Emedinews:Inspiration:What is life?

Life is like an unsolved puzzle. No one can define what life is because it is a very complex thing. Life is something that makes you happy and proud at times and makes you feel so low at times that you say to yourself, "Why was I born?" But whatever it is, it is real fun.

In Life, in every moment, something new happens; something that you never expected, something that you were waiting from a long while to happen and something you were expecting to happen.

 It is a combination of happiness, sorrow, joy, love, anger, enjoyment, loneliness, fear, excitement and many other emotions. The definition of the word life cannot be completed without using the word emotions. Some people work in emotions whereas others work with emotions. So it's very important to understand how people are using their emotions. If they are letting emotions get control over them, then they'll be dragged by others and situations all the time. 

But, if he is controlling his emotions in a proper way, then no one will ever have control over him. The way a person uses his emotions is what we call attitude. Someone has correctly said, "Your attitude determines your altitude in life". Attitude, as I already defined, is the way an individual uses his emotions and directly related to the psyche of a person.

Some people use their emotions in a positive way and some people do it in a negative sense. When people use emotions in a positive way, we call it positive attitude and when they use it in a negative way, we call it negative attitude.

It's up to an individual to decide how he uses his emotions. Which way will you decide?

Life is like an unsolved puzzle. No one can define what life is because it is a very complex thing.

Emedinews:Inspiration:A touching story from a father

An Inspirational Story
(Dr GM Singh)

My wife called, 'How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?'  I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu looked frightened.
Tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice. Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of Curd Rice! I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl.

'Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear. Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this.

But, you should...' Sindu hesitated. 'Dad, if I eat this entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'....

Oh sure, darling'.... 'Promise?'......... 'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal. 'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted.

My wife put her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise'. Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindu dear, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?' 'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'.

Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity.

I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child to eat something that she detested. After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her.

'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand.

'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!' 'Never in our family!' my mother rasped.

'She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!'

Sindu darling, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality.

'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?'

I tried to plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'.

Sindu was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for.

Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?'

It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'  'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.

'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor her own.  Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful.

On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!'

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy.

'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought. 'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!' Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued,' that boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from... ... leukemia.' She paused to muffle her sobs.

Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates.

'Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'

I stood transfixed. And then, I wept. 'My little Angel, you are teaching me how self-less real love is!'

The happiest people on this planet are not those who live on their own terms but are those who change their terms for the ones whom they love…

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Triage in medical care & emergency treatment - Can a doctor ignore a routine appointment if a serious patient arrives?

The term ‘triage’ is a French word used in military medical services, which refers to the process of sorting injured/sick patient on the basis of urgency/priority of treatment. Triage in trauma care/emergency department is a very quick/necessary decision to first evacuate those with best chance of survival and to leave for later evacuation those who had little or no chance of survival. The doctors’ right to decide the issue of priority of attending the patients has been upheld by the Consumer Disputes Redressal Agencies (CDRAs).

The right of medical doctor is an important aspect of medical practice as often the patient’s perception of emergency differs from that of Doctors. In BS Hegde v Dr Sudhanshu Bhattacharya, the National Commission held that a doctor has the absolute right to decide which patient he would examine first and even out of turn depending on the condition of the patient. There is nothing improper or unreasonable if the doctor gives precedence to patients with active/acute cardiac problem/other medical/surgical condition where urgent medical attention of doctor is called for in preference to the routine consultation. In addition, it cannot be held that the patients must be examined at the appointed time irrespective of the time he may have to spend in examining the previous patients. (George, James E, Law and emergency care, The CV Mosby Co, St.Louise,1980 pp 66–67)

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Hair and fiber in forensic cases

Medicolegal Update
(Dr Sudhir Gupta, Additional Prof, Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, AIIMS)

• Hair and fiber are commonly used in investigation in cases of assaults, sexual offences, bestiality– found on human body or at the scene of crime.
• Hair comprises mainly two parts: shaft is the part above the skin, and root lies below the skin. The root has a bulb as a base, embedded in hair follicle. The cuticular scales cover the shaft. The shaft has two layers: outer one is called cortex, and the inner one medulla.
• Pigment of hair is present in the cortex. The cuticular scales present around the cortex are non-nucleated cells originating from follicle, and are keratinized.
• The medulla consists of cylinder–like cells produced by matrix cells. The ratio of medullar diameter to that of the shaft is known as medullar index.
• The medullary column is present in the center of the cortex. The pigment granules present in the cortex consist of melanin. It is made up of several units of monomer, consisting of indole and quinone. It contains amino acids like dihydroxy phenylalanine and tyrosine.
• The medullar cells contain large amount of glycogen.
• Macroscopic and microscopic examination of hair is done in the forensic laboratory, to distinguish it from fiber and to ascertain whether the hair is of a human hair or an animal and to fix the individual identity.

Emedinews:Inspiration:Teen Mental Health

An Inspirational Story
(Dr GM Singh)

Being a teenager is hard. You're under stress to be liked, do well in school, get along with your family and make big decisions. You can't avoid most of these pressures, and worrying about them is normal. But feeling very sad, hopeless or worthless could be warning signs of a mental health problem.

Mental health problems are real, painful and sometimes severe. You might need help if you have the signs mentioned above, or if you

• Often feel very angry or very worried
• Feel grief for a long time after a loss or death
• Think your mind is controlled or out of control
• Use alcohol or drugs
• Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively
• Hurt other people or destroy property
• Do reckless things that could harm you or others

Mental health problems can be treated. To find help, talk to your parents, school counselor or health care provider.

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Criminal and legal Abortions

What is Sec 312 of the IPC?

Sec 312 of the IPC, 1860 under the heading "causing miscarriage" says that whoever voluntarily causes a woman with child to miscarry, shall, if such miscarriage be not caused in good faith for saving the life of the woman, be punished with imprisonment of either description of a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both; and, if the woman be quick with the child, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description of a term which may extend to seven years or shall also be liable to fine. Explanation to this section: a woman who causes herself to miscarry, is also punishable thereunder.

• In Dr. Akhil Kumar v. State of M.P., 1992 LJ 2029(MP), a woman living separately from her husband for 3 to 4 years conceived as a result of illicit intercourse with her distant cousin. When her pregnancy was of 24 weeks she approached a medical practitioner who pushed Menstrogen Forte injection into her which caused her death. The literature of Menstrogen Forte clearly stated that the effect of such injection could be miscarriage. The plea of the accused physician that he had pushed that injection to determine if she was pregnant was not believed because the six month old pregnancy was writ large on her abdomen discernible from outside and the doctor was convicted for attempt to cause miscarriage.
• The deceased mother of four children, having become pregnant was taken by her son–in–law to a quack for abortion. She was later found dead and was buried. The dead body was exhumed after about 12 days and the quack was prosecuted under Sec. 314 and convicted thereunder on circumstantial evidence. (In Maideen Sab v. State of Karnataka, 1993 Cri LJ 1430 (Kar)

Emedinews:Inspiration:Good news or Bad news

Robert De Vincenzo, the great Argentine golfer, once won a tournament and, after receiving the check and smiling for the cameras, he went to the clubhouse and prepared to leave. Some time later, he walked alone to his car in the parking lot and was approached by a young woman. She congratulated him on his victory and then told him that her child was seriously ill and near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor’s bills and hospital expenses. 
De Vincenzo was touched by her story, and he took out a pen and endorsed his winning check for payment to the woman. "Make some good days for the baby," he said as he pressed the check into her hand.
The next week he was having lunch in a country club when a Professional Golf Association official came to his table. "Some of the boys in the parking lot last week told me you met a young woman there after you won that tournament." De Vincenzo nodded. "Well," said the official, "I have news for you. She’s a phony. She has no sick baby. She’s not even married. She fleeced you, my friend."
"You mean there is no baby who is dying?" said De Vincenzo.
"That’s right," said the official.
"That’s the best good news I’ve heard all week." De Vincenzo said.
Moral: Good news or bad news? It depends on how you see things. You can be bitter after cheated. Or you can choose to move on with your life.......