Index Home We have all heard the story of James Watt, who probably inspired by a fluttering lid of a kettle, invented steam engine in 1769. About 35 years later, Richard Trevithick, a British engineer developed first steam-engine powered locomotive. Thereafter, trains ruled surface transport, as automobiles were more than a century away. By 1850s, passenger… Continue reading “Hospital on a train” & its postage stamps
Author: rjoshimgims
Telecom and health in 1980 and origins of Telemedicine
Index Home About four decades ago, in 1980 there was no public internet (or World Wide Web). While idea of internet (or connected computers) did exist, it started taking shape only in 1990s. Unlike today, we did not have compact personnel computers, or laptops and even mobile phones. All these developments were also a decade away.… Continue reading Telecom and health in 1980 and origins of Telemedicine
Australian postage stamps on it’s medical legends
Index Home Australia, a continent unknown to the remaining world, was formally colonised by the British in 1788. British sent fleets of convicts, and by 1841 they had more than 1,65,000 of them. With each fleet, came medical personnel, and started setting up hospitals. First tent-hospital was set up in area which is now Sydney in… Continue reading Australian postage stamps on it’s medical legends
Refugee health: distraught and displaced
Index Home Refuge is to seek protection. Thus, a refugees is an individual who looses protection in their country, and is forced to flee. This loss of protection is usually a consequence of war, ethnic strife, or persecution. It may also be due to disasters such as famines or floods. However, current definition requires well founded… Continue reading Refugee health: distraught and displaced
Angiography: How did we start seeing our vessels
Index Home While we knew for a long time, that blood travels inside conduits or vessels, we did not have much of clarity, till the middle of 16th century. It was only in 1540s, when Andreas Vesalius, a surgeon, anatomist and a medical illustrator drew it all. He first dissected actual human cadavers, and produced illustrations… Continue reading Angiography: How did we start seeing our vessels
Medical scientists on Israeli stamps, and their Indian connection
Index Home Israel honoured two medical scientists, with a postage stamp-set in 1994. Both, worked on vaccines to prevent infections that are common in the tropics. Both were born, and received their early schooling in regions that were once part of Russian Empire. Being Jew, and faced with persecution, their families migrated westwards. India benefited from… Continue reading Medical scientists on Israeli stamps, and their Indian connection
A Mold that saved the world
Index Home Some discoveries are serendipitous. Born in 1881, medicine was not an initial choice for Alexander Flemming. He initially studied in a polytechnic and later worked in a shipping office for four years, before enrolling in St Mary’s medical school. In 1906, he had completed MBBS, and was contemplating training in surgery. His colleagues in… Continue reading A Mold that saved the world
A medical scientist forgotten from the public view
Index Home Medical students know a deal about microscopists and scientists Robert Koch (who discovered TB bacillus), Rudolf Virchow (who gave us number of terms in pathology) , and Louis Pasteur (a pioneer in development of fermentation, preservation and vaccines). There may be a number of forgotten scientists, but one I stumbled on recently through a… Continue reading A medical scientist forgotten from the public view
Founders of healing: from ancient to the early medieval times
Index Home Healing is an art, and no one knows it better than the healers themselves. A system of healing is in place, since the beginning of mankind, much before the advent of modern scientific discoveries and invention. Early healers were priests and philosophers. They were a link between mortals beings and the divine. Since… Continue reading Founders of healing: from ancient to the early medieval times
Personalities related to health & medicine in Indian stamps
Index Home India gained its independence on 15th August 1947, and has issued more than 1100 postage stamps that feature a personality. Mahatma Gandhi featured in a first such stamp in 1948. Over next 75 years, 40 of these “person-stamps” were related to healthcare, less than 4% of the total. First twenty five years (1948-73), and… Continue reading Personalities related to health & medicine in Indian stamps