Index Home Postage stamps and Red Cross share a close relationship. As early as 1870s, postal administrations in France, Germany and Switzerland exempted postage on letters posted by Red Cross organisations or by prisoners of war. Since, it was important to identify such letters, some national red-cross societies printed stamps. These were identification stamps, rather than… Continue reading Red Cross philately and the two world wars
Author: rjoshimgims
Origin of the Red Cross movement
Index Home Nineteenth century Europe was a war theatre. These conflicts started with Napoleonic wars (1803-1815), and went on with revolution and conflicts of Italian and Prussian unification (1848-1866). Weapons, industries, revolutions, and colonialism were all working in tandem. Conflicts had become more and more devastating. In 1828, Henry Dunant was born in a business family.… Continue reading Origin of the Red Cross movement
Medical services in the sky
Index Home During First World War we began to use airplanes, both as a weapon and as a medical service. In 1917, a British plane evacuated a solder with a broken ankle. This is the first recorded aerial rescue. In the next ten years, British, French, and Germans had all used military air ambulances to evacuate… Continue reading Medical services in the sky
How to make our roads healthy and safe ?
Index Home About 1.3 million humans die, and another 50 million suffer injuries in road accidents every year. These numbers have remained almost unchanged in the last twenty years. Most deaths occur in the young. Further, more deaths occur in Africa, and Asia and least in Europe. Till 1970s, the number of deaths was on a… Continue reading How to make our roads healthy and safe ?
Our governing molecules, from concept to a structure
Index Home A child is a mix of two parents. Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) questioned this belief, and in 1865 he demonstrated that expressed traits are not a mix. Instead, traits are either “dominant” or “recessive”. An inherited dominant trait is invariably expressed. On the other hand, a recessive trait is expressed only when the dominant one… Continue reading Our governing molecules, from concept to a structure
Intensive care: borne out of an epidemic
Index Home Today almost all large hospitals have an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Purpose of this facility is to provide care for the severely ill patients, who often require heroic measures to salvage their failing organs. Today Intensive care is complex, demanding, and relies a lot on a variety of gadgets such as mechanical ventilators, invasive… Continue reading Intensive care: borne out of an epidemic
Medical innovations in British stamps
Index Home Postage stamp was a British innovation. First introduced on 6th May 1840, it was a beginning for pre-paid postage, we still follow world-wide. Since then British postage stamps have a unique tradition. Only human figure on these postage stamps is either the monarch, or members of the royal family. British post (or Royal Mail)… Continue reading Medical innovations in British stamps
Women’s health, cancer screening and Papanicolaou
Index Home Healthcare suffers from male dominance. At the beginning of 20th century, most doctors were men. Maternal care, commonest women’s health concern, was more of a tradition rather than part of a profession. Midwives and later nurses were flag bearers of health issues affecting women. In this context, it is no surprise that in comparison… Continue reading Women’s health, cancer screening and Papanicolaou
Vienna: The rise & fall of a medical university
Index Home Till early 1900s, Vienna was a leading centre for medical education. Ranked after Paris, and Berlin Medical University of Vienna had brought many innovations. University was so prestigious, that American Medical Association had a branch in Vienna. University provided training even for US doctors, who then moved back to their own country to set… Continue reading Vienna: The rise & fall of a medical university
Conflict, peace and health
Index Home Conflict affects health (and vice-versa) Conflicts disrupt health systems. They not only overwhelm health-facilities with wounds and injuries, they also disrupt supply chain of medical supplies. Further, health-care workers, who now fear for their lives, themselves migrate or are unable to report for work. Thus, peace is first requisite for an effective health system.… Continue reading Conflict, peace and health