Beyond the Crutch: A Remarkable Journey from support to mobility
We often use the word crutch rather unkindly. A habit becomes “a crutch”; an easy solution is dismissed as “just a crutch.” The metaphor suggests weakness or dependence, and it…
From pressure to the first cry and Uruguayan link
Making the Invisible Visible Uruguay is famous for football and Cowboys. So it was intriguing when I came across two postage stamps from the country, issued in 1998 celebrating its…
The Evolution and Use of Laser Technology in Healthcare
When most of us hear the word laser, we may think of science-fiction movies, futuristic weapons, or a bright red beam of light. But lasers have quietly become an important…
Swallowing a camera to reveal how our intestines look
It sounds quite like a spy-thriller, that we can actually swallow a tiny camera to picture inside of our intestines. A usual way to see inside of our intestines is…
Pharmacy labels, before and after advent of food and drug administration
The first food and drug administration (FDA) was established in US in 1906. Before that pharmacies were an unregulated lot. Various products were sold in the name of medicines, and…
Ilizarov and his apparatus for healing of bone defects
Ilizarov is a name most doctors, and especially those who practice orthopedics are well aware of. However, his journey from obscurity to global fame, is not much known. He invented,…
Bohler: A surgeon who gave science and method to bone setting
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…
Dental Chair and its journey in stamps
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…
Thermometer: Need to give fever a number on a scale
Fever is a common symptom of an illness. It is a perception of warmth, often coupled with a mix of feeling cold, shaking and an urge to cover oneself with…
Prostaglandins: Substances with too much on their plate
Prostaglandins are a substances, that are produced by many cells in our body. While they mostly have a local action, a list of tasks they perform is long and complex.…