© Dr. Anjali Bhatt
I am a doctor. I would like to define a doctor as a person who has learned a bit more about the human body than an engineer/chartered accountant/farmer/cook (who respectively know better than doctors about machines/finances/agriculture/cooking). With the knowledge that a doctor has he/she tries to help people (in some cases animal) deal with their dis-ease and make the life process easy. Diseases have a triangular shaped basis with each corner belonging to host (the physical and mental status of the concerned human being), environment (food, water, climate and overall surrounding) and the agent (e.g COVID-19 virus in current times). With the knowledge of medical science, a doctor tries to understand contribution of each factor in a given situation and help the patient come out of it. There are different medical sciences with their unique set of principles which try to understand the disease and make the life process easy. A human being called ‘doctor’ choses one of the sciences, learns it for few years (in most cases 12 years after 12th standard) and tries to use the knowledge for betterment of his/her own life in process of helping others around them. Even that, does not give him/her the ownership of that science. A Baba might be very good at doing and teaching YOGASANA and BREATHING exercises (also at entrepreneurship) than many of us, but in no way that can give him the right to demean sincere efforts of other sciences. ‘YOGA’ a medical science was studied in great details and shared to us long time back by great sage Patanjali. Ayurveda as the name suggests, is a science about best possible ways of leading life, originally shared by a few extremely respectable and brilliant Indian medical scientists while keeping in mind the people and environment in geographical locations of Bharat (India). Two most prominent names who contributed to Ayurveda are Charak and Shushrut. (A Baba may not even be trained in Ayurveda forget about owning it). Allopathy is a medical science which uses principles of evidence of using chemicals (which can be extracts from natural substances or synthetic) to help/aid/support body’s efforts to fight a disease. Utmost possible care is taken to make sure that benefit of such a chemical outweighs the harm that might be caused. Brilliant people from every generation make wonderful contributions to all types of sciences. That is how the science is upgraded and kept alive. Some contribute in indirect ways like providing financial/political support. Finances and politics are sciences in themselves. A science can expand its use to people of different geography and ethnicity. More than one science can be used based on a rightful decision. This is especially true in the era of global citizenship. Every science that is ever discovered, is originated from some unmet human need and betterment of humanity. The wrong/bad/harmful happenings around us are representation of human characters (immaturity, greed and cruelty), not the character of science. The scientific minds should intelligently make sure that these characters are not allowed to make a mockery of any science and for their own vested interests, use a scene of our valor and anger, which are results of a sensitive nature (yes, in spite of a contrary belief, scientific mind is the most sensitive, concerned and caring mind). Let us separate identification of science from that of influential individuals. Science looks fallible because human beings are fallible – all of us, lets repeat ‘all of us’. Human beings have some wonderful survival characteristics too – resilience and adaptability!!! In whichever way possible, lets help each other till mother nature corrects herself……lets do our jobs sincerely and scientifically and let’s not ANYONE demean us!!!!!
© Dr. Anjali Bhatt
Consultant diabetologist and Endocrinologist, Pune
Pune
anjalibhat.com