Author: rjoshimgims

Individuals with fractured leg bones, often need pins, pulleys, and plaster to hold the two ends of the broken bone, close-together. As patients with this intricate system are made to lie, their legs are raised-up on a small platform placed on the bed. The frame with the platform, pulleys and triangulated bars owes its origin… Continue reading Bohler: A surgeon who gave science and method to bone setting

Recently I visited a Dentist, and within minutes I was lying on a Dental Chair. With lights from the top, motorized probes and instruments jetting from the sides, and even an adjoining basin, I wondered how dentists developed their chairs. This journey is also reflected in a few postage stamps, issued to recognize dental services… Continue reading Dental Chair and its journey in stamps

War is a man-made disease. Any disease requires an agent, which in case of war, is weaponry. Nations, and people living in them are hosts, who bear the brunt of the agent. Environment that facilitates the agent to act in this case is politics of conflict, and human ambition to conquer. In 1945, when world… Continue reading War is a disease, and UN was designed to prevent it

Health and medicine related postage stamps from India are mostly about personalities (See a previous blog), or about institutions (Another blog here). Some other A handful of others celebrate progress in medicine, and feature in this blog. 1. Change in Health metrics since independence At the time of Indian Independence, India’s health situation reflected decades… Continue reading Seven medical success stories from India in stamps

Postage stamps mirror societal perceptions. Human societies have long associated masculinity with power, dominance, and conquest, while feminism emphasizes empathy, equality, and care. Thus, scars and destruction from wars are masculine, and healing is feminine. This depiction of care has also come from some of the most dominant patriarchal societies in the world. Traditional masculinity… Continue reading Gender portrayal: Masculinity for war, and Feminism for care

The lion is a symbol of courage, bravery, and royalty. It has featured in coat of arms of various royal families. Rising sun represents divine light, and prosperity. It has a celestial connection. Together, the lion standing before the rising sun symbolize both earthly power and heavenly blessing. This was a symbol of Red-Cross equivalent… Continue reading A lost Red Lion and rising sun symbol

The Beginning It was 23rd February 1905, when four people met in an office room in Chicago. These were Paul P. Harris, a lawyer and three other businessmen—Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey. With a mission to do something for greater good, they started an exchange of ideas. They formed a club (Rotary) that… Continue reading Rotary: Wheels in motion for local and global good

Here come the Portuguese It was 1498 when Vasco-da-Gama set sailing around Africa, and reached Southern part of India by sea. By this time, Portuguese or its agents had set-up small island colonies en-route. By 1510 they had colonized lands in Goa, Mozambique, Muscat, Angola. Soon the empire would also spread from Brazil in South… Continue reading Portuguese were the first to begin health-care colonialism

While healing itself is an art, many consider faith-healing as quite farther away from science. While disease is more ancient as compared to its cure, faith-healing may well be a precursor to more established health systems. Early healers were priests and philosophers. They were a link between mortals beings and the divine. Since healers also… Continue reading Faith-healers who cure by calling spirits, and emotions

Adolf Hitler killed himself on 30th April 1945, and over next two days German garrison in Berlin had surrendered. Soviet army from the east, south and north moved in to occupy Berlin. For next two months, Soviets were the sole occupants, and in July the city was divided into four zones. Eastern half remained with… Continue reading Berlin doctors soon after second world war was over