And so it goes... : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

And so it goes...

MISANTHROPISTS dub medicine a dull and boring profession. My girlfriends from school tell me, “You deal with sick patient’s day in and day out.

And so it goes...


Hennaav Kaur Dhillon

MISANTHROPISTS dub medicine a dull and boring profession. My girlfriends from school tell me, “You deal with sick patient’s day in and day out. Isn’t it miserable?” Well, there might be some truth in that but I still disagree. We have our lighter moments to break free from all the monotony and depressing truths. More often than not, a colourful patient every now and then turns up to make our day! 

I am continually amazed by the number of patients who become pale, sweaty and anxious when I approach them with a needle. In my work as a medical officer at a dispensary, I once had a military man who showed up for a blood test. The Army man was making more fuss than I’d expect in a children’s ward and had to be comforted — and restrained — by the nurse. Trying to distract him, she asked him about his role in the Army. Somewhat blushingly, he replied, “Bomb disposal!” That was that.

Then there are hypochondriacs —annoying to the core but adding humour to our lives! I once had a hypochondriac visit me with his x-ray report. On finding the report to be normal I told him, “I don’t know why, but I cannot see any evidence of disease.” The hypochondriac, who is always willing to help with his own treatment, had the audacity to tell me, “Have you thought of getting your eyes tested?” All I could do was crease my lips into a gentle smile and scribble on his OPD card, “Wishing you a speedy recovery from your imaginary illness!”

Then there are over-smart patients who indulge in self-diagnosis by reading up medical literature available online, thanks to WebMD and Mayo Clinic Diagnosis. A hyperactive mother of two came visiting me to the dispensary. On examining her son, I found symptoms of acute tonsillitis and prescribed an antibiotic course for a week. She vehemently refused to put her son on antibiotic and lectured me on the side-effects. She glorified alternative schools of medicine and explained to me the theory of how Chinese food is bad during winter. She went on and on before I asked her to leave. The same evening, I found her at a posh Chinese restaurant with her sons, gorging on noodles and manchurian. She was embarrassed to death! 

I recently attended a three-day conference at Varanasi. In his concluding speech the convener, a senior medico, concluded his valedictory address with the following words, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening to my talk. In fact, I would like to thank you from the full length of my vocal chords because I don’t like making anatomical mistakes by referring to the bottom of my heart which, as you know, is not the seat of thought, and cannot produce speech!”

Top News

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest

Ansari was hospitalised after he complained of abdominal pai...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Bhatt, who was sacked from the force in 2015, is already beh...


Cities

View All