Author: rjoshimgims

Index Home Today many countries enrol more women than men in their medical schools. India reached this landmark in 2011. Among OECD countries, these proportions are highest in the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), where more than two-thirds of all doctors are women. Bottom four in this list are Japan, Korea, Luxembourg and the United States.… Continue reading Women doctors: quite Invisible to the postal stamps ?

Index Home Hearing is one of the five senses, and listening is part of the sixth. We capture sound, filter out the noise, and pass it on to our brain. This intricate process of hearing is just one of the many inputs that set a chain of thoughts. What we see, feel, smell, and taste add… Continue reading How to hear, and listen for the unsaid

Index Home All health systems are designed to take care of common ailments. Postage stamps also pick up only those health themes, that are common. To put in numbers, diabetes and hypertension are common. Today, these conditions affect as many as 1 or 2 of every 10 adults respectively. Some other health ailments are even more… Continue reading Rare stamps for rare diseases

Index Home Empathy and compassion are integral to healthcare. Most patients seek care when they have discomfort, infirmity or incapacitation. Compassion is a concern for another person’s discomfort. It is not possible to provide care, without concern. However people have different concern-reactions. For some it is a mere obligation, to listen and to abruptly close the… Continue reading Compassion in healthcare and its imagery in postage stamps

Index Home The Nobel Prize was instituted in 1901, and the first Nobel in medicine was warded to Von Behring. He shared stage with other luminaries such as Rontgen for Physics, and Henry Dunant for Peace. However, the story behind the first Nobel in Medicine was not without its share of controversies. The award was for… Continue reading Story behind the first Nobel Prize in Medicine

Index Home Marie Curie was first woman scientist to feature on a postage stamp. This was in 1938, a mere four years after her death. The reason for these postage stamps was to celebrate 40 years of discovery of radium. Marie and Pierre Curie had made this discovery in 1898. In 1938, France issued 21 separate… Continue reading Curies discover ways to find Cure for Cancers

Index Home Till the end of the second world war, Tuberculosis (TB) had no cure. Bed-rest, sunlight, and some fresh air were standard TB treatments. While some self-healed themselves, most would die after a long wait. Even Penicllin, famous and marvellous first antibiotic, did not make a dent. First useful medicine against TB, was following footsteps… Continue reading Bug of the soil to treat Tuberculosis

Index Home As a toddler, I was often warned. “Do not go near stray dogs – If they bite you, you will get fourteen injections in your tummy.” There were, and still are a plenty of stray animals around. Many kids including myself were taught, how to identify a friendly one from the furious one. “A… Continue reading Pulling out of jaws of a certain furious death

Index Home It was 16th January of 2021, and a historic day as it was the launch of India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive. Just a year ago, in January 2020, we were sucked in a global pandemic. Over next ten months, after lockdowns, first wave of Covid, more than a crore documented cases and about a lakh… Continue reading Mind the date: beginning of our 220 cr campaign

Index Home Our behaviour is shaped by our thoughts and actions. Each of us has a different behaviour, even when external situations are similar. Psychology is the science that analyses our behaviour, thoughts, and consequent actions. Like medicine, psychology is also an imperfect science. Explanations about our behaviour, thoughts and feelings is often based on certain… Continue reading Why we think & do, what we think & do ?