for doing best for a suffering soul played the best part of it..." He concluded...
After a quarter century I have remembered his words," A doctor's words are most valuable assets of his career,take care of it always"... A lesson learnt from him, R. K. Narayan's story from Malgudi days comes alive with each such experience and somewhere a doctor Raman is reborn...
I feel,even the lesson is more relevant today than ever... Is not it???
Spare a moment ! Spare a thought !!!
It is almost 24 years now,when i was just married,my father in law ,a surgeon by profession had asked me " I heard you love to read and write. Have you read Doctor's word? A legendary story by R. K. Narayan in Malgudi days? " I had not read it then. I answered " No,I have not read". Then he took me to show a big box of non medical books which my brother in law and he had read and told I can read from them whatever I like... Years passed,I rarely could visit that home and could hardly read any. But it had wonderful treasures. Even he had collected and kept there two of our Medical college Magazines where I used to write stories and had read them too. Because of my residency,followed by job, responsibility of the kids,home etc,I rarely visited that home and my intent to read those books remained unfulfilled. Many years later ,nature keeping it's law intact, "what is created ,will be destroyed"..Due to their deteriorating health and we not getting to visit the house and take care of the books, the box got infested by termites and they had to dispose of many valuable treasure of knowledge,but they didn't have any choice either ! I felt sad and at the same time realized "nature will take it's course always and however we think,many things will go back to the origin where it had come from... The Earth,the water,the fire,the wind ,the sky... The 5 fundamental ingredients of the universe...
But I remember the short story,one of his experience of his doctor career ,he had narrated to me that evening as vividly as I had heard that day... He had narrated,"Once when I had visited to my native village Bhuban to see my old mother and new born child taking a day off from my job,a man came to see me in the evening. He came with excruciating pain, almost bent with it and not able to stand straight, catching his abdomen tightly with a futile effort to lessen it a bit... But alas!!! He literally fell down on my feet to relieve him of his pain. Knowing that I being the first doctor from my village and being a general surgeon in that era and knowing my nature,he hoped to get well soon. The best I could offer him then was a patient hearing of his complaint and thorough examination. He had a strangulated hernia ! I knew he needs immediate survey and I have no ways and means there to treat him without any facility. I told him what he is suffering and advised to go to the nearest available hospital to get it operated immediately.... But in vain.. He didn't leave our varanda and lied down there and didn't show any sign to go off. He kept on saying I ony can save him and cure him. Hours passed,he didn't leave. It was such a pitiful,yet difficult situation. "Every doctor must have realized the monumental agony we go through when we know,we can't help the patient in the given situation, expertise or available facilities and it is nature's decision but yet the patient has so much faith ,not to think beyond us... He narrated again... When it was almost 10 pm and he didn't show any sign of leaving,I felt I must do something to relieve his pain knowing well that if he doesn't get operated ,in no time his bowel will be necrosed and his death would be imminent.. but without any medicine, without any hospital, facility,what choices did I have.?... His continuous pressure to relieve his pain had also drained my patience... I thought for a moment,took out an one rupee coin from my pocket and handed over to him,to buy a little opium and take it ,so the pain becomes less knowing in my scientific knowledge that the strangulated hernia needs immediate surgery and not doing that death is hanging on his head,but it was not possible to tell him about that seeing his unflinching faith...with that one rupee coin he left our varanda with help of his attendant. Years had passed,and I forgot about that patient and moved on in life...After years one evening when I was visiting my village once more, someone came in and told that a man is at the door who wants to see me. I came out,saw a man standing with a pack in his hand and as I came out , could not recognize him and asked whom he wants to see, he touched my feet in gratitude and reminded me of that evening years back when he had been here,the same varanda with excruciating abdominal pain and I had cured him... I tried to recollect. He told,the one rupee coin I had given him ,helped him to get a little opium,he had it,slept off and next morning he got up with no sign of pain...And got a new lease of life because of me ! Thereafter whatever he earned everyday,saved a little and after he could gather a little,he has bought a saree for "Maa",my wife to show his reverence and gratitude and wanted to meet us! " I stood frozen for a moment being flabbergasted. Thought what helped him, a word I had said ,he will get relieved of the pain when he was desperately expecting me to treat him,I knew I had no power to heal him there in that circumstances and his death was imminent and his unflinching faith on a doctor !!! " He continued," may be scientifically,the opium provided much needed analgesia and the guarded muscles relaxed and the hernia got reduced,relieving his pain,but probably not only the science,the art of faith and hope,the desire for doing best for a suffering soul played the best part of it..." He concluded...
After a quarter century I have remembered his words," A doctor's words are most valuable assets of his career,take care of it always"... A lesson learnt from him, R. K. Narayan's story from Malgudi days comes alive with each such experience and somewhere a doctor Raman is reborn...
I feel,even the lesson is more relevant today than ever... Is not it???
Spare a moment ! Spare a thought !!!
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