QPMPA Journal September 2011 - Qualified Private Medical ...

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EDITORIAL BOARD
MEMBERS
Dr. B. Ekbal
Ex. Vice Chancellor, Kuzhuvelil House,
Arpookara East, Kottayam 686008
Dr. A. K. Sabhapathy
Krishna Hospital, Kochi 682011
Dr. V. O. Oommen
Children’s Hospital, Anchal 691306,
Dr. P. Kamalasanan
Navabharath Hospital, Sasthamkotta 690521
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
Dr. O. Baby
President, Chempakasseril, 2 D, Unity Towers,
Kottayam Collectorate 686002
Dr. B. V. Bhat
Secretary, Bhat’s Eye Clinic, Ashoka Hospital,
South Bazar, Kannur 670002
Dr. T. S. Zacharias
Treasurer, M/s. Krupa Clinic, Muttambalam,
Kottayam 686004
Dr. M. A. Koya
Kerala State President, Koya’s Hospital,
Cheruvannur, Feroke 673631
Dr. K. Janardhanan
Kerala State Treasure, Mayo Hospital,
Meenangadi 673591
JOURNAL SECRETARY
Dr. K. Kishore Kumar
Ashoka Bhavan, Near MSM College,
Kayamkulam 690502 [Ph.: 9447485532 (M)]
Email: kumarkishore@sify.com
QPMPA OFFICE
5th Floor, E & F, Vallamattam Estate,
Ravipuram, M. G. Road, Kochi 682015
Ph.: (0484) 2383287 (O), 2367787 (Fax),
Email: mapsqpmpa@asianetindia.com
EDITOR
Dr. P. R. Radhakrishnan
Parackattu Hospital, Anchal 691320
Ph.: (0475) 2271249, 9447027124 (M)
Email: rkparackattu@gmail.com
The views expressed in QPMPA.JMS are not
necessarily those of the Editor. The appearance
of advertisement in QPMPA.JMS is not guarantee
or endorsement of the product or claims
made by the advertiser.
Vol. XXV No. 3 June-September 2011
readers have right to write ..................................... 102
norway...not far away ........................................... 105
redefining ethics .................................................... 106
corruption: india’s billion rupee industry .................... 108
philadelphia experiment .......................................... 109
we and our world .................................................. 112
st. francis of assisi ................................................ 115
a dream that didn’t come true ............................... 117
molecular biology................................................... 118
dr. somerset maugham ......................................... 122
ac. splenic sequestration in an adolescent ............... 125
medical education ................................................. 126
khalil gibran ........................................................... 127
death; end or beginning ......................................... 128
my father ............................................................. 131
revolution in toxicology........................................... 132
demystifying the cholesterol myth .......................... 134
an odious comparison ............................................ 137
prof. n. balsalam – obituary ................................... 138
diamond jubilee family meet – tmc ......................... 139
qpmpa mandya meeting ....................................... 143
living index – june-november 2010 ......................... 144
membership application forms ................................ 145
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readers have right
to write
Sir,
QPMPA JMS had made quantum leaps
in look and contents. From being yet
another medical journal (but definitely
superior) it has now become a ground
breaking collectors’ item which never
ceases to surprise. It brings new insight
on a galaxy of subjects besides medicine.
Readers are sure to be entertained
and provoked by it. It is sure to kickstart
readers to new and productive ways
of thinking. I wonder how they sell it for
Rs. 10.
Dr. Manoj, MRCP,
6 Wyndham Road, Woking, Surrey,
GU21 3DS, UK
News:
MCI secretary resigns:
Medical Council of India is in news for all
the wrong reasons, now with its secretary
resigning protesting chair’s alleged
“indecent and rough behaviour”.
Sangeeta Sharma, secretary, accused Dr.
K. K. Talwar, chairperson, of “repeatedly
shouting at her”. In her resignation letter
dated June 14, (a copy is in the possession
of The Tribune) Sharma stated that
she was quitting under duress.
While Dr. Talwar did not comment, MCI
sources admitted the chair was “at
times, rude to Sharma”. Sharma further
alleged that attempts are being made
to link her resignation with another issue
of her appointment, earlier raised
by the Health Ministry. She told The
Tribune today that she had replied to
the ministry’s queries regarding her appointment,
which was done under due
processes. “I have been pained by attempts
to link my resignation with my
appointment. This matter stands resolved
and there are no CBI cases pending
against me, as is being alleged. I
wanted to quit the MCI silently. The
chair has yet not discussed my resignation.
It stands until things are resolved
amicably,” Sharma said.
Contradictions to her stand, however,
arose as a press statement she issued
said there was no issue or dispute pending
between the Board of Governors and
her. Asked to clarify, Sharma said – “All
I mean is my resignation and appointment
is two separate issues.”
MCI secretary withdraws resignation,
but now her deputy quits:
The Medical Council of India plunged
deeper into crisis today, with another
officer of the regulating body putting in
his papers. Deputy Secretary of the
council Dr. Anshuman Darbari
reportedly resigned last evening. MCI
sources confirmed that Darbari, a Masters
in Cardio-thoracic Surgery (MCH),
who earlier served in RML Hospital,
Lucknow, resigned yesterday, citing
“personal reasons”. He will serve his
month-long notice beginning yesterday.
Though top council sources said
Darbari had certain problems with the
Chairman of the Board of Governors,
Dr. K. K. Talwar, and Darbari said he
had quit on personal grounds. These
grounds for resignation seem queer, as
Darbari had joined the MCI only in April
this year during the tenure of the former
MCI BOG headed by Dr. S. K. Sarin.
Interestingly, his exit today coincided
with the withdrawal of resignation by
MCI secretary Sangeeta Sharma, who
quit on June 14.
Tribune News Service, New Delhi
Sir,
Indian physiotherapists are hereafter
doctors. Indian Association of Physiotherapists
decided to prefix ‘Dr.’ to their
names by publishing a notice in newspapers
on 28 March 2010. IAP warned IMA
and MCI not to defame them by going
against that resolution and clearly mentioned
that neither IMA nor MCI have
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eaders have right to write
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statutory powers over them. Until now,
only real doctors could prefix the words
‘Dr.’ before his name. No one was
allowed to prefix Dr., even if he was a
physiotherapist, pharmacist, nurse, radiographer,
etc., and even if they work in
hospitals. Now physiotherapists have
joined the group of medical doctors and
the hallowed group of eminent people
with PhDs.
Dr. Ramachandran,
Annai Illam, 13/ SH-W 20, Shenkotta,
Tamilnadu
Dear Sir,
The MCI India is a most defunct of organization.
Many PG degree/diploma
courses are either unrecognized/de - recognized
and are without permission from
MCI. The MCI is fully aware of the various
courses and they have all the necessary
information regarding this. However,
they are not acting and the doctors are
suffering. The MCI body should be dissolved.
In addition, a better regulatory
body should be formed or the MCI should
be vested with power so that courses
should not be continued unrecognized.
The central government is also responsible
for this.
Dr. D. K. Gupta
09213377717. yudhyavir” @gmail.com
Sir,
I am a doctor with a passion for writing,
blogging, playing, computers, and of
course patient care. My writing in this
medical blog will reflect my passion, and
you are welcome to be a part of this venture.
This Medical Blog is a tribute to all
great medical pioneers, and to the ultimate
source of wisdom, God.
Dr. Lawrence
http://www.medicalisland.net.
Twitter: @drlawrencekindo
http://twitter.com/drlawrencekindo.
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/
pages/Medical-Island/
117735864906236
Sir,
To ask people already burdened with systematic
official bribery to accept it as legal
is to underestimate public
intelligence. The Chief Economic Adviser
to the Ministry of Finance, Government
of India, wants a ‘certain class’ of bribes
as legal. In addition, says so in a paper
titled, “Why for a Class of Bribes,
that bribery should be treated as
legal.”
The paper is up on the Finance Ministry’s
website: http://finmin.nic.in/
W o r k i n g P a p e r /
Act_Giving_Bribe_Legal.pdf, the author,
Kaushik Basu, modestly describes his
contribution as “a small but novel and
radical idea.” The timing is radical, one
must admit. This is something like the
order issued by the Chief Officer of the
Titanic between the first and second icebergs.
(Trying to stay afloat in all those
icebergs of CWG, CVC, CAG, 2G, DB,
Radia, cash-for-votes, Wiki Leaks, illicit
overseas funds, Supreme Court censures,
etc.)
There are “harassment bribes” and there
are “non-harassment bribes,” says Basu.
He is concerned with the former. An exporter
has fulfilled all formalities but “is
asked to make an illegal payment to get a
customs clearance,” or an assessee is
asked to bribe the income tax officer to
get tax refund cleared. These are examples
of “harassment bribes”, according to
Basu.
He wants all such bribes legitimate. He
does not clarify whether the “act of bribery”
is still illegal. He argues that the punishment
should be on the bribe taker. He
even wants, the bribe is returned to the
giver when it is proved in court. At
present, both share a “collusive bond”
since both violate the law. Giving the giver
immunity, he says, the nexus will be broken.
In his view, the changed law would
encourage the bribe giver to trap the taker.
Basu proudly says his reasoning is simple.
It is, actually, too simple-minded.
Yet, his law will in no way curb bribery
in areas of scarcity, for instance getting
admission in a school with only a few
seats left. However, in Basu’s world the
giver faces heavier demands because the
bribe taker now runs major risks. And
there is no way failures in the system
leading to scarcity can be predicted. Nor
to curb corrupt practices gifting corporate
sector over $103 billion in write-offs
or conducting extravaganzas at the cost
of food subsidies.
The idea of legitimizing bribery is just
obscene and perverted. In addition, it
is nowhere as “novel” as he makes it
out to be. As early as the 1960s, Gunnar
Myrdal thrashed such claptrap it created
“resignation and fatalism”
amongst the poor. Decades ago, debates
on this ended up acknowledging how
morally corroding such, practices were.
But, I guess for a government as embroiled
in corruption, as this one there
is now a need to exhume those ideas
and dress them up as “novel.” Basu’s
“novel but radical idea” suits a few but
devastates the majority.
The perpetrators of the cash-for-votes
scam that prop up this government can
walk scot-free in Dr. Basu’s world. (Is that
the intention?) Who will see them saying,
‘hey, these are the MPs who took
cash?’ What if a 2G scamster says he is
legitimately entitled to get spectrum and
paid only “harassment bribes?” It would
be fine for candidates to buy voters during
elections. It is the takers, even if they
amount to million voters, who are going
to be punished. Will a person offering a
bribe to a judge be punished if the latter
reports it? If the judge accepts the payoff,
will the giver report it? Basu also admits
his scheme could leave public servants
“vulnerable to blackmail and false charges
of bribe-taking.”
Other, clever ideas from Dr. Basu: This
year’s Economic Survey of India links inflationary
pressures to financial inclusion
of the poor. “This must not deter us from
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103

eaders have right to write
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pursuing financial inclusion ...” but we
“need to be aware of all its fallouts.” In
the middle of 2010, he favoured decontrolling
of fuel prices, which would help
tackle the price rise, even if it “might raise
inflation in the short-term.” (The Hindu,
June 14, 2010). Again, this came at a
time when food price inflation was pushing
past the 15 per cent. And even as the
FAO was warning against rising food
prices worldwide and the immense hardship,
they would bring. (In December
2010, the FAO’s food price index touched
a record high.)
Much earlier, he wrote in The New York
Times (November 29, 1994) “The Poor
Needs Child Labour.” In it, he explained,
among other things, why he had once
continued to employ a 13-year-old at his
home. (Another small but novel idea.) He
is also an expert on ‘development’ who
had long argued against banning child
labour. A ‘small’ but fairly radical question
to this government — can we get
somebody who talks sense?
Dr. Satheesh Kumar
Sir,
Thanks to QPMPA, finally we have a medical
journal not drenched in urine or soiled
with faeces. It is a criminal waste to spoil
our high IQs on trivia alone. There is
much, other than the physical bodies to
this world. This is not underestimating
its potential.
JMS is really information transcending
the printed words in it. It stimulates our
minds accustomed to searching the ways
and means for personal aggrandizement
to search other curious paths leading to
satisfaction of a permanent level of existence.
How can I have copies of previous
JMSs with the Cavemen 1 to 20?
If Jesus, Gandhi and Einstein were actually
ETs as claimed by Dr. Oommen (‘they
are already here’) who were Hitler,
Saddam and Laden? Both God and Satan
cohabit among us as ETs and continue
their fight for the ultimate victory.
It is we, the ordinary mortals, to decide
who the final winner is.
Dr. Sreenivasagopal, MD,
Nangiarkulangara, Kerala.
Dear Readers,
I am no doctor. I got JMS as a surprise
gift from a ‘Dr. Friend’ who is also a philosopher
and guide. Though at first, it
made only a little impact with its print
quality when I went through the lines it
inspired and gave me new hopes about
the so called ‘civilised and privileged class’
of doctors. Contents of JMS really
amazed with its depth and wisdom. It
shows commitment and responsibility to
the society. Handling movements like “India
against corruption” and “Jan Lokpal”
at a rather early stage even before the
media took a fancy, shows the concern
of private doctors in major issues affecting
India. Society thinks doctors work
only for money. Doctors keep away from
other issues affecting society because
there is no money to make in them. However,
after reading JMS, one is forced to
change these opinions.
Steps to spread awareness about other
illnesses affecting society other than the
physical ones can inspire many young
Indians who like to serve and contribute
for their nation. Many of them I met during
my Youth Empowerment Skills Workshops
across south Indian colleges were
impressed by this ‘medical journal’.
Reaching this journal to many young
people like them can make a positive
wave. Hats off to doctors who dare to think
and act different. With love.
Jayraj Hrishikesh
jairajaol@gmail.com
Faculty, World Alliance for Youth
Empowerment (WAYE)
Dear Doctor,
We often forget what a registered medical
practitioner can do, what are his/her
privileges. Right to practice Medicine,
Surgery and Midwifery. Right to dispense
medicine. Right to possess and supply
dangerous drugs to his patients. Right to
recovery of fee. Eligibility for medical appointments.
Eligibility to sign official certificates
– death, lunacy, etc. Eligibility to
give evidence as an expert. Exemption
from jury service. Right to prefix ‘Dr.’ and
suffix MBBS with name.
Dr. S. K. Roy Chaudhary,
MBBS (Hons) MD (PU)
Retd. Principal & Dean of a Govt. Med.
College, Prof. & HOD Forensic Medicine,
Mallikarjuna Nallegowda
“mailto:drmallik@yahoo.com”
Sir,
When will our MBBS students and graduates
wake up? Our great medical associations
(IMA, etc.) are still in daydreams
thinking nobody is going to encroach our
medical domain. They really do not know
on current allied health professions movements
for independent practice and their
hidden agendas across the globe to enter
medical field through the backdoor. Today
it is ortho, neurology, tomorrow ENT
and radiology. No medical speciality will
be spared unless we act right now.
Here is the latest news:
No need for doctors: Now physios will be
able to write prescriptions
www.dailymail.co.uk
Claire Bates, Dailymail, UK
Physiotherapists could soon have
the right to prescribe drugs to patients
in the same way as nurses and pharmacists.
They would be able to prescribe
a range of medication for respiratory diseases
such as asthma and neurological
conditions such as those caused by
stroke. Now physios may only prescribe
medication with the written approval of
a doctor. However, the Department of
Health has opened a consultation over
a change in the law, which would allow
specially trained physios to prescribe a
wide range of drugs, including pain relievers.
contd. page 107
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editorial
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norway...not far
away
dr. radhakrishnan
We often hear – the world is getting crazier and crazier; everything
is now upside down. But world is the same. It had always
been the same – upside down, insane, crazy. But one thing is
new: this growing awareness at something is basically wrong
with us. It can be a great beginning.
The world was always insane. In three thousand years we had
fought five thousand wars. We cannot remember any time when
we were not destroying others; either for God or for humanity!
‘Dying for country is great; kill for religion and you are assured
a place in heaven’. Why we believe them if we are sane!
Norwegian killer Breivik is not alone. Every human child is born
sane. We start civilizing him, we prepare him to become part of
our great culture, our great religion, great country. We teach him
to hate all ‘others’.
The story will repeat…till a deadly weapon or heavenly virus
delivers the Earth from us.
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105

national president’s page
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redefining ethics
Ethics of doctors are the principles
that govern professional behaviour.
These moral principles
also should spill over into their
lives. They imply that a doctor
must be honest, decent, just,
moral, noble, principled, righteous,
upright and what not. Demanding
adjectives, one should
say.
However, these qualities made the
society to look at doctors as different
from thieves or politicians.
The opposites are accepted as ideals
to embrace if one wants ‘to
achieve’ in life. Then the question
is ‘which doctor will want to become
failures’?
Are our ethics absolute truths or
unalterable facts? The concept of
absolute truths has been debated
among philosophers and ordinary
people. In addition, all have
waded in the muck of defining
absolute truths for millennia. For
example, Plato believed that absolute
truths existed, but truths
on earth were just shadows. Many
people believe only in relative
truths, where facts vary depending
on circumstances and requirements.
It is difficult to disprove the concept
of absolute truth, since saying
there are no absolute truths –
that it is true that no absolute
truth exists – is itself an absolute
truth. One can only say, “From
what I know, I believe there are
no absolute truths.” Still, this is
murky territory.
There are a few things that we
may all agree to be true, but they
too depend upon agreement in
definition. Take, for example, the
case of corruption in India. Only
a few will agree the statement that
Sri Hazare is the most ethical man
in India as an absolute truth.
However, many would agree, given
the present conditions, he is more
ethical than most Indians are.
Some might quibble over the fact
that people define “ethics” differently.
Some might argue that corruption
in India is not that much
dr. o. baby
of an evil to be eradicated, but it
is unavoidable. Some even wonder
how this vast country can be
governed without politicians, corrupt
or not! So what is the absolute
truth on corruption?
However, proper functioning societies
and communities often rely
on certain agreed-upon truths.
Majority need not endorse even
these truths. For example, many
people hold corruption, rape and
murder as crimes though their
elected representatives have different
views. Failure of a society
to agree upon definitions of such
terms leads to chaos. Thus while
absolute truths may be hard to
come by, some amount of truths
are required, for a properly functioning
society. Whether these
truths are absolute is a matter
that will continue to be debated.
Einstein’s opinion on ethics is interesting.
He said, ‘relativity applies
to physics, not to ethics.’ He meant
that when everything in this universe
obeys his relativity, ethics
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does not. It is absolute. We cannot
say his ethics and my ethics are
different. If anything is to be ethical,
it must be an absolute truth.
We cannot go about redefining ethics
every other day according to circumstances
and priorities. Then
ethics becomes something else, definitely
not ethics.
A historic event by a QPMPA exercise
is going to happen soon.
Hippocratic Oath implies we respect
our seniors like parents.
The first batch of the first medical
college, our senior most seniors,
started their course in 1951
in Kerala. And QPMPA is going
to honour that batch or whatever
readers have right to write contd...
Supporters believe the move will improve
care and offer patients quicker and more
direct access to drugs and treatment. Ann
Green, chair of the Chartered Society of
Physiotherapy, which has campaigned for
the change, said the consultation represented
‘a major step forward towards the
goal of improving patient care delivered
by physiotherapists.’
‘Though the proposed change will mean
greater responsibilities and additional
training to become independent prescribers,
physiotherapists are well placed to
take this on as they have already been
remains of it in the golden jubilee
year of Medical College, Trivandrum.
A chance meeting between
a student of that batch (now well
past ninety) and our secretary Dr.
Kishore mooted the idea of tracing
down all those pioneers, which
include people like Dr. Valiyathan,
Dr. Krishnadas and Dr. Paul.
It seems nearly half of them have
left this world forever. Of the remaining,
most are leading retired
lives in different countries across
the world. Dr. Kishore had done
a commendable job in tracing
those trailblazers. He had contacted
all who are still alive. They
are eagerly looking forward for
‘supplementary prescribers’ since 2001,’
she added.
At present physiotherapists are allowed
to prescribe medication if they are working
under the written authority of a doctor.
Limited prescribing powers began to be
given to nurses during the 1990s.
Section 63 of the Health and Social Care
Act 2001 then allowed other non-medical
professionals, including physiotherapists,
to act as supplementary prescribers.
Independent prescribing, which provides
full autonomy in the decision-making
this reunion sponsored by us. No
association anywhere in the
world, than QPMPA, is honouring
its seniors like this.
I appeal to all life members to
update memberships by becoming
life members of QPMPA India.
QPMPA is now national
with members outside Kerala.
Membership fee of QPMPA India
Rs. 10,000. Please send Rs.
4,000 more to become life members
in it. Your contribution will
help our association to continue
fighting injustices against all
private doctors of India. The
membership form is printed in
this issue of JMS.
and responsibility for drugs use, was
granted to nurses and pharmacists in
2009.
A spokesperson from the British Medical
Association said – ‘Doctors undergo years
of training to equip them with the skills
to be able to prescribe medicines for all
conditions.’
‘However, there is a role for other healthcare
professionals to prescribe from a limited
range of medicines for specific
conditions.’
A Doctor
‘I just had the most awful time. First I got atherosclerosis, then angina pectoris. As I was recovering then
came psoriasis. Then they gave hypodermics and to top it all, tonsillitis was followed by herniorrhaphy
and haemorrhoidectomy’.
‘Jesus! How did you pull through?’
‘I don’t know, the toughest spelling test I ever had’
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107

state president’s page
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corruption: india’s billion
rupee industry
“Corruption is worse than
prostitution; the latter
endangers morals of an
individual, but the former
invariably endangers morals
of an entire country.”
Corruption is a term with many meanings,
but generally, it entails misusing
one’s office for private gains. It involves
both monetary and nonmonetary benefits.
Bribery, extortion, influence peddling,
nepotism, scams, fraud, ‘grease
money’, opportunism and many such
unpleasant things readily spring to mind.
The crime of corruption is always viewed
with distaste. It is no coincidence that
the word itself is used in the phrase ‘corruption
of the flesh’, to indicate
death, decay and mal-odour.
In 1887, Lord Acton wrote a letter
about corruption in churches to Bishop
Creighton. It had a sentence that soon
became a world famous quotation:
“Power tends to corrupt and absolute
power tends to corrupt absolutely.”
What it implies is that, human
nature being what it is, no country or
system is immune from corruption.
Nations had gone to war, governments
were toppled, companies made bankrupt
and whole kingdoms lost due to corruption
scandals.
Corruption is India’s foremost industry
now. Since independence, the money generated
in corruption alone is a staggering
91,000 billion Rupees. All sections of society
are engaged in it. In this massive
industry, bribery is the chart topper and
given its origin at grass root levels, it is
even more difficult to control. Government
Officials demand about half of the
bribes. However, politicians are the real
‘stars’ of the industry. Often as an eye
wash, petty officials are caught while the
real sharks laugh all the way to Swiss
Banks.
The most obvious effect is the loss of esteem
for political life. The opinion that
‘politics is dirty’ is now a reality –
people join politics not from any sense of
duty to public service, but in pursuit of
personal gratification. People have come
to think of corruption yet another government
department, like the green channels
in airports, to get things done. If left
unchecked, corruption undermines law
dr. m. a. koya
and order, reduces public morale and
weakens the very foundations on which
a just society is built.
If it were only for officials filling their pockets,
this enormity of bribery might not be
there. Now corruption takes the shape of
a billion rupee behemoth with annual
turnover exceeding Rs. 250,000 Cr. It involves
the highest courts and highest offices
of our country. The total spending
for the 2009 elections is pegged at a whopping
Rs. 10,000 Cr. The break-up of this
un-mindful spending throws up some
interesting insight...
Rs. 1,300 Cr. (13 billion) by the Election
Commission; Rs. 700 Cr. (Rs. 7 billion)
by the Centre and State Governments;
Rs. 8,000 Cr. (80 billion) were spent by
candidates. 80 billion spent by candidates
and their by political parties! Where do
they earn this kind of money? It is attributed
to the Private Funding that political
parties attract from big industrialists in
exchange of favours. Given the risky nature
of investment, politicians will not
settle for less than 10 fold returns. Are
100 billion rupees needed to carry out
our elections?
contd. page 111
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secret science
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Philadelphia experiment has nothing
to do with Philadelphia gene. Philadelphia
gene is the result of a reciprocal
translocation between chromosome 9
and 22. It is associated with chronic myelogenous
leukaemia. Philadelphia experiment
was an attempt by the U S Navy
to create a ship undetected by magnetic
mines and radar. However, the results
were far more dangerous than the Navy
ever expected. Although the story itself is
too bizarre to be true, many coincidences
have occurred which make it impossible
to dismiss. The technical data holds too
much credence to be ignored. Stories associated
with this experiment are quiet
wild: men ‘freezing in time’ for months,
men travelling through time barriers, and
stories of men becoming stuck in bulkheads
or floor of the ship. In addition, if it
were true, do ETs really exist? And, if they
do, then it is irrefutable that they orchestrate
every step in human progress.
In the early 1930s, the University of Chicago
investigated the possibility of invisibility
by use of electricity. This project
was later moved to Princeton’s Institute
of Advanced Studies. The research went
unnoticed. The ship used for the experiment,
the USS Eldridge, was commissioned
on June 27, 1943. According to Al
Bielek, a man who claims to have been a
crewmember, the first tests were in July
of 1943 and the final test was on August
12, 1943. However, few claim that
the experiment took place on October
28, 1943. Substantial evidence points
to the October date as being more accurate.
But according to Navy’ log Eldridge
was not in Philadelphia at that time.
However, records could have easily been
manipulated.
The government is known to cover up certain
news because of national security.
An example is the ‘Manhattan project’.
This secret project was to build an atom
bomb. No word was ever said until the
bombs actually exploded over Japan. Even
Einstein was kept in the dark about the
real motive of military. The Navy, trying for
plausible explanations, suggested that
dr. oommen
philadelphia experiment
Philadelphia skyline
perhaps ‘degaussing experiments’ the navy
actually conducted to make ships invisible
to mines and radar was confused with
Philadelphia Experiment. The Navy defines
degaussing as: “...a process in which electrical
cables are installed around the circumference
of the ship’s hull. A measured
electrical current is passed through these
cables to cancel out the ship’s magnetic
field...”
Carlos Allende was an odd man. He was
born on May 31, 1925 in Pennsylvania.
On July 14, 1942, Allende joined the
Marine Corps and was discharged on May
21, 1943. He then joined the Merchant
Navy and was assigned to the SS Andrew
Furuseth. It was on this ship that he
claimed to see the Eldridge in action.
Allende’s story was bizarre; he said he
witnessed the Eldridge being transported
instantaneously to Norfolk from Philadelphia
and back again in minutes. Upon
researching the matter further, he learned
of extremely odd occurrences and wrote
letters about it to Dr. Morris K. Jessup.
Dr. Jessup was an astronomer interested
in extra terrestrial life and Allende had
attended his lectures.
The letters were written very oddly: with
capitalization, punctuation, and underlines.
It was written in several colours.
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secret science
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In his letters, Allende revealed the horrifying
details of a secret Navy experiment.
Because Dr. Jessup was ‘something of a
believer in odd phenomenon’, he did not
entirely dismiss the ideas. He requested
additional information. According to the
US mail service, the return address upon
the letter never existed, yet Allende received
Dr. Jessup’s reply. Allende responded
with letters that are more
detailed but the correspondence eventually
discontinued because Dr. Jessup
‘thought’ it was a hoax. During this time,
Dr. Jessup had published his book titled
The Case for UFO’s. Somebody still unknown,
with several handwritten notes
inside, sent this book to the Navy. The
notes were in the same handwriting as
in the ‘letters from Allende’ and Dr. Jessup
was asked by the Navy to view them. Dr.
Jessup recognized the writing immediately.
He was somewhat astonished because
the notes were more detailed and
highly insightful. Dr. Jessup now believed
them and decided to research the matter
further.
Only one tantalizing clue showed up. Two
crewmembers had been walking in a park
when a haggard looking man approached
them. The man told them a fantastic
story about an experiment done in his
ship and most of the crew had died or
suffered terrible side effects. He said that
Navy claimed the entire crew was insane
and when they came forward with the
story about the experiment, they would
merely be dismissed as a group, which
had concocted a fantastic story. After the
conversation, one crewmember was convinced
while the other was not. Eventually
the convinced member contacted Dr.
Jessup and told the story. Although this
was a substantial lead, Dr. Jessup was
not getting very far. In the meanwhile, he
found his reputation in scientific community
worsening. Faced with overwhelming
odds, Dr. Jessup committed
suicide on April 20, 1959. His suicide note
said, “Believing in another existence far
Einstien in Princeton
better, I am leaving this world.” Many
believe that his suicide was an assassination.
Another major clue turned up shortly
after Dr. Jessup’s death. This was one
Dr. Alfred D. Bielek. His story is even more
bizarre than Allende’s. He claimed he was
transported in time to future and in that
future, he was brainwashed by Navy. This
led him to believe that he was Alfred
Bielek, rather than his true self, Edward
Cameron. Upon discovering the true identity,
he tracked down his brother who
had also participated in the experiment.
Cameron claims that his brother time
travelled to 1983 and lost his ‘time-lock’.
As a result, his brother aged one year every
hour and eventually died. He then claimed
that his brother was reborn. Only a few
believed Bielek. The view against him
seems to be reinforced because Bielek
started remembering things only after he
saw the movie “The Philadelphia Experiment”.
Bielek had a PhD in Physics,
so he did have the technical
knowledge. He was also an electrical engineer
with thirty years of experience.
Because of the obvious intelligence and
skill, he cannot be discounted entirely.
The most bizarre part was yet to come.
Bielek claimed that the technology used
in Philadelphia Experiment was given by
ETs posing as scientists!
However, the germanium transistor,
which was what Bielek said was used for
the experiment, was invented by Thomas
Henry Moray. Bielek also stated that Dr.
Albert Einstein, Dr. John Von Neumann,
and Dr. Nikola Tesla were also involved
in the project. Einstein had suggested
such a project to the Navy on several occasions.
Because of this, he was probably
involved in the project. As for Von
Neumann, there is no evidence to refute
his participation. However, there is evidence
that he later continued on the experiment
at a different time. Dr. Tesla
committed suicide soon after the experiment.
The principle that lay behind Philadelphia
Experiment was Einstein’s
Unified Field Theory. This theory states
that gravity and magnetism are connected,
just as mass and energy are connected
through his famous formula
E=mc2. It is believed that Einstein never
solved the Unified Field Theory, but Philadelphia
Experiment suggests otherwise.
It is probable that Einstein’s theory is still
a government secret because it is capable
of doing many things, even space travel
without rockets.
If we search for the technical data on
the experiment, not much information
can be found that is not tainted with
doubts and speculations. The basic design
has two large Tesla coils (electromagnets)
placed on each hull of the ship.
The coils are turned on in a special sequence
and their magnetic force is so
powerful that they warp gravity around
the ship. On August 12, every twenty
years, the magnetic field of the Earth
reaches a peak and allows maximum
synchronization between the Tesla coils.
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Bielek gave it a technical name: the
“Zero Time Reference Generator”.
The oscillators would synchronize
with the adjustable phase angle and created
a scalar type wave. Several scientists
today have attacked Bielek’s
testimony on this, as they believe a vector
wave would have been more efficient.
Bielek also does not make clear if the
power used is AC or DC, pulsed or rotating,
and what the microwave and radar
frequencies were.
Being stuck was also known as the
‘Freeze’. A common freeze would last
minutes to hours and was damaging psychologically,
but did not cause raving
madness. A man would come out of the
Freeze if other crew laid their hands upon
him. Unfortunately, in one instance two
men who attempted to lay hands upon a
friend in freeze found him burst into
flames. The Laying of Hands was discontinued
from then. Then, men started going
into Deep Freeze for several days.
During this time, the man is completely
aware of others and their actions but was
unable to communicate or interact. Men
in the Deep Freeze can only be seen by
other crewmembers. It takes only two
days for a man to go completely crazy in
Deep Freeze.
Carlos Allende wrote – “Usually a Deep
Freeze man goes mad, stark raving, gibbering,
running mad, if his freeze is more
than two days of our time.” Rick
Anderson uncovered research papers stating
this disappearance or freezing of people
is the Zeeman Effect.
“Zeemanising – the Zeeman Effect is defined
as spreading out of the spectral
lines of atoms under the influence of a
strong magnetic field.” The few remaining
sailors have a high PSI factor, which
is intensified by fear or hypnosis. Unfortunately,
they have all been discharged
from the Navy as mentally unfit.
The Philadelphia Experiment has become
a saga of strange occurrences and peculiar
coincidences. It should be noted that
Allende firmly believed the Navy was completely
unprepared for the side effects.
Allende is also quoted as saying: “I believe
that further experiments would
naturally have produced controlled
transport of great tonnages at ultra-fast
speeds to a desired point the instant it
is desired.” A full report of the Experiment
was given to Congress and the
corruption: india’s billion rupee industry contd...
Why cannot there be regulations to stop
this waste of money? Why cannot regulatory
bodies impose a maximum on expenditure?
In India, accountability is still
something that leaves a lot for asking. It
is embarrassing that billions of rupees
are spent on electing selfish imbeciles
who do nothing more than demanding
bribes. The gory facts are there for everyone
to see but solutions are not.
As doctors, perceived by society as different,
(if the mad rush for medical seats, in
spite of politicians’ efforts to malign the
profession, is any indication) we must
keep ourselves un-infected by this ‘plague’.
As members of a profession bound by
personal and job ethics, we must strive
to become role models for the young India,
now disillusioned on seeing the idols
falling regularly at their feet.
Our next annual meeting will be held at
N. Paravoor in May/June 2012. As you
are aware, QPMPA is the only association
still bound by ethics in profession
and life. Ours is the only association not
prepared to take all injustices against us
lying down. Ours is the only association
whose voice is the collective voice of
members were so horrified that they
wanted to disband the project immediately.
However, further research continued at
the Montauk Project, a.k.a. the Phoenix
Project, which was headed by again Dr.
John Von Neumann. The Montauk
Project centered mostly on how human
mind reacts to inter-dimensional time
travel. It took place at the Brookhaven
National Laboratories where Von
Neumann attempted to link computers
with human minds. He was apparently
successful beyond his wildest dreams.
Using this computer-human link, Von
Neumann could affect others’ minds. He
even made claims that mind can create
matter at any point in time. He also
claimed to have sent a man named Preston
B. Nichols through two time-lines, a
fact which was confirmed by Duncan
Cameron in 1985. Cameron was trained
by the National Security Agency, so his
testimony is valid.
…Many people believe that the Montauk
Project is continuing to this day, although
much of the information available about
it is only rumour…
members while all other associations stifle
it. Leaders make their voice.
I appeal to all private doctors to
strengthen QPMPA. All doctors begin and
end as private doctors. In the middle,
there are few illusions like – we are members
of API, we are members of IMA or
KGMOA; we will fight and die for…blah,
blah, blah, etc. However, illusions are
illusions.
I request all members to help the advertisers
in JMS. It is due to them that we
receive it regularly.
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we and our world
‘We in our world’ are not islands.
We are related to every other people in
our world. All humans have a common
ancestor. Jews, Moslems and Christians
have a common father, Abraham, who
lived not far away in time. The biosphere
is a fragile web made by all living beings.
There is another type of web also in our
world. Malicious people weave it after
power and money. However, they are our
voice and conscience; and they decide
what is good for us. They are the opinion
makers and the rulers. They are the wily
spiders who spin this sinister web.
If you want more information, a simple
search on the internet will help. But do
not think we can keep away from those
spiders’ web with the downloaded information.
In addition, in near future we
may not be able to use even the internet
to get information or to criticize those
people. In the last six months law enforcement
agencies of India had asked
Google to remove contents critical of various
politicians, ministers and officers. Six
of these requests were from courts and
the rest from police. Google said, 22% of
the requests were partially or fully complied
with and the rest refused. However,
the disconcerting fact is Google also received
1669 ‘user data requests’ from
authorities. This proves that the spiders
want to peak into the internet for usage
habits of targeted individuals. We had
just witnessed Rupert Murdoch and
Maran fiascos. So beware!
Anyhow, the following information is
from internet, which also helped me to
trace the first batch of students in Trivandrum
Medical College, who are now scattered
everywhere on all continents of the
world.
Suzanna Arundhati Roy is niece of
Prannoy Roy (NDTV) and Prannoy Roy is
married to Radhika Roy, sister of Brinda
Karat. Brinda Karat is married to Prakash
Karat. Sitaram Yechury is married to
Seema Chisthi, resident editor of Indian
Express.
Rajdeep Sardesai was Managing Editor
at NDTV and married to Sagarika Ghose,
daughter of Bhaskar Ghose. Bhaskar
Ghose was Director General of
Doordarshan. Sagarika Ghose’s aunt is
Ruma Pal. Ruma Pal is former justice of
Supreme Court. Sagarika Ghose’s yet
another aunt is Arundhati Ghose who
was India’s permanent representative to
United Nations.
Joseph Bain D’Souza’s son Dilip D’Souza
was member of PIPFD. J. B. D’Souza was
former Maharashtra Chief Secretary.
dr. k. kishore kumar
Teesta Setalvad is member of PIPFD and
married to Javed Anand. They run
Sabrang Communications. Javed Anand
is General Secretary of Muslims for Secular
Democracy. Javed Akhtar married to
Sabna Azmi is the spokesman for Muslims
for Secular Democracy.
Karan Thapar owns ITV. His father was
General Pran Nath Thapar, COAS during
1962 war, which India lost. Karan Thapar
was a good friend of Benazir Bhutto and
Zardari. Benazir Bhutto was Pakistan’s
Prime Minister. Benazir Bhutto’s father
was Z. A. Bhutto. Zardari is now Pakistan’s
President. Karan Thapar’s mother
Nayantara Sahgal is daughter of
Vijayalakshmi Pandit, sister of Jawharlal
Nehru.
Rahul Bose is brother-in-law of Khalid
Ansari. Khalid Ansari is the Chairman of
Mid-Day Group of Publication based in
Mumbai. Khalid Ansari is Chairman of
M. C. Media Ltd. M. C. Media Ltd. has a
joint venture with BBC for FM radio
broadcasting. Khalid Ansari’s father was
Abdul Hameed Ansari. A. H. Ansari was
a freedom fighter and active congressman.
Dr. John Dayal worked as a journalist
with the N. Delhi edition of Mid-Day.
Narasimhan Ram is the Editor-in-Chief
of ‘The Hindu’. N. Ram’s first wife was
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we and our world
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Susan. Susan, an Irish, was in charge of
Oxford University Press publications in
India. N. Ram and Susan’s daughter is
Vidya Ram. Vidya Ram is a journalist. N.
Ram is now married to Mariam. N. Ram,
Jennifer Arul and K. M. Roy participated
in closed door Catholic Bishops Conference
in Thrissur. Jennifer Arul is the Resident
Editor and Bureau Chief in South
India for NDTV. Jennifer Arul is Chief
Operating Officer for Astro Awani - Indonesian
news and information channel.
Ramoji Rao is Founder & Chairman of
Eenadu. Eenadu is the largest Telugu
news daily in Andhra Pradesh. Ramoji
Group also owns ETV Network. ETV Network
produces in Telugu, Bangla,
Marathi, Kannada, Oriya, Gujarati, and
Urdu & Hindi. Ramoji is reported to be
close to Chandra Babu Naidu and supported
of Telugu Desam Party.
Ushodaya Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.’s parent
company is Ramoji Group. Blackstone
Group is reported to have invested Rs.
600 Cr. in UEL.
Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. brings
out The Deccan Chronicle. DCHL also
brings out “Andhra Bhoomi” and “Asian
Age”. DCHL became a publishing partner
of ‘The New York Times’. DCHL began
publishing ‘The International Herald
Tribune’. T. Venkatram Reddy is the
Chairman of DCHL. He is former MP,
Rajya Sabha from Congress. M. J. Akbar
was Editor-in-Chief of Deccan Chronicle
and Asian Age. He worked at ‘Times
of India’, ‘Sunday’ & ‘The Telegraph’. M.
J. Akbar was a Congress MLA from 1989
to 1991. M. J. Akbar joined The
Brookings Institution, Washington in
2006, as a Visiting Fellow on US Policy
towards Islamic World. M. J. Akbar was
a member of the ‘Forum of Islamic
Scholars and Intellectual’ held in
Makkha al-Mukaramma in 2005. M. J.
Akbar’s wife is Mallika Joseph. Mallika
Joseph worked at Times of India.
SUN TV Network is owned by Kalanidhi
Maran. SUN TV also owns Sun TV,
Gemini TV, Teja TV, Surya TV, Kiran TV,
Udaya TV, and Surjo TV among other
channels. Kalanidhi Maran owns Tamil
daily ‘Dinakaran’. Former DMK Minister
K. P. Kandasamy started Dinakaran.
Kalanidhi Maran’s brother is Dayanidhi
Maran who was Minister of Communications
and IT in the UPA government.
Kalanidhi Maran’s father was Murasoli
Maran, a Union Minister from the DMK
party. Murasoli Maran edited a Tamil daily
‘Murasoli’ and ‘The Rising Sun’ English
weekly. In addition, he also published
Kungumam, Muththaram, and
Vannathirai & Sumangali. Murasoli
Maran’s uncle is M. Karunanidhi. M. K.
Azhagiri, his son owns Kalaignar TV. M.
K. Stalin is another son named after Soviet
dictator, Joseph Stalin. Kanimozhi,
daughter of Karunanidhi was a subeditor
for the ‘The Hindu’ and Editor in
Charge of ‘Kunkumam’. She became a
Rajya Sabha member in 2007.
Kanimozhi’s second husband G.
Aravindan is a Singapore based Tamil literary
figure.
Aditanar founded Dina Thanthi a Tamil
daily. Aditanar’s second son is Sivanthi
Athithan. Sivanthi Adithyan owns Dina
Thanthi. Aditanar had launched the
Tamil evening daily ‘Malai Murasu’.
Aditanar set up Malar Publications Ltd.
Malar Publications Ltd. brings out the
Tamil evening newspaper Malai Malar.
Balasubramanian Adityan son of
Sivanthi Athithan manages Malar Publications
Ltd. B. Adityan set up ‘Air Media
Network Pvt. Ltd.’ (AMN). AMN is into
cable distribution, content productions
and broadcasting. AMN owns AMN TV,
producing contents for FM radio, All India
Radio, Doordarsan and Vijay TV.
STAR Vijay TV is a Tamil TV channel.
STAR TV owns Vijay TV. News Corporation
in Hong Kong of Rupert Murdoch
owns STAR TV. Fox Entertainment Group
is a subsidiary of News Corporation. FEG
owns Fox News Channel, in USA. Fox
News is a conservative, pro-church
Republican Party channel in US. News
Corporation owns The Wall Street Journal.
Jaya Network owned by Jayalalitha
owns Jaya TV.
Asianet Communications Limited (ACL)
has a majority stake in Asianet TV. Jupiter
Entertainment Ventures Limited
(JEVL), a subsidiary of Jupiter Capitals
Ltd., owns ACL. The other media outlets
of ACL are Asianet News, Asianet Plus,
Best FM 95, Asianet Suvarana, Suvarna
News, Asianet Sitara and Sitara News.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar is the Chairman
and Editor-in-chief. Rajeev Chandrasekar
entered Rajya Sabha in 2006. Rajeev
Chandrasekhar’s uncle is M. K.
Narayanan who headed the Intelligence
Bureau from 1987 to 1990.
M. P. Virendrakumar owns Mathrubhumi.
In Kerala, his party the Deva
Gowda’s Janata Dal is a constituent of L
D. Editor of Mathrubhumi was Kesava
Menon who was Associate Editor of The
Hindu before taking up this position.
Shashi Tharoor is the son of late
Chandran Tharoor who was a journalist
in Amrita Bazar Patrika. Chandran
headed “The Statesman” in 1959.
Ishaan and Kanishk are twin sons of
Shashi. Ishaan lives in Hong Kong and
works for “Time”. Kanishk lives in London
and works for “Open Democracy”.
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan is a sister
of Shashi. Smita Tharoor is another
sister. Ragini Tharoor Srinivasan is
daughter of Shobha. Ragini is the editor
of “India Currents”. Shobha writes
in “India Currents” an Indo-American
monthly. Shashi’s first wife was
Tilottama Mukherji, a journalist and
scholar. Shashi’s second wife is Christ
Giles, a Canadian. She is Deputy Secretary
of the United Nations Disarmament
Commission.
Mukundan Unni was Shashi’s maternal
uncle. Tharoor Parameswar was
Chandran Tharoor’s elder brother.
Parameswar was the founder publisher
of the Indian edition of “Reader’s Digest”.
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Param resurrected and presided the Advertising
Club of Bombay. Param was also
the Advertising Manager of Amrita Bazar
Now After Lokpal
No politician or senior officer ever goes to jail despite huge
evidence because Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) and CBI directly
come under the government. Before starting investigation
or initiating prosecution in any case, they have to take permission
from the same bosses, against whom the case has to be
investigated
No corrupt officer is dismissed from the job because Central
Vigilance Commission, which is supposed to dismiss corrupt
officers, is only an advisory body. Whenever it advises government
to dismiss any senior corrupt officer, its advice is never
implemented.
No action is taken against corrupt judges because permission
is required from the Chief Justice of India to even register an FIR
against corrupt judges.
Nowhere to go – People expose corruption but no action is
taken on their complaints.
There is so much corruption within CBI and vigilance departments.
Their functioning is so secret that it encourages corruption
within these agencies.
Weak and corrupt people are appointed as heads of anti-corruption
agencies.
Citizens face harassment in government offices. Sometimes they
are forced to pay bribes. One can only complain to senior officers.
No action is taken on complaints because senior officers
also get their cut.
Nothing in law to recover ill gotten wealth. A corrupt person
can come out of jail and enjoy that money.
Small punishment for corruption – Punishment for corruption
is minimum 6 months and maximum 7 years.
Patrika. Times of India is alleged to be
owned by a crime syndicate based in
Spain.
Now it may be clear why ‘the majority’
vehemently opposes Lokpal Bill. They will
be miserable after it because…
Lokpal at centre and Lokayukta at state level will be independent
bodies. ACB and CBI will be merged into these bodies. They
will have power to initiate investigations and prosecution against
any officer or politician without needing anyone’s permission.
Investigation should be completed within 1 year and trial to get
over in next 1 year. Within two years, the corrupt should
go to jail.
Lokpal and Lokayukta will have complete powers to order
dismissal of a corrupt officer. CVC and all departmental
vigilance will be merged into Lokpal and state vigilance will be
merged into Lokayukta.
Lokpal & Lokayukta shall have powers to investigate and
prosecute any judge without needing anyone’s permission.
Lokpal & Lokayukta will have to enquire into and hear
every complaint.
All investigations in Lokpal & Lokayukta shall be
transparent. After completion of investigation, all case records
shall be open to public. Complaint against any staff of Lokpal &
Lokayukta shall be enquired and punishment announced within
two months.
Politicians will have absolutely no say in
selections of Chairperson and members of Lokpal &
Lokayukta. Selections will take place through a transparent
and public participatory process.
Lokpal & Lokayukta will get public grievances resolved
in time bound manner, impose a penalty of Rs. 250 per day
of delay to be deducted from the salary of guilty officer and
award that amount as compensation to the aggrieved citizen.
Loss caused to the government due to corruption will be
recovered from all accused.
Enhanced punishment – The punishment would be minimum
5 years and maximum of life imprisonment.
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st. francis of assisi
Francis was the son of a wealthy merchant
in Assisi. He lived the high-spirited
life typical of a wealthy young man. He
even joined army as a soldier. Later he lost
the taste for his worldly life. On a pilgrimage
to Rome, he begged with beggars. That
experience moved him to live in self-accepted
poverty. He began preaching on
streets, and soon had a following. In 1219,
he went to Egypt, where crusaders were
besieging Damietta. Francis achieved personal
meeting with Sultan to end the fighting.
He returned to Italy to organize his
order. Once Pope endorsed it, he withdrew
increasingly into himself. In 1224, he received
the stigmata. He died in 1226.
As a youth, Francis was fascinated with
all things French. He wore bright clothing,
had rich friends, and loved pleasures
of life. His disillusionment with life came
fairly. He was in his shop when a beggar
came asking for alms. Francis gave the
man everything he had. His friends
mocked him for the foolery and his father
scolded him for the charity. In 1201,
he joined the army and was taken prisoner,
spending a year in enemy prison.
The experiences there had a tremendous
influence on his later life. Upon return,
Francis went back to his carefree life and
in 1204, a serious illness led to another
crisis. In 1205, Francis left to enlist in
the army but a strange spiritual experience
made him return to Assisi.
He began to avoid his former ways and
began to spend time meditating. He took
to nursing the lepers in Assisi. After a pilgrimage
to Rome, where he begged for the
poor, he had had a mystical vision of Jesus
Christ telling him to repair His house
falling into ruins. He thought this meant
the ruined church, which he frequented,
and so he sold away cloths in his store to
assist the priest for this purpose.
His father attempted to change his son
with threats and beatings. Francis
dr. t. p. v. surendran
renounced his father and patrimony, laying
aside even the garments he received
from him. For the next couple of months
he lived as a beggar. In countryside
around town, he restored several ruined
churches. In 1209, Francis heard a sermon
that changed his life completely.
Christ tells his followers they should go
forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of
Heaven was upon them, that they should
take no money with them, nor even a
walking stick or shoes for the road.
Francis was inspired to devote himself to
a life of poverty.
Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, without
staff or scrip, he began to preach. He
was soon joined by his first follower, a
prominent fellow townsman, the jurist
Bernardo di Quintavalle, who contributed
all that he had. Within a year, Francis
had eleven followers. Francis chose never
to be ordained a priest and lived as “lesser
brothers. The brothers lived a simple life
wandering through the mountainous
districts of Umbria, always cheerful and
full of songs, yet making a deep impression
upon the public.
Francis’ preaching was unusual since he
had no ‘license’ to do so. In 1209, he composed
a simple rule for his followers,
which came from verses in bible. The rule
was “To follow the teachings of our Lord
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unknown science
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Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps.”
In 1209, Francis led his first eleven followers
to Rome to seek permission from
Pope to found a new order. Reluctantly,
Pope agreed to admit the group informally,
adding that when God increased the
group in grace and number, they could
return for an official admittance. This was
important because it saved his followers
from condemnation, as had happened
to Waldensians who were declared heretics.
After a dream in which he saw
Francis holding up the church of San
Giovanni, the Pope decided to endorse
the order.
On March 28, 1211, Francis received
Countess Clare and on her request established
the Order of Poor Ladies, later
called Poor Clares. This was an order for
women, and he gave a religious habit, or
dress, similar to his own to the noblewoman
later known as St. Clare of Assisi.
Many women of Assisi joined them.
For those who could not leave their
homes, he later formed the Third Order
of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. This
was a fraternity whose members neither
withdrew from the world nor took religious
vows. Instead, they carried out the
principles of Franciscan life. Before long,
this order grew beyond Italy.
Determined to bring the Gospel to all,
Francis, on several occasions, travelled
out of Italy. In 1212, he set out for Jerusalem,
but was shipwrecked and forced
him to return. In 1213, Francis sailed for
Morocco, but this time an illness forced
him to break off his journey in Spain.
Back in Assisi, several noblemen joined
his order.
In 1215, Francis went again to Rome.
During this time, he probably met
Dominic de Guzman later to be Saint
Dominic, In 1219 he went to Egypt, where
the crusaders were besieging Damietta.
Crossing the lines, he was received by the
sultan Melek-el-Kamel. He challenged
Muslim scholars to a test of true religion
by fire; but they retreated. When Francis
proposed to enter the fire first, under the
condition that if he left the fire unharmed,
the sultan would have to recognize
Christ as the true God. The Sultan
was so impressed that he allowed Francis
to preach to his subjects and visit sacred
places in Holy Land. After fall of the Crusader
Kingdom, it would be the
Franciscans, who would be allowed to
stay on in Holy Land and be recognized
as “Custodians of the Holy Land”.
While he was preying on the mountain
of Verna, during a forty-day fast Francis
is said to have had a vision because of
which he received the stigmata. “Suddenly
he saw a vision of a seraph, a sixwinged
angel on a cross. This angel gave
him the gift of the five wounds of Christ.”
Suffering from these stigmata and from
an eye disease, Francis received care in
several cities to no avail. In the end, he
was brought back to a hut next to the
Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it
all began, he spent the last days. He died
on October 3, 1226.
On July 16, 1228, Pope pronounced him
a Saint. The next day, the Pope laid the
foundation stone for the Basilica of Saint
Francis in Assisi. Literary critics consider
Saint Francis the first Italian poet. He
believed commoners should be able to
pray to God in their own language, and
he wrote often in the dialect of Umbria
instead of Latin. His writings are considered
to have great literary value, as well
as religious.
No one in history was as dedicated as
Francis to imitate the life, and carry out
the work, of Christ. He and followers celebrated
and even venerated poverty. Poverty
was so central to his character that
in his last written work, the Testament,
he said that absolute personal and corporate
poverty was the essential lifestyle
for the members of his order. He believed
that nature itself was the mirror of God.
He called all creatures his “brothers” and
“sisters,” and even preached to the birds
and persuaded a wolf to stop attacking
some locals if they agreed to feed it. In his
“Praises of Creatures” and “Praises of the
Sun” he mentions “Brother Sun and Sisters
Moon, Wind and Water, and Sister
Death.” He refers to his illnesses as his
“sisters.” His deep sense of brotherhood
under God embraced others, and declared
that “he considered himself no friend of
Christ if he did not cherish those for
whom Christ died.”
Many of the stories that surround him
deal with his love for animals. It is said
that, one day, while Francis was travelling
with some companions, they happened
upon a place in the road where
birds filled the trees on either side. Francis
told his companions to “wait for me while
I go to preach to my sisters the birds”.
The birds surrounded him, drawn by the
power of his voice, and not one of them
flew away. Francis spoke to them.
Once, Francis went up into the hills to
find a ferocious wolf that caused much
distress to the villagers. When he found
the wolf, he made the sign of the cross
and commanded the wolf to come to him
and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf
closed his jaws and lay down at his feet
“Brother, you do much harm in these
parts and you have done great evil. But I
would like to make peace between you
and the people”.
Then Francis led the wolf into the town,
the startled citizens made a pact with
the wolf in his presence. They were to
feed the wolf regularly and the wolf would
no longer prey upon them or their flocks.
Francis, ever the lover of animals, even
made a pact on behalf of the town dogs,
that they would not bother the wolf again.
He believed that the world was created
good and beautiful by God but suffers a
need for redemption because of the primordial
sin of man. He preached to man
and beast the universal ability and duty
of all creatures to praise God and the duty
of men to protect and enjoy nature as
both the stewards of God’s creation and
as creatures ourselves. St. Francis on his
deathbed thanked his donkey for carrying
and helping him throughout his life,
and his donkey wept.
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low of the land
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a dream that
didn’t come true
This is no story. It is a true story. This
happened to me when I finally called it a
day and was about to pack up and return
to India.
I was in San Francisco. It was a beautiful
evening and I was taking a casual stroll
along the bay front when I noticed a curio
shop. I went in and saw a bronze, very life
like statue of a rat. ‘Made in Tamil Nadu,
India during the Chola period’, the note
read. This rat once might have adorned
palace of the great emperor Raja Raja
Cholan. It was a marvellous piece of art;
I decided I must have it though I was sure
it was going to cost a fortune.
I took it to the owner: “How much for the
bronze rat?”
“Twelve dollars for the rat, one hundred
thousand for the story,” said the owner.
I gave him twelve dollars. “I’ll take the rat,
you keep the story.”
As I walked down the street carrying the
bronze rat, I noticed that a few real rats
crawled out of the alleys and sewers and
began following me. This was disconcerting;
I walked faster. However, after a couple
of blocks, I came to the inter-section;
the herd behind me had grown to hundreds.
In addition, to my great distress
they began squealing now.
Often looking behind I began to trot towards
the Bay. Now the rats numbered
in millions, and their squealing had
grown to a crescendo like a police siren.
dr. joseph stephen
past president
I wondered whether some sort of a plague
was in the offing. I was yet to read the
book and QP Con 2011 was still far away
in future. Scared, I ran to the edge of the
Bay and threw the bronze rat as far out
as possible. Amazingly, the millions of
rats jumped into the Bay after the statue.
I slowly walked back to the curio shop.
“Ah ha,” said the shopkeeper, “you come
back for the story?”
“No, I was wondering whether you’ve a
bronze statue of any Indian politician.
Even one from Kerala will do.”
I am ending the story not at the end. You
can finish the story as you think fitting.
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science
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molecular biology
The interface where inorganic
is temporarily made organic!
Molecular biology, the interface between
organic and inorganic worlds,
arose from convergence of genetics,
physics, and chemistry on the common
problem: ‘structure and function of the
gene’. It is not so much a technique as
an approach. It searches for the molecular
plans below the large-scale
manifestations of biology. Biophysics
tries to study the molecules of life “from
the ground up”.
DNA coding of a protein is cloned. The
cloned plasmid has elements to drive protein
production and antibiotic resistance
markers to help follow it. This can be inserted
into cells; either integrated into the
genome or may remain independent of
the genome. In either case, the cell proteins
produced by stimulation of plasmid
can be studied. It can be tested for
enzymatic activity and activity of drugs
against it.
In the early twentieth century, mechanism
of gene reproduction and mutation
was unknown. Thomas H. Morgan used
fruit fly, Drosophila, to study the relationship
between gene and chromosomes.
Hermann J. Muller, recognized
“gene as the basis of life,” and discovered
Image of original DNA
the mutagenic effect of X-rays on Drosophila.
However, he recognized he was
limited in the extent to which he could
explicate the more fundamental properties
of genes and concluded, “The geneticist
is helpless to analyse the properties
further.”
The next decade saw several physicists
turning their attention to ‘inheritance’.
Erwin Schrödinger, proposed ways in
which quantum physics might account
dr. m. devadas
for the stability, yet mutability, of gene.
He speculated that the gene might be a
kind of irregular “aperiodic crystal” playing
a role in the “hereditary code-script.”
Max Delbruck became interested in the
physics of heredity after a lecture by Niels
Bohr, which expounded a principle of
complementarily between physics and
biology. In contrast to Schrödinger, Bohr
did not seek to reduce biology to physics,
but to understand how each discipline
complemented the other. And later
Delbruck admitted even the fruit fly was
too complex to unravel the enigma of life.
He chose bacteriophage instead. Delbruck
and another physicist-turned-biologist
Salvador Luria proved genes were not proteins
but DNA.
Linus Pauling utilized his knowledge of
structural chemistry to study macromolecular
structure of cell. Pauling investigated
weak forms of bonding, such
as hydrogen bonding, which were later
discovered to play important roles in proteins
and nucleic acids. Pauling also made
use of x-ray crystallography to investigate
molecular structure. X-rays bombarding
a molecule left unique photographic
images due to diffraction. Pauling
discovered the alpha-helical structure of
proteins and eventually set his sights on
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the structure of DNA. Recognizing the
importance of these new advances in biology,
Warren Weaver introduced the
term “molecular biology” in 1938.
Another account of the term’s origin
came from Francis Crick’s explanation
for why he began calling himself a molecular
biologist: “I was forced to call
myself a molecular biologist because
when inquiring clergymen asked me
what I did, I got tired of explaining that
I was a mixture of crystallographer, biophysicist,
biochemist, and geneticist,
an explanation which in any case they
found too hard to grasp.” Molecular biology
is a result of the encounter between
genetics and biochemistry. Molecular
biologists and biochemists work
at the same size level and investigate
some of the same mechanisms, such as
protein synthesis.
The early history of these two fields may
be simplistically divided according to
Aristotle’s two features of life: biochemistry
was concerned with nutrition (metabolism)
and molecular biology investigated
reproduction (genetics). Much
of biochemistry’s focus was on proteins
and enzymes. The gene, usually of little
concern to them was thought to be
a protein. In biochemistry textbooks
prior to 1953, DNA and RNA were relegated
to a minor chapter. The discovery
of amino acids as the building
blocks of proteins was a major achievement
of biochemistry. Items of interest
to biochemists were covalent bonding,
the action of enzymes, and the energy
requirements for reactions.
The origin of molecular biology also reflects
themes addressed by philosophers.
For Schrödinger, biology was to be reduced
to fundamental principles of physics,
while Delbruck resisted it. Shift from
classical genetics to study of gene structure
raises the question of the relation
between classical and molecular concept
of gene. Molecular biology’s classical period
began in 1953, with Watson and
Model by Watson and Crick
Crick’s discovery of the double helical
structure of DNA. They built a model of
DNA, with its two helical strands held
together by hydrogen-bonded base pairs.
The subsequent research was guided by
the notion that gene was an informational
molecule.
The linear sequence of nucleic acid bases
along a strand of DNA provided coded
information. The genetic code came to be
The sugar-phosphate backbone
is on the outside and the four
different bases are on the inside
of the DNA molecule.
characterized as the relation between a
set of three bases (“Codon”) and one of
the twenty amino acids, the building
blocks of proteins. Attempts to unravel
the genetic code included failed theoretical
efforts, as well as competition between
geneticists and biochemists. An important
breakthrough came in 1961 when
biochemists Marshall Nirenberg and J.
Heinrich Matthaei discovered that a
unique sequence of nucleic acid bases
could be read to produce a unique amino
acid product.
With the genetic code elucidated and the
relationship between genes and their
molecular products traced, it seemed the
concept of gene was finally in hand. The
machinery of protein synthesis translated
the coded information into linear order
of amino acids. However, research proved
such “co-linearity” simply did not exist.
In the late 1970s, a series of discoveries
complicated the proposed straightforward
relationship between DNA sequence and
its protein product. Overlapping genes
were discovered (overlapping because two
different amino acid chains in the same
stretch on the DNA sequence). Then to
confound it further, Split genes were
found.
In contrast to co-linearity hypothesis, it
became apparent that stretches of DNA
were often split between coding regions
(Exons) and non-coding regions
(Introns). Moreover, vast portions of
“junk DNA” might separate the exons.
The distinction between exons and
introns became even more complicated
when alternative splicing was discovered.
A series of exons could be spliced
together in a variety of ways, thus generating
a variety of molecular products.
Such discoveries forced molecular biologists
to rethink what actually made a
gene. These developments in molecular
biology have received philosophical scrutiny.
Finally, the very concept of gene
itself started intriguing science. How can
such a thing be?
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science
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Francois Jacob, Jacques Monod and
their colleagues discovered that genes
were co-ordinately controlled. E. coli does
not make enzymes for metabolizing sugar
in milk, but when placed in a medium
with lactose, genes to produce enzymes
metabolizing that sugar are induced.
Work showed that the inducer (whatever
it may be) deactivated a repressor and
stopped synthesis of the messenger RNA.
The group of co-ordinately controlled
genes and their regulatory DNA sites was
called “Operon”. It was assumed that
this model might prove to be the way
genes control organisms undergoing
embryological development.
As most cells in developing organisms
seemed to have the same amount of DNA,
it had long been a puzzle how they differentiated
into the many different cell types
in the body. However, further work
showed that gene regulation is far more
complex. In addition, behaviour of the
nervous system was found to be extremely
strange at molecular level. Returning to
fruit flies, Seymour Benzer induced behavioural
mutations in it. Sydney Brenner
developed the nematode worm,
Caenorhabditis elegans, to study its nervous
system and genetics of behaviour.
Nirenberg used neuroblastomas to study
development of neural tissue.
Molecular biology enabled numerous
other fields to go molecular. Descriptive
cytology turned into molecular. The immunological
relationship between antibodies
and antigens was re-characterized
at the molecular level. However, not
all attempts to find the molecular basis
of biological phenomena met with success,
like the claim that RNA molecules
coded memories. In the 1970s, molecular
biology itself was going genomic. The
genome is a collection of nucleic acid
base pairs (adenine pairs with thymine
and cytosine with guanine). The number
of base pairs varies widely among species.
For example, H. influenza has
roughly 1.9 million base pairs while a
Watson
Homo sapiens sapiens has more than
3 billion. Genomics owes much to the
development of new computational
methods for producing, storing, and interpreting
long sequences of enormous
amounts of data.
Frederick Sanger developed proteinsequencing
techniques and used them
to elucidate the amino acid sequence of
insulin. Kary Mullis developed polymerase
chain reaction, a procedure wherein
small samples of DNA were amplified. In
the mid 1980s, USA originated a project
to sequence human genome (initially to
determine the impact of radiation on
humans induced by atom bombs in Japan).
While the human genome received
most of public attention, hundreds of
other genomes including cat, mouse, and
rice were sequenced. One of the startling
revelations was… the human genome
contained 20,000 to 25,000 genes; the
Crick
cats have 20,285 genes, the mouse
24,174, and rice a whopping 50,000. Rice
was more complex than man was. However,
just as a number of disciplines “went
molecular”, molecular biology itself was
wrestling with complexities posed by split
genes and overlapping genes and how a
mere 20,000 genes can construct a human
while a grain of rice requires 50,000
genes. Thus, genomics is now supplemented
by post-genomics.
Developments in genomics and postgenomics
have sparked a number of
philosophical questions about molecular
biology. Since the genome requires a
vast array of other equally indispensable
mechanisms to make a protein product,
can DNA alone really be causally
prioritized. Similarly, in the face of such
interdependent mechanisms involved in
transcription, regulation, and expression,
can DNA alone be privileged as the bearer
of hereditary information? Or is the information
distributed across all such
entities and activities? In addition, if so,
how should be this systems-level analysis
conceptualized? Is post-genomics
simply a collection of mechanisms, or is
there ‘something’ epistemologically and
metaphysically stable that controls systems
and mechanisms? What actually is
this ‘information?’
Genes as linear DNA sequences of bases
carry “information” for the production
of proteins. During protein synthesis,
the information is “transcribed” from
DNA to messenger RNA and then translated
to proteins. During DNA replication,
and subsequent inheritance, it is
often said that what is passed to the
next generation is the “information” in
the genes, namely the linear ordering
of bases along DNA strands. Historians
of biology have tracked the information-talk
of molecular biology, and
philosophers of biology have doubted
whether a definition of “information”
can be provided at all that adequately
captures its usage in this field.
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In 1958, Crick described the central
dogma as follows: once ‘information’ has
passed into protein, it cannot get out
again. The transfer of information from
nucleic acid to nucleic acid or from nucleic
acid to protein may be possible, but
transfer from protein to protein, or from
protein to nucleic acid is impossible.
Therefore, information was not static like
words on a page. Instead, it was dynamic;
it required a mechanism to carry out a
task. Crick also distinguished three different
kinds of flow in the mechanism of
protein synthesis: flow of information,
flow of matter, and flow of energy.
Now molecular biologists were talking like
prehistoric Indian Rishis. Both were now
talking ‘Vedantham’!
In 1970, an anonymous article in Nature,
discussed the implications of the newly
discovered enzyme, ‘reverse transcriptase’.
In some viruses, whose genetic material
was RNA, this enzyme was found to copy
RNA into DNA, which can be inserted
into host genome. This reversal challenged
the one-way hypothesis. A narrow scope
schema, with a reverse arrow from RNA
to DNA, was added to the more widely
found DNA to RNA schema to save the
situation.
It is important not to confuse the genetic
code and genetic information. Genetic
code refers to the relation between three
bases of DNA and one amino acid. Textbooks
show the relation between 64 cordons
and 20 amino acids. For example,
CAC codes for histamine. Only a few exceptions
for these coding relations have
been found (in a few anomalous cases).
In contrast, genetic information refers to
the linear sequence of codons along DNA,
transcribed to messenger RNA.
Since the 1960s, philosophers have questioned
the existence of biological laws of
Xray diffraction photo of
DNA molecule
nature. J. J. C. Smart emphasized the
earth-boundedness of the biological sciences
is in conflict with the universality
of natural laws. No “law” in biology has
been found to be exception-less, even for
life on earth. And John Beatty argued
that the purported “laws” of genetics for
example, were contingent on evolution.
Hence, philosophers’ search for biological
laws of nature, characterized as universal,
has ceased. Without traditional
Prajnanam Brahma
laws of nature, philosophers have been
forced to rethink the nature of scientific
explanations in biology and, in particular,
molecular biology.
Unlike in physics, where a scientist assumes
that an electron is an electron is
an electron, a biologist cannot assume
so. Here, a man is a dog is tree is a rock.
Therefore, the biologist often chooses to
be interested in what makes one individual
different from another, one population
different from another, or one species
different from another. Philosophers
hope to cover biological explanations of
variation, be it across evolutionary time
or across individuals.
All these scientific advances and technological
breakthroughs now withstanding,
the fact remains, that there is no mystery
at all about the interface of living
and non-living. In the Vedas and
Upanishads, this mystery is clearly unveiled.
It is ‘the information’ or ‘the
consciousnesses.’
There is nothing in the Cosmos but ‘Consciousness’.
Learn one skill each year, solve one quiz each day.
The mind commands the body and the body obeys. The mind commands itself and finds resistance.
- St. Augustine (354-430)
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fiction or real
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William Somerset Maugham was
born in Paris. By the time he was ten
both his parents were dead and he was
sent to live with an uncle in UK.
Maugham graduated from St. Thomas
Hospital, London where he started his
professional life. He had a practice in
the slums of the East End where from
he found materials for his rather lurid
first novel Lisa of Lambeth and the acclaimed
autobiographical novel Of Human
Bondage. He decided to quit medicine
after the remarkable success of his
first novel.
At the outbreak of war, Maugham, aged
40 and 5’ 6" tall was too old and too short
for army. Therefore, he joined British Red
Cross as a driver in France. There,
Maugham was recruited by Sir John
Ballinger, head of Britain’s MI6 in France
as a spy. He was the link between MI6
and its agents in Europe. In Russia, he
was given the rather mammoth job of
preventing Russian Revolution to start.
His novel Ashen Den drew from these
eclectic experiences.
In 1915, Mrs. Syrie Welcome gave birth to
his child. Her husband cited Maugham
as co-respondent in divorce proceedings.
Maugham married her. He led a fascinating
life as a spy of ‘Her Majesty’s Secret
Service’. He became famous for his mastery
of short evocative stories that were
often set in obscure and remote geographical
areas of the British Empire.
Continuing his adventures, Maugham
took to South Seas, where he visited Tahiti
on which he based The Moon and
Sixpence on the life of painter Paul
Gauguin. Sickness forced him to return
and remain in a Scottish sanatorium.
On recovery, he returned to Far East and
collected information and experiences
that would form the basis of many short
stories, plays and novels. By now, he was
immensely rich and bought a villa on the
French Rivera in 1928. An invitation to
spend few hours or weekends in his villa
dr. venugopala pillai
dr. somerset maugham
was highly prized by the literary and social
elite. There he wrote his satirical
masterpiece Cakes and Ale, a novel that
examined the private sins that accompanied
public success.
In 1939, Hitler reached Paris. He was
forced to flee with nothing but a suitcase.
Although he rarely describes the
full nature of this escape, it was far more
harrowing than passages in his novels.
Maugham sought refuge aboard a coal
barge. His escape turned out to be a horrific
twenty-day voyage to England.
Onboard the vessel that was not designed
for passengers, he was crammed
together with 500 other escapees. Many
children as well as older and weaker people
died of malnutrition and thirst. Following
a short layover in England, he
settled in US.
Dr. Maugham was a master of short, concise
novels that conveyed human relationships,
greed and ambition with a startling
reality. The remote locations of the
quietly magnificent yet decaying British
Empire offered him beautiful canvasses
to write his stories. His English was clear
and lucid and this made his books easy
to come to terms with. His works are full
of the basest, and yet more interesting, of
the human vices but can still evoke the
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day to day feelings and emotions that
allow us to understand and identify with
his characters. Himself, a complex and
multifaceted character, he managed to
catch much of the darker essence of the
Empire.
In 1938, he travelled to South India where
he visited Sri Ramana Maharshi in Tamil
Nadu. This encounter inspired him so
much; he used Maharishi as the model
in his best-selling novel, The Razor’s
Edge. He also wrote an essay entitled ‘The
Saint’. The following is from that essay
“…In Madras, I enquired about holy men
and they suggested a Swami in
Thiruvannamala. He was Ramana Maharishi.
After a tiring hot drive along dusty
and bumpy roads, we reached his
ashram. We had brought a basket of fruit
as a present. Suddenly, I fainted and
was carried into a hut. I do not know
how long I remained unconscious. On
recovery, I was too ill to move. The Maharishi
followed by two disciples came
into the hut where I was lying.
Maharishi was of average height, of a
dark honey colour with close-cropped
white hair. Though he wore nothing but
a loincloth, he looked neat, clean and
almost dapper. He had a slight limp,
and walked slowly, leaning on a stick.
His mouth was somewhat large, with
thick lips and the whites of his eyes
were bloodshot. He was natural and
dignified. His mien was cheerful, smiling
and polite. He did not give the impression
of a scholar, but rather of a
sweet-natured old peasant. He uttered
a few words of cordial greeting and
sat on the ground.
His gentle eyes rested on my face for a
while, and then with a sidelong stare
of peculiar fixity, he gazed, over my
shoulder. His body was absolutely still,
now and then one of his feet tapped
lightly on the floor. He remained motionless,
for perhaps a quarter of an
hour. Then he came to and asked me if
I wished to say anything or ask any
questions. I was feeling weak and said
so; whereupon he smiled and said, ‘Silence
is also conversation’. He turned
his head away slightly and resumed
his concentrated meditation, looking
over my shoulder. After another quarter
of an hour, he got up bowed to me,
smiled and leaning on his stick, limped
out of the hut.
I do not know whether it was due to rest
or Swami’s blessings, that I felt much
better. I went to his room. It was a long,
bare room. Swami sat on a low dais, on
a tiger skin. Visitors sat cross-legged
on the floor. Swami again entered that
blissful state of meditation, which is
called Samadhi. A little shiver seemed
to pass through all of us. The silence
was intense. I felt that something
strange was taking place that made me
to hold my breath.
Since then, many Indians come to me to
see the man who by the grace of the
Maharishi was rapt in the infinite, as his
neighbours went to see Herman Melville
as the man who had lived among cannibals.
I explain to them that this bad habit
of mine is merely a physical idiosyncrasy
of no consequence. How do I know, they
ask, that I was not rapt in the infinite?
To that, I do not know the answer, and
the only thing I can say is that if it was,
the infinite is an absolute blank. The idea
of theirs is not as bizarre as it seems
when one remembers that in deep
dreamless sleep, consciousness remains
and the soul is united with the
infinite reality, which is Brahman. However,
what I am sure is what an extraordinary
man he is…”
From India, Maugham went back to
America wrote The Razor’s Edge, in
which the fictional ‘Bhagavan’ appeared.
It took the western literary world, not familiar
with India’s spiritual masters, by
storm. The hero of the book, Larry Darrel,
is a young American drifter who wanders
around the world to find everlasting
peace. His search ends in a South Indian
ashram presided over by a Guru, modelled
on Sri Ramana Maharishi. After staying
several years there, a contented Larry
Darrel returns to America to live the life
of a sadhu in west.
Darrel is a composite character derived
from many people Maugham met.
Maugham had portrayed characters, who
often drop out of the mainstream of life
to pursue spiritual or artistic quests relinquishing
everything they had. In his
preamble to The Razor’s Edge Maugham
makes the following statement: ‘To save
embarrassment to people still living I
have given characters of this story fictional
names, and I have in other ways
taken pains to make sure that no one
should recognize them.’
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123

fiction or real
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Ramana Maharishi was still alive when
The Razor’s Edge was published. ‘To
save embarrassment’ he was named Shri
Ganesha, and Ramana Ashramam was
relocated near Trivandrum. The following
extracts are from the 1944 edition.
… (Larry Darrel speaking), ‘It was three
or four miles from the nearest town, but
people used to come from there, and
even from much farther, on foot or by
bullock cart, to hear the Yogi talk or just
sit at this feet and share with one another
the peace and blessedness that
were radiated from his presence as fragrance
was wafted upon the air by a
tuberose.’
‘What was your Yogi like?’
‘Well, he was not tall, neither thin nor
fat, pale brown in colour and cleanshaven,
with close-cropped white hair.
He never wore anything but a loincloth
and yet he managed to look as trim and
well-dressed as a young man in one of
our Brooks Brothers’ advertisements.’
‘And what had that attracted you?’ Larry
looked at me for a full minute before
answering. His eyes in their deep sockets
seemed as though they were trying
to see to the depths of my soul.
‘Saintliness.’
I was slightly disconcerted by his reply.
In that room in Paris, with its fine furniture,
and with those lovely drawings on
the walls, the world fell like a plop of
water that has seeped through the ceiling
from an overflowing bath.
‘We’ve read all about saints, St. Francis,
St. John of the Cross, but that was hundreds
of years ago. I never thought it
possible to meet one who is alive now.
From the first time I saw him I never
doubted that he was a saint. It was a
wonderful experience.’
‘And what did you gain from it?’
‘Peace.’ He said casually with a light
smile. ‘For many years he’d lived in a
cave in the hill, but finally moved down
to the plain where some charitable persons
built a house for him. It is a long
way from Trivandrum, and it took me all
day, first by train and then by bullock
cart to get there. I had bought with me a
basket of fruits, which is the customary
gift to offer. A man led me into a long
hall with windows all around. In one corner
Shri Ganesha sat on a raised dais
covered with tiger skin, ‘I’ve been expecting
you’, he said. I was surprised
but thought that my friend in Madurai
had told him about me. But he shook his
head when I mentioned his name. I presented
my fruits and he told the man to
take it away. We were left alone and he
looked at me without speaking. I do not
know how long the silence lasted. It
might have been half an hour. I have told
you what he looked like; what I have not
told you is the serenity he radiated, the
goodness, the peace, the selflessness.
I was hot and tired, but gradually I began
to feel wonderfully rested. I knew
that this was the man I’d been seeking’.
‘I was given a shack in the room where
Shri Ganesha lived when he first came
down from his cave. The hall in which he
now passed both night and day had been
built when disciples gathered around
him. I read a great deal. I meditated. I
listened to him when he chose to talk;
he did not talk very much, but he was
always willing to answer questions.
It was wonderfully inspiring to listen to
him. It was like music. Though he had
practised very severe austerities, he did
not enjoin them on disciples. He sought
to wean them from the slavery of
selfhood, passion and sense, and told
them that they could acquire liberation
by tranquillity, restraint, renunciation,
resignation, by steadfastness of mind
and by an ardent desire for freedom.
People used to come from the nearby
town, where there was a famous temple
to which great crowds flocked once a
year for festival. They came from Trivandrum
and from far off places to tell him
their troubles, to ask his advice, to listen
to his teaching; and all went away
strengthened in soul and at peace.’
‘What he taught was very simple. He
taught that we are all greater than we
know and that wisdom is the means to
freedom. He taught that it is not essential
to salvation to retire from the world,
but only to renounce selfishness. He
taught that work done with no selfish
interest purifies the mind and that duties
are the opportunities offered to man
to sink his separate self and become
one with the universal self. But it wasn’t
his teaching that was so remarkable; it
was the man himself. I knew that at last
I had found what I wanted…’
After publication, The Razor’s Edge immediately
became the best-selling novel
of the world. It is Maugham’s most successful
novel. Shortly after it was published,
he sold the film rights to Twentieth
Century Fox. Although his screenplay
was not used, the film was a huge
financial success. It was nominated for
four Oscars and made so much money
that the producers requested Maugham
to write a sequel. However, Maugham,
disenchanted with Hollywood, declined
the offer. Though the monetary gains
would have been enormous, he never
again worked in Hollywood and never
wrote a sequel.
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medicine
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dr. pushendra magon
Professor, Vinayaka Medical College,
Karaikkal. drpushpendra1969@gmail.com
ac. splenic sequestration
in an adolescent living
at sea level
Sickle cell-beta thalassaemia can
run quiet unexpected course as illustrated
by this 14-yr-old boy presented in
our casualty. To the best of our knowledge
serious splenic sequestration in adolescents
without precipitating factors like
infection, trauma or severe hypoxia (1) in
sickle cell-beta thalassaemia has not
been previously reported, although anecdotal
reports of splenic syndrome due to
infarction in adults with sickle cell-beta
thalassaemia trait have been reported.
Sickle cell-beta thalassaemia is a heterogeneous
disorder with variable clinical expressions
ranging from symptomless
state to state resembling homozygous
sickle cell anaemia. It is generally thought
to represent milder end of the spectrum
of sickle cell syndrome.
A Tamil boy aged 14 living at Karaikkal, a
sea port, developed severe constant pain in
left upper quadrant of abdomen without
nausea, vomiting or respiratory symptoms
for five days before coming to our hospital.
Examination revealed severe pallor and a
tender spleen extended 3 cms. below left
costal margin, mild hepatomegaly, tachypnoea,
tachycardia, hypotension and wide
pulse pressure. The pain increased during
inspiration. CXR was normal and revealed
no sickle chest syndrome.
Lab investigation reports were: Hb
3g/dl, MCV-55.2, MCH 12.4pg, WBC
5100, Platelets 1.38 lacs, raised reticulocyte
count, hypochromia, target cells,
Positive sickling and solubility tests, Abnormal
bands consistent with sickle beta
thalassaemia in Hb electrophoresis, negative
Coomb’s test, total bilirubin 0.7g/dl,
normal urea electrolytes and LFT. USG
revealed hepatosplenomegaly.
He was on blood transfusions. Sickle cell
beta thalassaemia is due to interaction
between HbS and the mild Negro form of
beta thalassaemia resulting in an HbA
level of 18-30% which has an inhibitory
effect on red cell sickling. It runs a milder
course than sickle cell anaemia. Most
patients are asymptomatic. (2)
However our case showed the chances of
serious complications like ASS characterized
by sequestration of RBCs in spleen
causing anaemia and hypovolaemia leading
to circulatory failure in any age. ASS
is most common in infancy when spleen
is not fully fibrosed but still distensible.
It is suggested that an acute obstruction
of venous flow from spleen due to sickling
is the initiating event of ASS. Ligation
of splenic vein in experimental animals
produces a similar picture. In our case
splenomegaly, high reticulocyte count
and presence of normoblasts in peripheral
smear suggested either sequestration
or haemolysis. The high HbF levels in
thalassaemia may be an aetiological factor
in causing persistent splenomegaly
predisposing our patient to sudden
splenic sequestration crisis, which often
has a poor outcome. The only viable treatment
is transfusion with red cells.
Splenectomy is indicated in recurrent crises
or hypersplenism.
Transfusion improves the flow/deformation
behaviour of blood and may restore
venous outflow of spleen with resolution
of sequestration. Doctors should consider
this possibility in any person regardless
of age or race with significant pallor and
upper abdominal pain in left upper quadrant.
A positive sickling or solubility test
must be further evaluated with Hb electrophoresis
to define the specific sickle
syndrome for early intervention.
References –
1. Githens JH- Splenic sequestration
syndrome at high altitudes in sickle haemoglobin
C diseases. J Paediatrics 1977,
90: 203-206.
2. Serjeant, Ashcroft- Clinical feature of
sickle cell-beta thalassaemia in Jamaica.
Br Jour of Haematology 1973, 24:19-30.
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ethics
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medical education
Recent controversy on village posting of
doctors has put doctors on one side of
the fence and the whole world on the
other. I remember, when I was selected to
medical college 35 years ago, I went to
one of my elderly aunts to seek her blessing.
She was not happy and expressed
her anxiety very eloquently. “You are
such a nice boy, but now you’ll become a
bad man”. That, I think, sums up summarily
the attitude of society towards
doctors.
The problem probably lies with doctors.
They work for money; they do not care for
the society, they kill female foetuses for a
few bucks, and they refuse treatment for
want of money; they are not up-to-date
with knowledge, they order unnecessary
tests just to get a share of the charges.
Many are true but most are not. I know
an ultra-sonologist who gives false reports
to help a gynaecologist to do unnecessary
surgeries, and I have seen
much soiled linen in my professional life
that I should not dare to wash in public.
Definitely, you also have.
My worry is about the ways society is going
about to solve the problems. The society
wants solutions without any assistance
from doctors. Society wants to prescribe
medicine prepared by it for the
illnesses of medical profession. It was the
same when the Consumer Protection
Act came. Most sane doctors protested
and some insane ones also did. Society
completely ignored both. I remember having
told a gathering of legal experts, that
they were putting the patients from frying
pan to fire, from doctors to lawyers.
I asked them, whether Consumer Protection
Act on doctors was to improve
services or getting compensations (? or
to teach doctors a lesson!).
I assured them none would be possible.
However, people never learn from history.
Did road accident compensations improve
quality of drivers? It has helped to
raise the insurance premiums. If Consumer
Protection Act on doctors was intended
for compensation, it has served
the purpose, but if it were to improve services,
it is useless. They made funny faces
and were convinced I was ‘also a bad
doctor and should be taught lessons’.
There was one ‘know-all’ TV talk show,
which said if you cannot become a doctor
in five years, then, you would never.
So cerebral! One does not become a ‘doctor’
after passing MBBS; it takes at least
2-3 yrs. of fulltime dedicated work under
supervision of seniors. That is what
house jobs are meant for. Earlier house
dr. asok sinha
jobs were compulsory before MD entrance.
After two house jobs if one did not get a
PG admission, one could still practice.
Practicing medicine without a house job
does not prepare a doctor well.
Are there solutions to problems in villages?
There are, if government bothers
to listen. Make it compulsory for all parliamentarians
to stay in villages for one
year and do daily practical training in
‘service’ to people. Make it compulsory for
IIM graduates to stay in villages for one
year to work for betterment of rural finances,
before they get degrees. All High
Court judges must stay in villages for one
year to help solve the pending cases before
becoming eligible for promotion to
Supreme Court. Post all IAS officers in
villages for one year before they are confirmed?
Sounds funny? On the contrary, it is extremely
serious.
The entire medical course needs to be revamped.
There should be only one degree,
MD, a nine year integrated course,
equivalent to PhD. All students, after four
years, would get a provisional registration
to work as doctors under senior supervision.
They would select their specialty
now, depending on the merit. All diploma
courses should be abolished. There
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ethics
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should be specialties in family practice,
clinical medicine, hospital based
internists, surgeons, ophthalmologists,
and all the other specialties we have today.
One year out of this will be a village
posting. Here they can learn simple solutions
to real life problems instead of the
hi-tech solutions they studied in colleges.
There will never be shortage of doctors in
villages. They will be happy doctors, not
the frustrated ones. No “cultural revolutionary”
tactics as envisaged by our think
tanks would be needed. The GPs will be
the trained doctors, not the untrained
ones we get now.
How will patients differentiate between a
physician MD and a general practitioner
MD? The same way they do now. Government
must recognize certain memberships
which must be made compulsory
(MD- Member of Indian College of Pharmacology
or MD- Member of Indian College
of Surgeons for instance). Every doctor
will have some special skills, and have
worked independently for at the least 4
years before starting to serve the society.
There will be no wastage of doctors as
‘MBBS only’. The super-specialties should
be limited to the brightest ones and there
should be no more confusing degree like
MCh and DM. The super-specialists
would be offered fellowships, e.g. MD-Fellow
of the Indian College of Cardiac Surgeons,
equivalent to postdoctoral degrees.
khalil gibran
However, this does not solve problems of
the bad guys in profession as mentioned
before. I will share a bitter truth. The patients
are as much responsible for this
situation as the doctors. The ratio of good
doctors and bad doctors is exactly the
same as the ratio of good guys and bad
guys in the society. There is something
very wrong in the ways patients select
their doctors. Name and fame do not depend
on skill, knowledge and sincerity.
Tactics, sometimes not ethical, make one
doctor more popular than the other.
This article is for sane people needing
solutions, not revenge. The next doctor
could be your son; the next patient also
could be your son.
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, ‘Speak to us of Children.’
And He said: Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
and though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot
visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends
you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
for even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow
that is stable.
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views
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death; end or beginning
“The care of human life and happiness
and not their destruction is the first
and only legitimate object of good
government.”... Thomas Jefferson
“There is no quality of life when the
patient is dead.”... A nurse
Death is the termination of the biological
functions in a living organism. The
word refers both to the particular processes
of life’s cessation as well as to the
state of a formerly living body. Phenomena,
which commonly bring about death,
include predation, malnutrition, accidents
resulting in terminal injury, disease
and an ‘act of God’.
The nature of death has been a central
concern of the world’s religious traditions
and philosophical enquires. A belief
in some kind of afterlife or rebirth
has been a central aspect of religious
belief. Scientific enquiry is yet to grapple
with the origin and nature of consciousness
and agrees any such view about its
existence or non-existence after death
remains speculative as far as science is
concerned.
Medical science is at a loss to locate where
consciousness exists; is it inside or outside
the body. Neurologists think it is in
brain. However, modern outlook is that
if neurologists want to test ‘the higher
functions’ in a living entity they must do
it in ‘higher areas’ above the body; not
inside it.
Senescence
Almost all animals fortunate enough to
survive hazards of their existence eventually
die from senescence. The only exception
is jellyfish — Turritopsis
nutricula, thought to be immortal in effect.
Causes of death in humans as a
result of intentional activity include suicide,
homicide and war. From all causes,
roughly 1,50,000 people die around the
world each day.
Physiological death is now seen as less
an event than a process: conditions once
considered indicative of death are now
reversible. Where in the process, a dividing
line is drawn between life and death,
depends on factors beyond the presence
or absence of vital signs. In general, clinical
death is neither necessary nor sufficient
enough for a determination of legal
death. A patient with working heart and
lungs and determined to be brain dead
can be legally dead without clinical death
occurring. Precise medical definition of
death becomes more problematic as scientific
knowledge and medicine advance:
a strange paradox.
dr. k. sasidharan
Signs of death or strong indications that
a person is no longer alive are:
Cessation of breathing
No pulse (cardiac arrest)
Pallor mortis, paleness that happens
in the 15–120 minutes after death.
Liver mortis, a settling of the blood in
the lower (dependent) portion of the
body.
Algor mortis, the reduction in body
temperature following death. This is generally
a steady decline until matching
ambient temperature.
Rigor mortis, the limbs of the corpse
become stiff (Latin rigor) and difficult to
move or manipulate.
Decomposition, the reduction into
simpler forms of matter, accompanied by
a strong, unpleasant odour.
The concept of death is a key to human
understanding of the phenomenon.
There are many scientific approaches to
the concept. For example, brain death,
as practiced in medical science, defines
death as a point in time during which
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brain activity ceases. One of the challenges
in defining death is in distinguishing
it from life. As a point in time, death
would seem to refer to the moment at
which life ends. However, determining
when death has occurred requires drawing
precise conceptual boundaries between
life and death. This is problematic
because there is little consensus over how
to define life. It is possible to define life in
terms of consciousness.
When consciousness ceases, a living organism
can be said to have died. One
of the notable flaws in this approach,
however, is that there are many organisms
which are alive but probably not
conscious (for example? single-celled
organisms).
However, the greatest problem is in defining
consciousness, which has many
different definitions given by modern scientists,
psychologists and philosophers.
Vaguely problem of defining death applies
to the particular challenge of defining
death in the context of medicine. Other
definitions for death focus on the character
of cessation of something. In this
context, “death” describes merely the
state where something has ceased, e.g.,
life. Thus, the definition of “life” simultaneously
defines death.
Historically, attempts to define the exact
moment of a human’s death have been
problematic. Death was once defined as
the cessation of heartbeat and breathing,
but the development of CPR and
prompt defibrillation has rendered that
definition inadequate. Events, which were
causally linked to death in the past no
longer, kill in all circumstances. Without
a functioning heart or lungs, life can be
sustained with a combination of life
support devices, organ transplants and
artificial pacemakers.
Today, where a definition of the moment
of death is required, doctors and coroners
usually turn to “brain death” or “biological
death”. People are considered dead
when the electrical activity in their brain
ceases. It is presumed that an end of electrical
activity indicates the end of consciousness.
However, cessation of consciousness
must be permanent and not
transient as in sleep or coma where EEGs
can easily tell the difference.
However, the category of “brain death” is
seen by some scholars as problematic.
For instance, Dr. Franklin Miller notes,
“By the late 1990s, the equation of brain
death with human death was increasingly
challenged based on evidence regarding
the array of biological functions
displayed by patients diagnosed with
brain death who were maintained on life
supporting systems for substantial periods
of time. These patients could sustain
circulation and respiration, control temperature,
excrete wastes, heal wounds,
and fight infections. The most dramatic
is brain dead pregnant women gestating
foetus.”
Those people maintaining that only the
neo-cortex is necessary for consciousness
argue that electrical activity alone should
be considered to define death. Eventually
it is possible that the criterion for death
will be the permanent and irreversible loss
of cognitive functions, as evidenced by
the death of the cerebral cortex. All hopes
of recovering thought and personality is
then gone, given the current and foreseeable
medical technology. However, at
present, the more conservative definition
of death as irreversible cessation of electrical
activity in the whole brain, not just
in neo-cortex has been adopted.
In 2005, the Terri Schiavo case brought
the question of brain death and artificial
sustenance to the front of American
politics. Even by whole-brain criteria,
the determination of brain death can
be complicated. EEGs can detect spurious
electrical impulses, while certain
drugs, hypoglycaemia, hypoxia, or hypothermia
can suppress or even stop
brain activity on a temporary basis. Because
of this, hospitals have protocols
for determining brain death involving
EEGs at widely separated intervals under
defined conditions.
Legal
In the United States, a person is dead by
law if a licensed medical practitioner issues
a Statement of Death or Death Certificate.
Various legal consequences follow
death, including the removal from
the person of what in legal terminology is
called personhood. The possession of
brain activities, or ability to resume brain
activity, is a necessary condition to legal
personhood in the United States. “It appears
that once brain death has been
determined ... no criminal or civil liability
will result from disconnecting the lifesupport
devices.”
Misdiagnosed
There are many anecdotal references to
people being declared dead by doctors
but then “coming back to life”, sometimes
days later in their coffins, or when
embalming procedures are about to begin.
From the mid-18th century onwards,
there was an upsurge in the public’s
fear of being mistakenly buried alive
and much debate about the uncertainty
of the signs of death. Various suggestions
were made to test for signs of life
before burial, ranging from pouring vinegar
and pepper into the corpse’s mouth,
to applying red-hot pokers to the feet, or
into the rectum. Writing in 1895, the
physician J. C. Ouseley claimed that as
many as 2,700 people were buried prematurely
each year in England and
Wales.
In cases of electric shock, CPR for an hour
or longer can allow stunned nerves to
recover, allowing an apparently dead person
to survive. People found unconscious
under icy water might survive if their faces
are kept continuously cold until they arrive
at a hospital. This “diving response”,
in which metabolic activity and oxygen
requirements are minimal, is something
humans share with cetaceans.
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As medical technologies advance, ideas
about when death occurs may have to
be re-evaluated in light of the ability to
restore a person to vitality after longer
periods of apparent death as happened
when CPR and defibrillation showed that
cessation of heartbeat is inadequate as
a decisive indicator of death. The lack of
electrical brain activity may not be
enough to consider someone scientifically
dead. Therefore, the concept of ‘information
theoretical death’ has been
suggested as a better means of defining
when true death occurs, though the
concept has few practical applications
outside of the field of cryonics. There
have been some scientific attempts to
bring dead organisms back to life, but
with limited success. In science fiction
where such technology is readily available,
real death is distinguished from
reversible death.
Life extension
Life extension refers to an increase of
life span, especially in humans, by slowing
down the processes of aging. Average
lifespan is determined by vulnerability
to accidents and age or lifestylerelated
afflictions like cancer, or cardiovascular
diseases. Extension of average
lifespan can be achieved by good
diet, exercise and avoidance of hazards
such as smoking.
Maximum lifespan is determined by
the rate of aging inherent in the
genes. Theoretically, extension of
maximum lifespan can be achieved
by reducing the rate of aging damage,
by periodic replacement of damaged
tissues, or by molecular repair or rejuvenation
of deteriorated cells and
tissues. Currently, the only widely
recognized method of extending maximum
lifespan is calorie restriction. A
medical revolution has extended the
life of many elders but without providing
the dignity and security these
later years deserve.
Researchers of life extension are a subclass
of bio-gerontologists. They try to
understand the nature of aging and they
develop treatments to reverse or to at
least slow them down, for the maintenance
of youthful vigour at every stage
of life. The primary life extension strategy
currently is to apply available antiaging
methods in the hope of living long
enough to benefit from a complete cure
to aging once it is developed, which given
the rapidly advancing state of biogenetic
and general medical technology, could
conceivably occur within the lifetimes
of people living today.
Before about 1930, most people died in
their own homes, surrounded by family,
and comforted by clergy, neighbours, and
doctors making house calls. By the mid-
20th century, half of all Americans died
in a hospital. By the start of the 21st
century, only about 20 to 25% of people
in developed countries died in the community.
The shift away from dying at
home, towards dying in a professionalized
medical environment, has been termed
the “Invisible Death”.
Society and culture
Death is the centre of many traditions
and organizations, in every culture
around the world. Much of this revolves
around the care of the dead, disposal of
the bodies and the afterlife. The disposal
of human corpses does, in general, begin
with the last offices before significant time
has passed, and ritualistic ceremonies
often occur, most commonly interment
or cremation. This is not a unified practice,
however, as in Tibet, for instance
the body is given a sky burial and left on
a mountaintop. Proper preparation for
death and techniques and ceremonies for
producing the ability to transfer one’s
spiritual attainments into another body
(reincarnation) are subjects of detailed
study in Tibet. Mummification or embalming
is also prevalent in some cultures,
to retard the rate of decay.
Suicide in general, and particularly euthanasia,
is also points of cultural debate.
Both acts are understood very differently
in different cultures. In Japan,
for example, ending a life with honour
was considered a desirable death,
whereas according to traditional Christian
and Islamic cultures, suicide is viewed
as sin. Death is personified in many cultures,
with such symbolic representations
as the ‘Kalan, Grim Reaper, and
Azrael, etc.
After death, the organism becomes part
of the biogeochemical cycle. A predator
or a scavenger may consume animals.
Organic material may then be further
decomposed by detritivores like earthworms,
woodlice and dung beetles returning
it to the environment for reuse in the
food chain. Microorganisms also play a
vital role, as they break the decomposing
matter down into yet simpler molecules.
Not all once living materials need be decomposed
fully. Coal, a fossil fuel, is one
example.
Contemporary evolutionary theory sees
death as an important part of the process
of natural selection. It is considered
that organisms less adapted to their environment
are more likely to die having
produced fewer offspring, thereby reducing
their contribution to the gene pool.
Their genes are thus eventually bred out
of a population, leading at worst to extinction
and, more positively, making the
process possible, referred to as speciation.
Frequency of reproduction plays an
equally important role in determining
species survival: an organism that dies
young but leaves numerous offspring displays,
according to Darwinian criteria,
much greater fitness than a long-lived
organism leaving only one.
Extinction
Extinction is the cessation of existence
of a species or group of taxa, reducing
biodiversity. The moment of extinction is
generally considered the death of the last
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individual of that species (although the
capacity to breed and recover may have
been lost before this point). Because a
species’ potential range may be very large,
determining this moment is difficult, and
is usually done retrospectively. This difficulty
leads to phenomena such as
Lazarus taxa, where a species presumed
extinct abruptly “reappears” (typically in
the fossil record) after a period of apparent
absence. New species arise through
the process of speciation, an aspect of
evolution. New varieties of organisms arise
and thrive when they are able to find and
exploit an ecological niche – and species
become extinct when they are no longer
able to survive in changing conditions or
against superior competition.
Study of the evolution of aging aims to
explain why so many living things
weaken and die with age (a notable exception
being hydra, which may be biologically
immortal). The evolutionary
origin of senescence remains one of the
fundamental puzzles of biology. However,
one should not oversee the
simple fact that no one gets out
of this world alive.
A wise man once sat in the
audience & cracked a joke.
All laughed like crazy. After a
moment he cracked the same
joke again and a little less people
laughed this time.
He cracked the same joke again &
again, and when there was no
laughter in the crowd,
he smiled and said
“When u can’t laugh on the same
joke again & again, then why do u
keep crying over the same thing
over and over again.”
my father
When I was 4: My dad is great.
At 6. He knows everything.
At 10. He is good but short tempered. He knows not as much as my friend’s
dad.
At 15. My dad was nice to me when I was young.
At 20. My father is not in tune with present times. Frankly he does not
know much.
At 23. Father is becoming more cranky and unreasonable as he ages.
At 25. Oh! It is becoming difficult to tolerate him. Wonder how mother
puts up with him.
At 30. Father is objecting to everything; don’t know when he will understand
the world.
At 35. It is difficult to manage my son. I was scared of my father when I was
young.
At 40. Dad brought me up with so much discipline…I wonder how he will
manage today’s children.
At 45. I am baffled as to how dad brought us up! We were four daughters
and brothers.
At 55. Dad was far sighted and planned so many things for us. Even now
he can control things. He is one of his kind and unique.
At 60. My dad was great.
Please don’t take that long to realize it!
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cme
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When I am introduced to people as a toxicologist,
some of them ask, “What is
toxicology?” I never cease to be
amazed at this question. Not that I blame
those who query me thus. The subject of
poisons and poisoning is so underdeveloped
and neglected in India that even
doctors sometimes are a little unclear as
to what is the actual relevance and utility
of this speciality.
“Poisoning?” exclaimed one physician,
“Of course I treat poisoned patients.
There is no difficulty at all. After all, we
have a dialysis machine. It is just a matter
of hooking the patient up in time. I
don’t think we need any toxicologist’s
help for that!” I was so taken aback at
this profound statement of ignorance
(and arrogance) that I was rendered
speechless. The belief that all poisons are
dialyzable is (as I would learn in due
course) a myth that is well entrenched
among medical professionals. Sad, since
dialysis is an exercise in expensive futility
in most cases of poisoning.
My special interest in toxicology began
with a near catastrophic incident in my
personal life. More than 20 years ago, my
daughter (then aged 8 months) was poisoned
accidentally, largely due to my own
fault. She consumed a newly introduced
cockroach bait that I left around the
house quite negligently, in locations
where such pests abound: kitchen, bathroom,
etc. We rushed our daughter to
the teaching hospital where I worked and
had her admitted in the paediatric ward.
The paediatrician on duty was a brilliant
young man, but he had no inkling of what
should be done. I suggested a stomach
wash. He was apprehensive about the
traumatic nature of the procedure but
agreed that it was imperative to flush out
any toxin remaining in the stomach. After
the procedure was accomplished and
a moderate quantity of pinkish liquid was
siphoned out, the paediatrician turned
to me as if to ask, “Now what?”
His dependence on me for guidance was
understandable. I was an expert in forensic
medicine (which also includes
toxicology), and taught the fundamentals
of poisoning to undergraduate medical
students. However, I was flummoxed.
I had no idea as to how to proceed, nor
did I have any information as to what
the bait actually contained. Only much
later when I went home briefly to fetch
some things while my wife fretfully sat
at the bedside of our sleeping daughter,
did I chance upon the discarded empty
container of the cockroach bait and
dr. v. v. pillay
Chief, Poison Control Centre; Head, Analytical
Toxicology, Professor, Forensic Medicine & Medical
Toxicology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences &
Research, Kochi 682041
revolution in toxicology
realized that all our anxiety had been
pointless. For, written in bold letters
across the package was the legend “Nontoxic
to humans.” I almost cried in
relief.
I rushed back and gave the happy news
to my wife and the paediatrician. Subsequently
we were to learn that the bait
(which had recently been introduced)
was not only nontoxic to humans but
to cockroaches as well! The product was
quickly withdrawn from the market by
the manufacturers and is not available
today.
This incident served to open my eyes to
the appalling state of toxicology in our
country. If such ignorance as to how to
deal with a case of poisoning could occur
in a premier teaching hospital involving
the daughter of a doctor (who
teaches toxicology!), then what about
the thousands of other unfortunate victims
of poisoning admitted to less sophisticated
hospitals all across the
country? I was bewildered. After all toxicology
was very much part of the medical
curriculum and was being taught to
budding doctors; there were teachers
(like myself) who taught the subject, and
there were textbooks galore. Then what
was wrong?
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I began to investigate the reasons, and
that was how the murky reality with regard
to the pitiable state of affairs in toxicology
started to unfold. Yes, there is a
subject called Toxicology in the undergraduate
medical curriculum. However,
teachers who had no formal training or
exposure to clinical cases of poisoning
were teaching the subject. Yes, there were
textbooks on the subject. But they were
so antiquated that the information contained
in some of them was more likely
to kill rather than cure.
Yes, there were doctors with “vast experience”
in the treatment of poisoning. However,
their experience was not based on
any formal training; it was merely the
product of hits and misses in the course
of attempts at treating poisoned victims.
Doubts if any were “cleared” by talking to
other “experienced doctors” or consulting
the aforementioned obsolete texts on
toxicology, which only perpetuated the
vicious cycle.
I also learnt that while a plethora of specialities
existed in the field of medicine
which a doctor could choose from for
his postgraduate studies, there was not
even a single medical college in the country
offering a course on clinical toxicology.
This, in spite of the fact that such a
speciality has been in existence (and developing
by leaps and bounds) in Western
countries, where every major hospital
has either a toxicology department
with qualified consultants, or a fullfledged
Poison Control Centre with a
wide variety of expert staff and sophisticated
equipment.
Poison Control Centres are specialized
centres, which offer a wide variety of useful
services in the prevention and management
of poisoning. It is a sad truth
that while such centres made their appearance
in Western countries in the
1950s, it took more than 40 years for India
to realise their importance.
Even now, the number of centres is
abysmally inadequate – four for the
entire country, while USA has more
than 80! The Poison Control Centre
that has been established at the
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences,
Kochi, serves the entire state of Kerala
and neighbouring states in matters
relating to poisoning.
The Analytical Toxicology department
is part of the Poison Control Centre
(PCC), and offers unique facilities in
the area of toxicology (poisons and poisoning)
to all hospitals, government
doctors, and private practitioners of
Kerala state and neighbouring regions.
It is fully equipped with instruments
such as UV-Spectrophotometer, High
Pressure Liquid Chromatograph, Gas
chromatograph, etc.
This is the first time that such a department
has been started in a hospital in
the entire state of Kerala, and has been
recognized by the World Health Organization
as one of the authorized Poison
Control Centres in India, and the only
one that is full-fledged with information
resource, analytical, and research facilities.
It is listed in the Yellowtox
Directory of Poison Control Centres
of the world, on the WHO website.
The toxicology laboratory is accredited
by the National Accreditation Board for
Laboratories (NABL), and is in fact the
only such accredited laboratory in the
entire country.
The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology
has provided free membership to
the department, which is another unique
achievement in recognition of the services
provided by our PCC.
Facilities offered by the AIMS
PCC (Kochi) include:
The toxicology lab of the PCC analyses
various samples (including body fluids
from living victims of poisoning) for toxins/drugs/poisons,
besides undertaking
the analysis of water samples for pesticides
and chemicals, and evaluation of
medicinal and commercial products for
adulterants or contaminants. The toxicology
lab has created its own standard
operating protocol (SOP) for toxicological
analysis.
Almost any chemical (including heavy
metals, pesticides), toxin (including
plant-based), or drug (including pharmaceuticals,
substances of abuse) can
be tested by the laboratory. The prices
and turnaround time will vary depending
on the nature of the substance to
be detected.
Contact:
“mailto:toxicology@aims.amrita.edu” —
toxicology@aims.amrita.edu or
Phone: 0484-2858096/ 0484-
2856034/ 0484-4008056 for more
information, or a full list of substances
that are tested by the laboratory.
Advanced and sophisticated treatment
facility is available at AIMS for all kinds
of cases of poisoning (due to chemicals,
drugs, plant products, animal bites or
stings, food poisons, drug abuse, etc.).
Instant access to detailed information on
poisons and poisoning through telephone,
e-mail, postal mail, personal
contact, etc. available.
The department utilizes the following
software packages:
POISINDEX and TOXINZ from the USA
and New Zealand respectively, which
together has information on more than
1 million poisonous substances encountered
worldwide.
In addition, the department also has free
access to INTOX and CHEMINFO, courtesy
of the World Health Organization.
These packages enable the department
to answer any query on poisons or poisoning
in a matter of seconds via e-mail,
phone or fax.
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medical science
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demystifying the
cholesterol myth
Low blood cholesterol
and cancer
So far, advertisers and news media have
concentrated on the supposed danger
from high levels of blood cholesterol. The
dangers of low blood cholesterol levels
have largely been ignored. Countries with
diets high in saturated fats also tend to
have high levels of colon cancer. In 1974
a review of the Framingham data and
those from Keys’ ‘Seven Countries’ study
was carried out. It was expected to show
that the cancer could also be blamed on
high blood cholesterol. However, the baffled
researchers found the opposite: those
with the cancer had cholesterol levels that
were lower than average.
Reports of more than twenty studies into
the relation between blood cholesterol
and cancer have been published since
1972. Most have reported an association
between low blood cholesterol and cancer.
The authors of the Renfrew and Paisley
Study conclude:
“It may be a mistake to assume that
dietary advice given to the general
The wisdom of the body decides the level of cholesterol and liver
produce it as required. To kill a few rats, should we burn a house!
Prof. B. M. Hegde
Nature has taken good care that theory should have little effect on practice.
– Samuel Johnson
population to reduce the intake of saturated
fat will necessarily reduce overall
mortality.”
In a study from the USA published in
1990, changes in blood cholesterol over
time were studied in patients with colon
cancer. The doctors found that there had
been an average thirteen percent decline
in blood cholesterol levels in the ten years
prior to diagnosis of the cancer compared
with an average increase of two percent
in the control group. Both those with
the cancer and those free from it had similar
blood cholesterol levels initially.
It is possible that the decline in blood
cholesterol levels was a result of the cancer,
not the cause of it, but the investigators
rule this out. They compare cholesterol
studies with apparently contrary
findings and show that in reality they
are consistent. Comparing those that
reported normal or high cholesterol
readings several years prior to diagnosis
with others where, at the time of diagnosis,
levels were low, they conclude that
it was a long term lowering of blood
cholesterol levels that gave rise to the
cancers. Interestingly, the average blood
cholesterol level of those who developed
the cancers declined to an average 5.56
mmol/l and yet the British government’s
Health of the Nation strategy still aims
to reduce everyone’s levels to below
5.2 mmol/l.
Low cholesterol means
more strokes
Published at about the same time was a
very large study in Japan, covering two
decades, which concluded that low levels
of blood cholesterol also increase the
incidence of stroke. Over the past few
decades, Japan has experienced a rapid
change in its living and eating patterns.
The Japanese are eating more total fat,
saturated fatty acids and cholesterol,
animal fats and protein, and less rice
and vegetables. This has provided a
unique opportunity for a large-scale,
natural experiment into the effects of
those changes.
Investigators have shown that this
change to Western and urban eating patterns,
departing as it does from centuries
old traditions, has been accompanied by
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medical science
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a general lowering of blood pressure and
a large decline in the incidence of stroke
deaths and cerebral haemorrhage between
the 1960s and the 1980s. They attribute
this decline to an increase in blood
cholesterol levels over the period. Supporting
their findings were the results of
a follow-up of 350,000 men screened for
the MRFIT in the United States that
showed that the risk of death from cerebral
haemorrhage in middle-aged men
was six times greater if they had low blood
cholesterol levels.
On Christmas Eve, 1997, yet one more
study’s results were headlined in the press.
The Framingham researchers said, “Serum
cholesterol level is not related to
incidence of stroke . . .” and showed that
for every three percent more energy from
fat eaten, strokes would be cut by fifteen
percent. They conclude: “Intakes of fat
and type of fat were not related to the
incidence of the combined outcome of
all cardiovascular diseases or to total
or cardiovascular mortality.”
So, after forty-nine years of research,
they are still saying that there is no relation
between a fatty diet and heart disease.
The evidence now is clear and unequivocal:
animal fats are not
harmful.
Two more studies, which considered total
blood cholesterol levels and mortality
in the elderly, were published in the Lancet
almost simultaneously in 1997. In
the first, scientists working at the Leiden
University Medical Centre found that
“Each 1 mmol/l increase in total cholesterol
corresponded to a 15% decrease in
mortality”.
Similarly, doctors at Reykjavik Hospital
and Heart Preventive Clinic in Iceland
noted that the major epidemiological
studies had not included the elderly. They
too studied total mortality and blood
cholesterol in the over 80s to show that
men with blood cholesterol levels over
6.5 had less than half the mortality of
those whose cholesterol level was
around the 5.2 we are told is “healthy”.
Low cholesterol and
Alzheimer’s disease
Approximately half of the brain is made
up of fats. Dr. F. M. Corrigan and colleagues,
writing in 1991 about the relief
of Alzheimer’s disease, ask, “Strategies
for increasing the delivery of
cholesterol to the brain should be identified”.
In the fight against Alzheimer’s
disease, they recommend increasing fat
intake.
And at the other end of life
In 1991, the US National Cholesterol
Education Program recommended that
children over two years old should
adopt a low fat, low-cholesterol diet to
prevent CHD in later life. A table showing
a good correlation between fat and
cholesterol intakes and blood cholesterol
in seven to nine-year-old boys from
six countries supported this advice.
What it did not show, however, was
the strong correlation between blood
cholesterol and childhood deaths in
those countries. These are at Table V.
As is clearly demonstrated, the death
rate rises dramatically as blood cholesterol
levels fall. Therefore, for children
too, low blood cholesterol is unhealthy.
Table V: Blood cholesterol and
mortality in under-5s in six countries
Blood Childhood
Cholesterol deaths
Finland 4.9 7
Netherlands 4.5 9
USA 4.3 12
Italy 4.1 12
Philippines 3.8 72
Ghana 3.3 145
Low blood cholesterol,
aggressive behaviour and
suicide
Lastly, since 1992, several observers have
noted increases in suicides among those
undertaking cholesterol-lowering dietary
regimes. Decrease in blood cholesterol
causes decreases in serotonin receptors
leading to increased micro viscosity and
affecting the balance of cerebral lipid
metabolism, which could have profound
effects on brain function. In institutions,
aggressive people and those with antisocial
personality have been found to
have lower blood cholesterol levels than
normal: Typically 5.04mmol/l vs.
6.02mmol/l. Mental patients with high
blood cholesterol (7.55mmol/l) were less
regressed and withdrawn than those
with lower (4.80mmol/l).
Dr. Matthew G. Dunnigan of Stobhill
General Hospital, Glasgow, concludes
that: “Without definite data on allcause
mortality and with current unresolved
concerns about excess deaths
from non-cardiac causes in RCTs, decisions
to embark on lifelong lipid lowering
drug treatment in most patients
with primary hypercholesterolaemia
depend on the doctor’s interpretation
of available evidence. As in other situations
in which certainty is illusory,
this varies from evangelical enthusiasm
for lowering lipid concentrations
to therapeutic nihilism.”
References:
1. A J McMichael, et al. Dietary and
endogenous cholesterol and human
cancer. Epidemiol Rev. 1984; 6:
192.
2. F Cambien, et al. Total serum cholesterol
and cancer mortality in a
middle-aged male population. Am
J Epid. 1980; 112: 388.
3. M R Garcia-Palmieri, et al. An apparent
inverse relationship between
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medical science
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serum cholesterol and cancer mortality
in Puerto Rico. Am J Epid.
1981; 114: 29.
4. D Kozarevic, et al. Serum cholesterol
and mortality: the Yugoslavian
cardiovascular diseases study. Am
J Epid. 1981; 114: 21.
5. R A Hiatt, B H Fireman. Serum cholesterol
and the incidence of cancer
in a large cohort. J Chronic Dis.
1986; 39: 861.
6. A Schatzkin, et al. Serum cholesterol
and cancer in the NHANES I
epidemiologic follow up study. Lancet.
1987; ii: 298.
7. A Kagan, et al. Serum cholesterol
and mortality in a Japanese-
American population: the Honolulu
heart program. Am J Epid.
1981; 114: 11.
8. C G Isles, et al. Plasma cholesterol,
coronary heart disease and cancer
in the Renfrew and Paisley survey.
BMJ. 1989; 298: 920.
The department has an attached forensic
DNA Typing Unit with state-ofthe-art
facilities for DNA extraction and
amplification.
The department conducts two
weekly certificate courses: Analytical
Toxicology & Forensic DNA Typing; A
PhD programme in Toxicology is also in
place.
Expert guidance on diagnosis and
treatment of all kinds of poisoning:
Both healthcare providers and the
public can contact the Poison Control
9. S J Winawer, et al. Declining Serum
Cholesterol Levels Prior to
Diagnosis of Colon Cancer. JAMA.
1990; 263 (15): 2083.
10. Takashi Shimamoto, et al.
Trends for Coronary Heart Disease
and Stroke and Their Risk
Factors in Japan. Circulation.
1989; 3: 503.
11. M W Gillman, et al. Inverse association
of dietary fat with development
of ischemic stroke in men.
JAMA 1997; 278: 2145.
12. AWE Weverling-Rijnsburger, et al.
Total cholesterol and risk of mortality
in the oldest old. Lancet 1997;
350: 1119-23.
13. A Jonsson, H Sigvaldason, N
Sigfusson. Total cholesterol and
mortality after age 80 years. Lancet.
1997; 350: 1778-9.
14. J Foreman. Cholesterol curb urged
for children over 2. The Boston
Globe 9 April 1991: 1, 4.
revolution in toxicology contd...
Centre for any queries (free of charge) relating
to poisons, poisoning (acute and
chronic), drug overdose, drug adverse effects,
drug abuse, and food poisoning.
In June 2004, a new national level Society
was begun by a group of toxicological
professionals including the author, with
our department as the current headquarters
– The Indian Society of Toxicology.
This organization has a composite
membership of professionals drawn
from varied fields who are engaged in the
research or practice of toxicology. Scientific
conferences, symposia, workshops,
If it is painful to criticise friends you are safe; but if you have the slightest
pleasure, it is high time to hold your tongue.
15. Child mortality under age 5 per
1,000. 1992 Britannia Book of the
Year. Encyclopaedia Britannica,
Chicago.
16. F M Corrigan, et al. Dietary supplementation
with zinc sulphate, sodium
selenite and fatty acids in early
dementia of Alzheimer’s Type II: Effects
on lipids. J Nutr Med 1991; 2:
265-71.
17. H Engleberg. Low serum cholesterol
and suicide. Lancet 1992; 339:
727-9.
18. Modai I, Valevski A, Dror S,
Weizman A. Serum cholesterol levels
and suicidal tendencies in psychiatric
inpatients. J Clin Psychiatry
1994; 55:6; 252-4.
19. Dursun SM, Burke JG, Reveley MA.
Low serum cholesterol and depression.
Br Med J 1994; 309: 273-4.
20. MG Dunnigan. The problem with
cholesterol: No light at the end of
this tunnel? Br Med J 1993.
etc., across India are organized regularly
by the Society. The Society also brings
forth a half-yearly journal dedicated to
toxicology – Journal of the Indian
Society of Toxicology.
All this has spurred forensic medicine
departments of other medical colleges in
India to provide much needed toxicology
services in various parts of the country,
and we are actively helping several such
departments in setting up similar centres
at their institutes.
I hope the day is imminent when nobody
will ask, “What is toxicology?”
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introspect
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an odious comparison
The whole nation is proud that the cricket
team has won the world cup after a gap of
28 years since 1983. There were jubilations/celebrations
all around hailing
Dhoni and his men in blue. Even the
Chairperson of UPA Mrs. Sonia Gandhi
did not lag behind and was seen mixing
with the crowd to be part of the frenzy.
Starting from the ICC, States, corporates,
railways and Kingfisher airlines everyone
has come forward to shower praise and
wealth on to the players to endorsing
brands making them richer by a couple of
crores. No hard feelings. The team has
done a good job and deserved a pat.
Each player would get Rupees One crore
from the BCCI in addition to its share from
the ICC, 2 crores for Dhoni and one crore
each for the four Delhi boys; land/house to
Dhoni and Sachin by the Uttarakhand
Govt; one crore to Sachin and Zaheer by
Maharashtra Govt; one crore to Yuvraj and
Harbhajan by Punjab Govt.; land to Dhoni
for cricket academy in Jharkhand; Housing
plots to team members by Karnataka
government; Audi to Yuvraj and lifetime
railway pass to travel by first AC and first
class life time travel any number of time to
anywhere in the world to spouse and
dependents by KF Airlines to all.
Now that the euphoria of the cup is waning,
it is time to do some introspection as
to how the country views its war heroes
and what the central/state government
offers them to sacrifice their lives at the
altar of duty.
The team partied at the same Taj Hotel,
which was the battleground on 26/11,
and witness to many a soldier giving up
his life. The parents of Major Unnikrishnan
who died while fighting the terrorists is yet
to receive his complete ‘Next of Kin’ entitlements.
He gave his today for the tomorrow
of BCCI and others so that they
can party all night without any threat.
The world Cup finals at Mumbai were held
under safe environments with the army,
navy, coast guard, NSG and what not, to
ensure the conduct of the match without
a hitch. Remove the men in uniform and
see if the events pass smoothly, be it CWG
games or cricket match.
The Kargil War has still its shadows on
the number of officers/jawans who laid
their lives to protect the nation and its
territorial integrity. What the recipients of
Param Vir Chakras, Mahavir Chakras and
Vir Chakras got in comparison to the
cricket boys is known to all, peanuts. Can
anyone experience the troubles the families
of the dead martyrs go through. Having
a decent living is hard to come by. It is
passé as far as the nation is concerned.
I am not complaining; but where is the
value of bloodshed by our valiant jawans
for others to have a peaceful life.
The railways are not prepared to honour
the percentage concession given to the
war heroes in stark comparison to a lifetime
FIRST AC FREE PASS throughout
the country along with an aide to the
cricket stars. Let us not forget the Kabul
blast in which a Brigadier was also blown
up with a bureaucrat. The ‘Babu’ got all
the cake and the icing on it. The Brigadier
was treated as a ‘casualty’. The PM
dr. col. prem kainikkara, vsm,
BSc., MBBS, MD(HA), DNB(H&HA),
MACHE(USA), M Sc., PhD, MIMA
went and paid homage to the ‘Babu’ and
his family, the Brigadier got the traditional
‘Shok Shashtra’ (A form of military
salute at funerals).
The naked truth is known to all but the
nation’s tolerance levels are so high and
we, as a nation, continue to accept the
uniformed services being systematically
downgraded/kicked around by the politicians,
furiously aided and abetted by
the entrenched bureaucracy. A soldier
who loses his eyes or becomes paralytic
with a shrapnel /bullet in his vertebra
while saving his country gets a max 30%
of the lowest pay band he belongs to; a
paltry few thousands and proportionally
reduced if some party of his body is
still active.
Many have written to the PM on lot of
issues without success. Maybe because
the PM himself is a seasoned bureaucrat.
Perhaps it would be wise to remind
him that one day he too would go away.
When the PM passes away, the generals
will stand guard on his coffin and carry
it to the pyre to the sound the ‘Last
Post’ on the bugle. It is for the PM to
think whether he has done his bit towards
those who guard the nation and
would be part of his last entourage until
he melts away.
Where do we go from here? Should we be
silent spectators to the happenings
around us or should we form part of the
Anna Hazare team and mobilize people
on the lines of Egypt; or pass away into
oblivion. I leave this thought with you.
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Obituary
Prof. N. Balsalam
(23 April 1925 - 6 August 2011)
A man of principles who believed in God, Prof. Balsalam always used to stress on three things: (1) never be in a hurry,
(2) do one thing at a time & (3) whatever you do, do it with a will. He was a loving husband, a caring father and to
his family, a compassionate and skilled surgeon to the world and an exact and loving teacher to his students.
He was an active member of IMA Trivandrum and one of its past presidents and founder President of QPMPA
Trivandrum. He was member of Trivandrum YMCA and Senior Citizens Association. He was also a Rotarian.
Prof. Balsalam, born in Pacode in Kanyakumari District, did schooling there and had college education from
Scott Christian College, Nagarkovil and St. Josephs College, Trichi.
He joined Madras Medical College in 1945, passed his MBBS in 1950 and MS in 1954.
He joined Trivandrum Medical College in 1955, was deputed to Christian Medical College, Vellore for Thoracic surgery
training and was promoted as associate professor in 1958. He pioneered thoracic surgery in Kerala. He was transferred
to Kottayam in 1963 and in 1965 to Calicut. In 1971 he returned to Trivandrum as head of the department of surgery.
He retired in 1980 as the vice principal. In 1985 he started Nirmala Hospital at Trivandrum.
He was married to Mrs. Anne Mary Nirmala and was blessed with 3 children and their families.
Dr. Devin Prabhakar, QPMPA, Thiruvananthapuram
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Diamond Jubilee Family meet of Trivandrum Medical College
First Batch (1951) Students
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First day Photo in Anatomy Museum
1. Sitting: R Sarawathy Ammal, VR Lakshmi Bai, Sushama Neelakantan, JP Edith, V Sumangala Amma, T Indira Devi, P
Annamma Thomas, D Leela Mani, A Sarada Devi.
2. Sitting on Chair: Mr Chandrasekhara Pillai, Dr Vareed, Dr CO Karunakaran, Dr Vicent D Boylis, Mr KS Raghavan, Dr
Krishnan Thampi, Dr Saramma Joseph, Mrs Kesavan, Mr C Kesavan, Mr AJ John, Mr TK Narayana Pillai, Mr KG Menon,
Dr Jayasimhan, Dr Achuthan Pillai, Dr Susan George, Dr Thaliath, ——, Mr Kartha.
3. Standing: TM Paul, CK Purushothaman, Dr. Kesavan Nair, Rosaline A Eapen, S Indira, KC Girija Devi Amma,
S Sarojam, Lily George, P Komalam, Lily Ninan, Mariamma Oommen, KD Teresa, G Santha Kumari, Dr. Mathew,
Mr. Velayuthan Nair, KP Chandrasekharan, Gopinath Kottoor.
4. Standing: K Ramachandran, T Radhakrishnan, SS Rajan, PN Bhaskaran, K Sukumaran, KP George,
P Thomson Matthew, Mathew M Illikan (behind) M Ravindran, EA Thomas (behind) PP Joseph, KV Venugopalan,
P Sukumaran, K Balendran, M. Balaraman Nair, K Damoradan, R Karthikeyan.
5. Stairs: George Thomas, KI Kuriakose, PM Mohamed Ilias, VK Rajan, PK Alexander, Mathew Zachariah, MK Pareed Pillay,
NS Ramaswamy (In Front), CK Ramakrishnan, KG Kuttikrishnan Nair (In front), PK Abdul Gafoor, CK Gopi, KS
Gokulanathan, P Manohar Kini, M Sankaran Valiathan, KV Krishna Das.
6. Not in photo: K. Saraswathi Amma, S. Paulose, K. Philip & K. Venugopalan Nair.
7. Joined the first batch later from other colleges: Kunjamma P. Itty, N. Vijayamma, & CM Fazuldhin.
Note: The relatives of 2 doctors to be traced are shown in bold and underlined above.
An Appeal to all in the profession
Kindly help trace the two listed
The first Medical College in Kerala is 60 years old now and we, the
students of the first batch, still active, have planned a Diamond Jubilee
Family get-together at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday,
27 November 2011. Sixty (60) students were in the 1951 batch and
three others joined us from other Medical Colleges in India taking the
total strength to 63.
24 of them are in long homes and 39 in various parts of the world.
A hectic search by us, the organisers of the get-together, has traced the
relatives of 22 classmates who are no more with us. We are searching the
relatives of two classmates (expired), viz. – 1. Philip K, TC-820, Residency
Road, Thycaud, Trivandrum, 2. Venugopalan KV,
Kizhakkekannathu House, West Road, Thrissur. (The address as shown
in admission register.)
If traced, kindly pass on the information to:-
Dr. M. Balaraman Nair, (Diamond Jubilee get-together Organiser),
Medical Director, DDRC-Piramal Pathlab & Diagnostic Services,
Ulloor, Thiruvananthapuram 695011
Ph. (0471) 2442460 (R), 2553488, 9447122460
Email: mbnair@ddrcpiramal.com
In 1951, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the first
medical college of Kerala at Trivandrum in
the presence of erstwhile King of Travancore Sri
Chithra Thirunal Balarama Varma. The principal
was Dr. CO Karunakaran. 60 young and bright people
were selected as the first batch.
They are the pioneers of homegrown doctors of Kerala
and showed their extraordinary calibre by becoming
famous doctors in many countries particularly the
US and UK.
You will not recognize the present day stalwart doctors
like Valiyathan, Krishna Das, Balaraman Nair,
TM Paul, Leelamani Ambrose, etc., among the eager
young people in this 1951 photograph, they are there.
The third from left, sitting on the floor retired after
outstanding service as Colonel Dr. Sushama
Sreekumar from the US Army.
Though many had left this world, what is left of that
batch is going to assemble in their alma mater
for a momentous reunion on 26-11-2011,
thanks to QPMPA. Dr. K. Kishore Kumar
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The Hindu, Trivandrum Ed. 5.7.2011
A spirited search for State's first ‘home-grown’ doctors
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2160742.ece#.ThLff0zAzp4.gmail
A Quest For Trivandrum Medical College’s First Batch Of Healers
http://www.yentha.com/news/view/1/3415
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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
For more details:
QPMPA (Qualified Private Medical Practitioners’ Association) Classmates/Families in touch http://www.qpmpa.org/images/stories/qpmpa/pdf/
news/Tvm1951batchfileSep.pdf Classmates/Teachers in one place http://www.facebook.com/media/set/
?set=a.287623584581057.82384.100000002524234&l=fda89644ec&type=1 The Hindu, Trivandrum Ed. 16.9.2011 A bonding that created history
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/article2458554.ece
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Trivandrum Medical College 1951 batch
Photo 1956 – Farewell to Dr. RG Krishnan, Principal
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QPMPA MANDYA MEETING
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LIVING INDEX
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Government of Kerala
Department of Economics & Statistics
No.P3.Pdl.1/2011/DES Thiruvananthapuram, 22/01/2011
Consumer Price Index (Cost of Living Index) numbers for Agricultural and
Industrial Workers for the months of June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., & Nov. 2010
Vide G.O.(MS) No.7/2002/Plg. dated 21-3-2002 of Planning and Economics Affairs (B) Department, Government of
Kerala and Government Notification No. G.O (Rt) No 2728/2001/LBR dated 14-09-2001 published in the Kerala Gazette
extra ordinary No. 13 81 (Vol. XLVI) dated 15-09-2001.
(Base 1998-99 =100)
Sl. Centre Linking Index Numbers for Estimated Indices for
No. Factor* June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. 2010
1 Trivandrum 10.39 183 184 185 187 189 192 1901 1912 1922 1943 1964 1995
2 Kollam 10.28 181 183 184 185 186 188 1861 1881 1892 1902 1912 1933
3 Punalur 9.96 182 185 187 189 189 191 1813 1843 1863 1882 1882 1902
4 Pathanamthitta - 186 189 191 193 195 198 - - - - - -
5 Alappuzha 10.45 179 180 181 182 182 185 1871 1881 1891 1902 1902 1933
6 Kottayam 10.40 177 179 182 184 185 188 1841 1862 1893 1914 1924 1955
7 Mundakayam 10.12 181 184 186 187 189 192 1832 1862 1882 1892 1913 1943
8 Munnar 10.03 171 172 173 175 176 178 1715 1725 1735 1755 1765 1785
9 Ernakulam 9.92 175 176 177 179 179 181 1736 1746 1756 1776 1776 1796
10 Chalakkuddy 10.60 178 179 180 182 182 184 1887 1897 1908 1929 1929 1950
11 Thrissur 10.05 170 171 172 173 173 175 1709 1719 1729 1739 1739 1759
12 Palakkad 10.48 182 184 185 187 187 190 1907 1928 1939 1960 1960 1991
13 Malappuram 10.30 176 178 179 181 182 183 1813 1833 1844 1864 1875 1885
14 Kozhikode 10.08 175 176 177 179 179 180 1764 1774 1784 1804 1804 1814
15 Meppady 10.64 172 173 174 176 177 178 1830 1841 1851 1873 1883 1894
16 Kannur 10.06 175 178 179 179 179 181 1760 1791 1801 1801 1801 1821
17 Kasargod - 175 178 179 181 181 182 - - - - - -
* Linking factors approved in G.O (MS) No. 7/2002/Plg. dated 21-03-2002 have been used from October 2001. Be
for all centres is 1970 = 100 in old series.
The Consumer Price Index (Cost of Living Index) Numbers applicable to employees in employment under the
Minimum Wages Act (Central Act XI of 1948) for the months of November 2010 as ascertained by the Director of
Economics & Statistics under clause (C) of Section 2 of the Act.
Department of Economics & Statistics Sd/- V. Ramachandran,
Thiruvananthapuram, Dated 22/01/2011
Website: www. ecostat.kerala.gov.in
Forwarded By Order Director
E-mail: ecostatprice@gmail.com Sd/- Assistant Director (Prices)
Living Index from December 2009 to May 2010 published in December 2010 issue of JMS
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QPMPA India
Qualified Private Medical Practitioners' Association
Professional Membership Application Form
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Dear Doctor,
I / We am / are (a) registered Medical Practitioner(s) and would like to enrol as Professional Life / Annual –
Single / Couple Member(s) of QPMPA India. I / We am / are sending herewith a sum of Rs.: .............................
(Rupees....................................................................................................................................) by Cash / DD / Cheque No.
.................................................... Dtd.: ..................................................of .............................................................................................Bank.
I / We hereby affirm that I / we shall abide by the rules and regulations of the Association and shall be with the Association in
all its decisions and endeavours to achieve its aims. (Couple members to submit two forms.)
1. Full name in CAPITAL LETTERS:
2. Permanent address:
3. Present (Mailing) address:
4. Phone No. with STD Code – Hospital:
Res.: Mob:
E-mail:
Website:
5. Academic Qualification(s):
6. Age and date of birth:
7. Name of the College, University and year of passing MBBS:
8. Name of the Medical Council & MC Reg. No.:
9. No. of years served as Private Medical Practitioner:
10. Professional Association(s) you are a member:
Station: .......................................................................................
Paste a
Passport size
Photo here
Yours sincerely,
Date: .............................................................................................. Signature & Name: ............................................................................................................................................................
Mail to: QPMPA Office, Floor V, Vallamattam Estate, Ravipuram, MG Road, Kochi 682015 Ph. (0484) 2383287
Cheque / DD be drawn in favour of “QPMPA” and made payable at “Ernakulam”.
Note: Paste a passport size photo in the space provided and pin another to the application for your ID card. (PTO)
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QPMPA.JMS . Vol. XXV . No. 3 . June-Sept. 2011
145

Professional Membership Fees
Annual Life Annual Life
Single Member: Rs. 1,000 Rs. 10,000 Couple Members: Rs. 1,500 Rs. 15,000
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For Local Branch Office use only
Application No......................................................... Date of receipt ...............................................................
Received Rs. .............................. as Cash / Cheque / DD, the Membership fees in full for Professional Life / Annual –
Single / Couple Membership. Forwarded to ................................................................. State Office on ......................................
with State Office share of Membership Fees – Rs. ......................... (Rupees ...................................................................
............................................ ............. ) as Cash / Cheque / DD No. ................................. dtd. ...................................
Hony. Branch Secretary,
............................................................................................ Local Branch of QPMPA
(Local Branch Office seal)
Attn. Local Branch Secretary:
The Local Branch shall keep a copy of this form and forward the Original to State Office with photos and 75% of the fees cited.
For State Branch Office use only
Application No. ........................................................ Date of receipt ...............................................................
Received Rs. ............................................ as Cash / Cheque / DD, the Membership fees in full for Professional Life /
Annual – Single / Couple Membership. Forwarded to Central Office on ...................................... with Central Office
share of Membership Fees – Rs. ......................... (Rupees ................................................................................................... ) as
Cash / Cheque / DD No. ................................. dtd. .........................................
Hony. State Secretary,
.......................................................................... State Branch of QPMPA
(State Branch Office seal)
Attn. State Branch Secretary:
The State Branch shall keep a copy of this form and forward the Original to National Office with photos
and 57.5% of the fees cited if received through a Local Branch or 65% if there is no Local Branch.
For Central Office use only
Application No. ........................................................ Date of receipt ...............................................................
Received Rs. ............................................ as Cash / Cheque / DD the Central Office share of Membership Fees.
Professional Life / Annual – Single / Couple Membership — Given / Not given.
Membership No. ASM / ACM / LSM / LCM ........................................... Date: ...........................
Secretary General, QPMPA India
(QPMPA India Office seal)
Attn. Secretary General:
The Central Office after Giving / Not giving the membership shall keep the original. Send a copy each to the State / Local Branches as required.
Send a copy with membership certificate and photo ID card to the member directly.
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QPMPA India
Qualified Private Medical Practitioners' Association
An Association of Modern Medicine Doctors and Hospitals in Private Sector
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Dear Sir,
Institution Membership Application
We would like to enrol as Type 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Institution Life / Annual Member of QPMPA India.
We are sending herewith a sum of Rs.: ..................... (Rupees ................................................................................................. ) as
Cash / DD / Cheque No. ............................ Dt.: .................................of ................................................................................. Bank. We
hereby affirm that we shall abide by the rules and regulations of the Association and shall be with the Association in all its
decisions and endeavours to achieve its aims. We are giving below the full particulars about the Clinic/Hospital/Nursing
Home.
1. Full name of the Institution:
Address with Pincode:
2. Short name of Institution if any:
3. Name of contact person(s) with Official title:
4. Phone/Fax/Mobile No(s):
5. Email ID:
6. Website URL:
7. Year established:
8. Registration No. if any:
9. Total No. of Beds — Paid
10. Facilities available:
+ Free =
1. Outpatient - Yes/No 2. Inpatient - Yes/No 3. Pharmacy - Yes/No
4. Laboratory - Yes/No 5. X-ray - Yes/No 6. E. C. G. - Yes/No
7. Labour Room - Yes/No 8. Operation Theatre - Yes/No 9. I. C. C. U. - Yes/No
10. Ultra Sound Scan - Yes/No 11. C.T. Scan - Yes/No 12. M.R.I. Scan - Yes/No
13. Mortuary - Yes/No 14. Ambulance - Yes/No 15. Others if any - Yes/No
11. Details of Specialities available: (Use additional sheet.)
12. Number of Employees: Total Nos. = .........
1. Doctors - Nos. ......... 2. Registered Nurses - Nos. ......... 3. Reg. Pharmacists - Nos. .........
4. Lab. Technicians - Nos. ......... 5. X-ray Technicians - Nos. ......... 6. Unqualified Staff - Nos. .........
7. Unqualified Staff - Nos. ....... . 8. Last Grade Employees - Nos. ......... 9. Others if any - Nos. .........
13. Name, Address & Ph. No. of person attending QPMPA meetings:
Yours sincerely,
Paste
1 Passport size
Photo of person
attending
QPMPA
meetings.
Station: .......................................................................................
Date: .............................................................................................. Signature & Name of person authorised: .....................................................................................................
Mail to: QPMPA Office, Floor V, Vallamattam Estate, Ravipuram, MG Road, Kochi- 682015 Ph. 0484 2383287
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Cheque/DD be drawn in favour of “QPMPA India” and made payable at “Ernakulam”
Note: Paste a passport size photo of person attending QPMPA Meetings in the space provided and pin another to the application.
QPMPA.JMS . Vol. XXV . No. 3 . June-Sept. 2011
(PTO)
147

Institution Membership Fees
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5 Type 6
OP only Up to 20 beds 21 to 50 beds 51 to 100 beds Above 100 beds Teaching Instit.
Annual: Rs. 2,000 Rs. 4,000 Rs. 6,000 Rs. 8,000 Rs. 10,000 Rs. 20,000
Life: Rs. 20,000 Rs. 40,000 Rs. 60,000 Rs. 80,000 Rs. 100,000 Rs. 200,000
For Local Branch Office use only
Application No......................................................... Date of receipt...............................................................
Received Rs. ..................................... as Cash / Cheque / DD, the membership fees in full for Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Life / Annual
Institution Membership. Forwarded to ................................................................. State Office on .............................................. with
State Office share of Membership Fees in full — Rs. .................................. (Rupees ................ ........... .....................
.................................................................. ) as Cash / Cheque / DD No. ................................. dtd. ...................................
Hony. Branch Secretary,
.......................................................................... Local Branch of QPMPA
(Local Branch Office seal)
Attn. Local Branch Secretary:
The Local Branch shall keep a copy of this form and forward the Original to State Office with photos and 75% of the fees cited.
For State Branch Office use only
Application No......................................................... Date of receipt...............................................................
Received Rs. ............................................ as Cash / Cheque / DD, the membership fees in full for Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Life /
Annual Institution Membership. Forwarded to Central Office on .......................................... with Central Office share of Mem-
bership Fees — Rs. ......................... (Rupees ........................... ................................................................................................. ) by Cash
/ Cheque / DD No. ................................. dtd. .........................................
(State Branch Office seal)
Hony. State Secretary,
.......................................................................... State Branch of QPMPA
Attn. State Branch Secretary:
The State Branch shall keep a copy of this form and forward the Original to Central Office with photos
and 57.5% of the fees cited if received through a Local Branch or 65% if there is no Local Branch.
For Central Office use only
Application No......................................................... Date of receipt...............................................................
Received Rs. ......................................................... as Cash / Cheque / DD as Central Office share of Membership Fees.
Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Life / Annual Institution Membership Given / Not given.
Membership No. Type ................. LIM / AIM .............................. Date: ......................................
Secretary General, QPMPA India
(QPMPA India Office seal)
Attn. Secretary General:
The Central Office after Giving / Not giving membership shall keep the original. Send a copy each to the State / Local Branches as required.
Send a copy with membership certificate and photo ID card to the member directly.