Anatomy Re dissected
50 years back, in June 1974 ,we entered the hallowed gates of the famous Baroda Medical College,Baroda .What a feeling for the 18 year old boy who as a child visited the same premises to deliver milk to laboratory animals in the pharmacology department.
The classroom teaching was started for the subject of anatomy. Anatomy is like the ABC of the medical sciences. In medical sciences, everything begins with the body and and ruefully ends with the body. Anatomy is like learning the hardware ,the physiology is like the software ,the biochemistry is molecular programming ,while diseases are like malware ,to be identified andto be nullified.
The practical part of the subject was being taught in the dissection hall. It was situated on the second floor of the building along with the museum and departmental chambers for teachers.
There were many great teachers of that era and they commanded our awe and respect . We have heard many positive stories about their teachings and achievements .Seniors passed on the information and that became the part of our daily talk and sometimes juicy gossip.
The study of anatomy was mind blowing as everyday we would be learning more than~ 250 new terms related to various parts of the body and its intricacies ,ranging from from A...rtery to Z...ona pellucida.
Our revered Bible for the subject was the book by an English anatomist ,named Henry Grey and his epitome , originally titled, Anatomy - descriptive and surgical ,first published in 1858.
The students were divided into small batches ( 6-8) batches where active interaction was happening among ourselves.
The seeds of lifelong friendship were planted here and , few also found their soulmate/ life partner here while dissecting the heart of the dead , but their own heart at double - speeding and occasionally missing the beat.
Though the dissection was done on a dead body there,the atmosphere was lively as young blooded youths ,beautiful faces, dreaming eyes,well oiled hair stylers and innocent fascial expressions were part of the micro and macro milieu of the arena. Least I forget,we pray for all the souls whose bodies we dissected, and our gratitude to them and their kind for body donations.
The subject of anatomy was very close to my heart and I studied very hard and looked forward to the great result ,matching my resolve to add as many gold medals as possible in my career .
We, humans are liable to err and tHe err I did , while writing the answers for the final examination. .The main question was about the 5th cranial nerve and ,the nerve has got three parts and I wrote about first and second but forgot to write about the third and it costed me in the form of not getting distinction and probably the highest mark ever achieved in the department, so as told to me by one of the senior professor.
Still I was the first in the subject in the class,got Medal, Citation and price.
Also during the viva the question of Callot's Triangle proved to be the Bermuda Triangle ,as not aware of its' answer.
Later as a surgeon ,we realised its' importance and its ability to sink the ship of reputation many a surgeons.
Now in the sixth decade of my life the anatomy I am really concerned are the cartilages in my knees, opacification of lenses, thinning of bones and
roadblocks in the coronary and outflow systems of body.
I always admire the beauty of anatomy both external and internal either, on skin or below the skin - subcutaneous . So my teacher while doing M.A. ( Art history and Aesthetic) suggested the dissertation topic
Subcutaneous Art,some symbiosis of two of my passions.
Before the neurons of many years standing embrace its waiting enemy, a.k.a Alzheimer, enjoy the nostalgic memorabilia.
