Author: rjoshimgims

Index Home Sepsis lies on the pathway from infection to death. While we have discovered drugs against bugs that cure infections, yet sometimes infections are overwhelming. As a response, our body’s immune system fights back. We call this as a host response. In extreme situations, conflict between the invading bugs and host response starts damaging our… Continue reading Sepsis: Serious infection that leads to a war within

Index Home Yesterday, I was struggling to find a theme for a fresh blog. My daughter exclaimed “Why don’t you write about flowers ?” Initially that was a weird thought, health care does not really gel with flowers. Hospitals are a rather dull place, replete with people in distress, health workers in action, with many instruments… Continue reading Flowers in health care and its philately

Index Home A theater it is, with performances that are all a matter of life and death. It is not an act, but all that happens is real. Human lives are wheeled in, and their senses go blunt. Some others dare to correct, remove or fix aberrations. Mostly, lives are repaired, and sometimes new ones are… Continue reading To perform in a theater, sans its audience

Index Home When hands and arms fail, but determination reins supreme, we come across some special abilities. Mouth and foot painting is one such special ability, that is leaves us awestruck. It is an art, where artists manoeuvre painting brushes and other tools with their mouth or feet. Thus works of art so created are special.… Continue reading Mouth and foot painting: A special ability in postage stamps

Index Home A desire, that we could replace a failed organ, is age-old. Hindu God Ganesha, had his head replaced by one of an elephant. So are numerous chimeric Greek gods, that have fused body parts from more than one animal. Cosmas and Damian patron saints in medieval Rome, transplanted a diseased leg with a healthy… Continue reading Donate a healthy organ to mend another’s failed one

Index Home Orthoses are external supports attached to a limb or a body part. Today such devices are made of lighter materials, and are used to support knee, ankle, elbow or hand. We use more elaborate ones to straighten or support our spines. Till a few decades ago, heavier Leather and steel lower limb orthoses were… Continue reading A familiar orthoses from the past: Leather and metal polio-brace

Index Home A few structures in our body, set us apart from our closest primates. Most animals need all fours, but we can balance, walk and run on our twos. This makes our hands free, and allow us to manage many fine movements. Our rigid bones make these actions sturdy, and our joints keep our bones… Continue reading Bone and Joints: Keeping ’em close, yet a little apart

Bandage is synonymous with healing and care. The word comes from “bind” or to hold together. It is a symbol of empathy and care. Some recent postage stamps designed to convey care, are shaped like bandages. These are a more modern version of bandage- small and sticky. However, bandages are not always small. When wounds… Continue reading Bandage: A cloth cover to wrap, hold or press

Index Home On 25th July every year, World Health Organisation (WHO) observes world drowning prevention day. Tag-line of this day is – anyone can drown, no one should. While, death by drowning is not a recent occurrence, its prevention-day is just three years old. In 2021 United Nations added it to the list of annual… Continue reading Anyone can drown, no one should

Index Home Basic Life Support or BLS is a sequence of actions, that attempt to bring life back, after it has seemingly ceased. When heart stops, or lungs fail to breathe, we have moved closer to death. However, all is still not over. We still have a few more minutes to make heart to beat… Continue reading Basic Life Support (BLS) makes dead alive again