Author: rjoshimgims

Child art in postage stamps

Index Home World from a child’s perspective Children see, explore and understand the world from a fresh perspective. Their world is simple to begin-with and becomes complex as they grow. So does child-art. Scribble, pre-symbolism, symbolism and realism are four stages of child art. Early in age, art begins with a few scribbles. Thereafter, children make… Continue reading Child art in postage stamps

Nursing care: evolution of a profession

Index Home Every year 12 May is observed across the world as International Nursing Day. This is the birth Anniversary of Florence nightingale, who war born in the year 1840. She laid foundation for nursing as a profession, and established systems for nursing education across the world. Evolution of the profession Nursing is a parental instinct.… Continue reading Nursing care: evolution of a profession

Hospitals around the world: Different strokes for Ivory-towers

Index Home Ivory-towers are places of seclusion. Its inmates are often busy in their own pursuits, unaware of the world outside. Critics often equate hospitals to ivory-towers, both from a position of strength and weakness. Regardless, hospitals house suffering as well as joy, pain as well as curse, deaths as well as births. In this blog… Continue reading Hospitals around the world: Different strokes for Ivory-towers

Medical colleges and hospitals in India

Index Home Today India has more than 780 medical colleges, and about 64 standalone postgraduate institutes. There are more than 70,000 hospitals in India. Healthcare system in India is ancient. We first interacted with modern medicine through Portuguese physicians. However, British East India Company (EIC) established first hospitals. First modern hospital was Cogan’s house (west 1664)… Continue reading Medical colleges and hospitals in India

Diabetes, a bitter disease with plentiful sweet urine

Index Home A not so sweet disease Diabetes is a chronic disease. Individuals with diabetes have high blood sugars, pass more urine, and get more thirsty. While urine is sweet and sugar in blood is high, disease is not so sweet. Individuals need to restrict their diets, exercise more, and take tablets or insulin injection for… Continue reading Diabetes, a bitter disease with plentiful sweet urine

Small-pox: An enormous burden that was relieved in 1980

Index Home Small-pox had a high mortality, a third of all infected would die. Survivors would become blind, and carry a scarred face for life. Every infected person would have fever, followed by a typical skin-rash. Disease earned its name from the small-bumps that covered entire body. But, small it would not remain as it devastated… Continue reading Small-pox: An enormous burden that was relieved in 1980

Malaria in postage stamps, A 1962 story

Index Home Malaria is an infection, caused by a tiny bug – Plasmodium and its species. This bug enters human body by a mosquito-bite and multiplies, leading to fever. Bug also exits through a mosquito completing a cycle. Malaria cycle was discovered in 1897 by Ronald Ross, which earned him 1902 Nobel in Medicine. We however… Continue reading Malaria in postage stamps, A 1962 story

Leprosy: Saga of an eternal discrimination

Index Home Leprosy is an infection, affecting skin and the nerves. We discovered organism causing this infection, Mycobacterium leprae in 1873, nine years before its more famous counterpart Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Saga of discrimination and leprosy is eternal. Society discriminated against sufferers of this disease, and scientific community against Dr Gerhard Hansen – a Norwegian Physician who… Continue reading Leprosy: Saga of an eternal discrimination

History of Pharmacy: to make, produce and dispense

Index Home When physicians were their own pharmacists Most ancient physicians formulated their own remedies, and dispensed them too. Physicians and their family members held on to recipes as a closely guarded secret. Identification, formulation, and dispensing was a family affair. Most physicians had their own pharmacy. While ancient pharmacopeias (or materia-medica) exist, their wider dissemination… Continue reading History of Pharmacy: to make, produce and dispense