The posting in Dermatology was one, as an Intern, I had looked forward to. The full name of the specialty was Dermatology, Venearology and Leprology. In addition to diseases of the skin, it dealt with sexually transmitted diseases and leprosy. It was one of those cooler departments that an intern desperately looks forward to. I […]
Category: Guts and Glory
ENTRY- The Background. -Batch of 1990, Medical School.
In 1988, a mysterious thing called the internet connected USA and Europe. What was it? No one knew, and none cared. An organization called the CERN, named a strange electronic contraption, the World Wide Web. The same year, saw the first famous computer virus, ‘The Internet Worm’. A McDonald’s outlet opened for the first time […]
Under the knife- The first time.
I WAS fourteen, and we were staying in a small house in Thrissur. The most fascinating aspect of my house was the adjoining half-acre property to which I had free access. Open a gate and I was there. It was allowed to run wild. In Kerala, that meant automatic transformation of the place into a […]
The War starts- The first day of a Resident Surgeon.
THE JOURNEY through Palakkad is always scenic. The place had a hole in the wall of the Western Ghats. This mountain stretched between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, lush green, like a barricade between neighbourhoods festooned with moss. I was on the way to JIPMER: Jawahar Lal Nehru Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research. I […]
Study in Scarlet- The nosebleed.
THE LONGER stints in Medicine, Surgery and Gynaecology were followed by a series of short postings in various assorted departments. It was a whirlwind tour in bewilderment. I went to each department with sweaty palms. Acute attacks of panic marked the first day. Over a few days I learned enough to manage my duties with […]