Emedinews:Inspiration:Who can understand love

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment. When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. “Vanity, please help me!” “I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.” “Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!” Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went his own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who helped me?”

“It was Time,” Knowledge answered.

“Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?” Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is.”

When we do not receive appropriate reciprocation of our love, we attempt desperately to seek back love and when we don’t succeed, we become sad or depressed. In such times, we must bear patience and reflect on Radhanath Swami’s words-God wants to give all of his love to us, and all he wants in return is whatever little love a soul has. We just offer that little love to him and in return, the Supreme Lord is willing to give us all the love he has!

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Medical testimony of doctor in the Court of law

The doctor should acquire the habit of making a careful note of all the facts observed by him. Vagueness and theory have no place in legal medicine. He should examine the facts that come to his knowledge in his special capacity, draw his conclusions logically and correctly after a detailed consideration of the pros and cons of the case, and indicate to the Court that interpretation, along with the grounds on which it is based. Presumption is not proof and conjecture is not evidence. The Court has no special medical knowledge. It relies on medical witness for an opinion and expects him to assist it with his special knowledge and experience in perusal of truth.

Emedinews:Inspiration:Father's Gift

 A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.

Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt 7:11,

 "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

 As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Malpractice

Supreme Court of Georgia echoed the Illinois decision, albeit with somewhat different wording

• Every person who enters into a learned profession undertakes to bring to the exercise of his profession a reasonable degree of care and skill. He does not undertake to use the highest possible degree of skill, for there may be persons who, for having enjoyed a better education and greater advantages, are possessed of greater skill in their profession; but he undertakes that he will bring a fair, reasonable, and competent degree of skill…He is not responsible for an error in judgment…if such error arises from the peculiar circumstance of the case, and not from the want of proper care or competent skill on his part.
• Nearly a half–century later, a state of New York appeals court issued an opinion as to what constitutes the standard of care of a medical physician. Although the lawsuit did not involve radiology, the court decision could have well applied to radiologic interpretation
• The law requires a physician to possess the skill and learning which is possessed by the average member of the medical profession…and to apply that skill and learning with ordinary reasonable care. He is not liable for a mere error in judgment, provided he does what he thinks is best after a careful examination. He does not guarantee a good result.

Emedinews:Inspiration:Be a believer to be an achiever

 The professor stood before his class of 30 senior molecular biology students, about to pass out the final exam. 'I have been privileged to be your instructor this semester, and I know how hard you have all worked to prepare for this test. I also know most of you are off to medical school or grad school next fall,' he said to them.

 'I am well aware of how much pressure you are under to keep your GPAs up, and because I know you are all capable of understanding this material, I am prepared to offer an automatic 'B' to anyone who would prefer not to take the final.'

 The relief was audible as a number of students jumped up to thank the professor and departed from class. The professor looked at the handful of students who remained, and offered again, 'Any other takers? This is your last opportunity.' One more student decided to go.

 Seven students remained. The professor closed the door and took attendance. Then he handed out the final exam. There were two sentences typed on the paper: 'Congratulations, you have just received an 'A' in this class. Keep believing in yourself.'

 I never had a professor who gave a test like that. It may seem like the easy way out of grading a bunch of exams, but it's a test that any teacher in any discipline could and should give. Students who don't have confidence in what they've learned are 'B' students at best. The same is true for students of real life. The 'A' students are those who believe in what they're doing because they've learned from both successes and failures. They've absorbed life's lessons, whether from formal education or the school of hard knocks, and become better people.

 Those are the people who you look for when you're hiring or promoting, and the ones you keep if you're downsizing. Your organization needs their brand of thinking. Psychologists say that by the age of two, 50 percent of what we ever believe about ourselves has been formed; by age six, 60 percent, and at eight years, 80 percent. Wouldn't you love to have the energy and optimism of a little kid? There is nothing you couldn't do or learn or be.

 But you're a big kid now, and you realize you have some limits. Don't let the biggest limit be yourself. Take your cue from Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest: 'It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.' Believing in yourself comes from knowing what you are really capable of doing. When it's your turn to step up to the plate, realize that you won't hit a homerun every time. Baseball superstar Mickey Mantle struck out more than 1,700 times, but it didn't stop him from excelling at baseball. He believed in himself, and he knew his fans believed in him.

 Surround yourself with positive people - they know the importance of confidence and will help you keep focused on what you can do instead of what you can't. Who you surround yourself with is who you become. Never stop learning! I would work this advice into every column if I could; it's that important. Don't limit yourself only to work-related classes, either. Learn everything about every subject that you can. When you know what you're talking about, it shows.

 Be very careful not to confuse confidence with a big ego. If you want people to believe in you, you also have to believe in them. Understand well that those around you also have much to contribute, and they deserve your support. Without faith in yourself and others, success is impossible.

At the end of a particularly frustrating practice one-day, a football coach dismissed his players by yelling, 'Now all you idiots, go take a shower!' All but one player headed toward the locker room. The coach glared at him and asked why he was still there.  'You told all the idiots to go, Sir,' the player replied, 'and there sure seems to be a lot of them. But I am not an idiot.' Confident? You bet. And smart enough to coach that team some day.

 Moral: Believe in yourself, even when no one else does.

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:Legal medicine: Doctor in witness box under oath

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

When a doctor is called as a witness in the Court of Law, Oath has to be administered before he tenders his evidence.

A doctor as witness while administered the oath has to repeat, while standing… ‘the evidences which I shall give to the honorable court shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me the almighty God".

If a Doctor wishes to give his evidences on solemn affirmation, he has to say that I solemnly affirm that the evidences which I shall give to the honorable court shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The main objective of the oath is to find truthful statement and if any doctor/witness speaks a lie after administration of oath he is liable for punishment of perjury a criminal offence in our country as well as abroad. The Medical opinion of the doctor must be supported by reason/science and it is the reasons and not ipse dixit which is of importance in assessing the merit of the doctor’s opinion in the court of law.

Emedinews:Inspiration:Faith

 In the abyss between life and death resides only faith. Experts call this abyss "Motherhood."

 Lying on a cold, hard bed only six months along with my first child, I faced the frightening implications of this truth. My body shook uncontrollably as abject terror clutched at me. My only lifeline was my husband's hand clutching mine over the abyss as love for life - mine and the tiny, still-unseen child's - burned deep in our hearts. One after another after another the nurses piled the bloody sheets into the corner until the doctor pronounced those fateful words, "The baby's coming."

 Only then, with control slipping past me into a haze of drugs and fear, did I make that one, final leap - the leap from control to faith - the leap from childlessness into motherhood. My next recollection was my husband's hand once again holding mine as he said the words that officially changed my life, "We have a little girl."

 The images of the next two months blurred together as ups and downs alternated at break-neck speed. One minute spent holding my two-pound and yet weightless daughter in my arms versus the next three weeks spent holding only tiny fingers through the isolet window-waiting for the next opportunity to take my baby out of the incubator again.

 The drugs, powerful enough to keep her safe from infection, again and again blew through her small veins while all I could do was watch, pray, and hang onto the faith that somehow we would get through this. If we could just make it to the next horizon, through the next transfusion and the next round of drugs, then I could live again. Until then survival was my only goal.

 In the darkness of a soul in crisis, my prayers became much deeper. No longer were they for selfish requests. Now they were centered wholly on the tiny baby God had entrusted to my care. The Lord has said, "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you" (Psalms 55:22), and during those long days, that was what kept me going.

 As good as that sounds, however, reality was that my only real positives at the time were formed by the negatives. "It's not pneumonia." "It's not an infection." "We won't have to put the IV in her head-this time." The struggle to live was being waged not only by the tiny baby lying helplessly in the incubator, but by her mother's spirit as well. Fear laced every call to the hospital, every question, every conversation. But always the faith remained. Somehow we would make it. Somehow God sustained me. Somehow.

 Then in one faltered heartbeat the negatives became negatives again, and I faced a test of faith more terrifying than my own journey through the abyss - my baby's journey to the edge of the River Jordan. All her veins had been blown, and a new IV would have to go in her head - all the other options had been exhausted.

 In utter desperation my husband and I left the hospital, and on a rain-soaked highway with the amber glow of the streetlights flashing above me, I reached a place that I never even knew existed - the place where faith no longer resides. "Why?" I asked the darkness around me. "Why?"

 But God has promised, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5), and I am here to tell you, He does send messengers to help when you ask. Truth is, mine was sitting right by my side - exactly where he had been through the whole ordeal. Slowly my husband reached over, took my hand, and spoke the words that I would cling to not only for this one night but for the rest of eternity. "She's going to be okay. You've just got to have faith."

 Every day for the next five years that faith has been tested over and over again. Every time I let my baby-big girl, now-off at play school. Every time my second daughter lets go of my hand and walks off on her own. Every time one child or the other screams in pain or in fear at two o'clock in the morning - the words come back to me, "She's going to be okay. You've just got to have faith."

 In the days to come, the phrase will only become more powerful. During the long nights when the girls fail to call and on the days when they experience their own grief, the words will be there to help me through. Time and again as I hold my children for one brief moment and then release them into the abyss, the words will be there.

 Through school, best friends, boyfriends, first dates, first heartbreaks, in partnership with God and my husband, I will remain the rock on which these two girls can build their lives. Until someday in some beautiful sunlit church, I will watch from a front pew as they stand before God and pledge themselves to another forever. Then as they turn, kiss me, and walk away into their own lives, the words will again be there. "She's going to be okay. You've just got to have faith."

 The day will come of course when the abyss will stretch before me again "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory". In some darkened room on another cold, hard bed I will step toward the abyss to make my final journey home. However, this time I will have not one but three sets of hands to hold onto. Then, looking up into the eyes of the two beautiful women my daughters have become, the sadness at our imminent parting will be there, but a greater understanding will hold me also.

 Beyond a doubt, I know that as I slip from the darkness of this world into the light beyond, I will hear that voice one more time: "They're going to be okay. You've just got to have faith."