KILLING SCIENCE: WE, THE WHISTLE BLOWERS
While practical classes of anatomy were full of excitement initially, practical classes of physiology were much like our 12th standard laboratory classes. Our physiology laboratory initially was in the old college building.
We were, in the beginning, taught usual blood counts, how to recognize different cells in the blood in microscope and principles behind such tests.
All this was done manually. But from where did the blood sample come? Naturally we had to do the tests on our own blood! This was a bit painful procedure.
“Today, we are to perform total white cell count. We will tell you how many micro liters of blood are needed, how to see them under the microscope and how to count the white cells. But first of all, you ask your friend to get your blood sample from your ring finger.” Looking at our herd, our tutor announced.
They made such a big college. Could not they arrange a few blood samples for the tests? Oh man, thought of getting pricked was painful. But there was no escape. Kamlesh,one of the thinnest boy of our class was my partner in first practical in physio lab.
as we sat down to our table, kamlesh took the lancet. i unwillingly extended my hand. he looked at my hand for a moment and then got strong hold of my ring finger. I looked helplessly to him. He smiled. Though kamlesh was very lean and thin, he looked like demon to me at that moment! Ouch! He gave a nice deep merciless prick to tip of my ring finger. Was it really that painful? probably my pre conceived fear made me feel enhanced pain. i could not say. Tip of my finger became red with blood. I felt as if kamlesh got the blood deep down from my bone! I could count my heartbeats at the pricked tip of finger due to pain. (Though, this was not the part of practical learning!) I picked the pipette and draw required blood in it.
Same event was probably repeated at each table. Some boys rendered such ‘gentle’ services to girls. Pragnesh was notoriously very well known for this.
the pain ful experience was worth because It was really amazing to see one’s own white cells under the microscope. I really forgot the prick. i saw my own amazing cells. the world under the microscope was very exciting.
When the main new building of our college was ready, like other departments, the physio deptt soon was shifted to the new building. We had luxury of two labs there. One was for human physiology and the other was an animal experiment lab. the animal lab was mainly used to show us practical physiology on frogs.
In our 12th class also we were forced to study live frogs. That was really very cruel. The frogs were dumped in chloroform and were cut open inhumanely to study and finally they were left to die. Students were supposed to see the different live systems of the dying poor creature. I really still do not understand the logic of doing such a cruel exercise in name of science. Honestly, those lab experiments neither contributed to increase my knowledge of biology nor they helped in slightest way to understand human machinery. But that was in the syllabus. We had to do that.
Here in physiology, such experiments went a step further. The deptt had a separately maintained animal house outside the college. Different types of animals were kept there to be slaughtered in name of research and science.
Since chloroform had bad effect on nervous system, the frogs were required to be ‘pithed’, keeping their nervous system intact for study. Can you guess how cruel the procedure was? Prof harsoda used to do that. He would hold a live frog in his left hand firmly and then would take an instrument that looked like ice cutter in right hand. The sharp point was pushed between the eyes of the frog and then the instrument was rotated destructing the connection of brain with the spinal cord, keeping the poor animal ‘intact’ for study. Just compare this with the fear of small prick we humans fear usually!
To bear this all, one had to cut off one’s sensory system from the brain, i mean, one needs to be totally insensitive and inhuman. NO one could see such cruelty except under fear of exam!
There was one experiment to show us normal heart activity and effects of different drugs on heart muscle. We had to cut open the thorax of the frog, insert a pointed hook at the tip of the frog’s beating heart and then to attach that hook to a drum assembly to take a graph.
There was a special place, a smoking zone, in the lab where special papers were given smoke so that a graph could be recorded on them. I felt such obsolete experiments required more such 18th century technique for recording graph.
Apart from mercilessly killing the frog, we were not required to handle other animals.
(Not mentioning some of the teachers!). I do not remember any of my classmates enjoying such experiments. Almost all of us hated cruelty on frogs.when i saw this very first time, i really felt deep pain through my heart. i could not stand in front of the tutor demonstrating our batch so i left the lab and went to the chamber of the head of the department of physiology. Dr. Mazoomdar was in his chair.
"may i come in sir?" I asked in low voice.
"yess. Khomme in" sir replied in his deep typical voice." yess neha, why do you appear so disturbed?"
my face was perhaps enough gloomy to be read.
"Sir...I wanted to ask.." I was squeezing all my strength to speak up. i paused.
"Ask what?" Sir had to speak after 10 seconds pause.
"Sir.. can't we stop killing frogs?" At last i was able to speak.
Sir looked in my eyes and probably read them well.
"See neha, this is part of your physiology learning. In any science, no one can believe whatever is written in books. One has to see that all directly, keenly observe it and most importantly re prove it... So here you see whatever is written in your physiology textbook...you understand?" sir was really sympathetic and truthful on his side.
"Sir but many facts are established since decades now. Till how long we need to repeat and reprove and reprove again?" i had my own argument.
Sir smiled " Might be some student may find something new from these experiments some day and may change our understanding of old facts.." He explained the ideal certificate to kill the frogs and other animals mercilessly in as humane voice as possible.
I wanted to ask how may students in his career did he see which revealed something new in his MBBS practical killer classes. But there was no point in argument.
" Any way neha...you go to hostel and rest well" Looking at my bitter face ,sir ultimately suggested.
i do not remember what i did on that day but Some of my friends became very sensitive to the issue. I remember, especially kapil, vimal, vivek, jayesh, were really furious on this issue. They explained their feelings to the whole batch. We were further disturbed by the fact told by a servant in the physio deptt. He told our HOD of physio deptt wanted him to catch dogs of our campus so that experiments could be carried out personally by the HOD.
So, our batch decided to boycott the practical classes. This movement lasted for a few weeks. Some of the students of our batch, as I remember, wrote slogans on pillars of the physio deptt expressing their anger on the cruelty.
I do not remember whether we were successful in stopping such practical but I do not remember giving exams of similar practical.
Afterwards, as we all know, because of efforts of maneka Gandhi, such experiments were stopped all over the India. Our batch tried to do the same long before maneka Gandhi did!
(I would be glad if any one can add to this event)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
CH 21 :SECRETS OF BOYS’ HOSTEL : TIFFIN BOMB ?
SECRETS OF BOYS’ HOSTEL : TIFFIN BOMB ?
Bhargav, my classmate and lobby partner was very witty and he had a lot of sense of humor. After the college, we used to have routine discussions on many topics. Bhargav told us many jokes and one liner.
“You know Neh, any movement on this earth by any creature is because of one of the three main reasons- fear, food and female.” Standing at my room’s door, as he used to, bhargav revealed one of the basic rules of nature.
“Yes bhargav! You are right. But every creature ultimately needs female!” added biren.
“No yaar, all three what bhargav said are basic motive and you can not compare them” tapasvi was clear about his idea.
“See man, As far as we are concerned, we fools study because of fear of failure which might deprive us from getting food and probably also might starve us from female in future! So ultimately- damn female!” biren was some times unbeatable in argument.
Think of a situation when you see all your friends in other branches enjoying their college days bunking almost every lecture, enjoying films now and then and have a lot of time to spend for chit chat. At the similar times you, carrying load of books in big bag on your back, are every week trying to get through hell of vivas and exams. Karamsad was a kind of a lonesome place because it was a village and was away from city. Even if one wished to entertain oneself with routine collegian stuff, there were no such facilities nearby. Still, there was an open air theatre ‘jalaram’ mostly showing cheap gujarati movies and a few tea-pakoda cabins outside the collage gate. So arguments, counter arguments and discussions were big part of our daily entertainment programme.
There was no escape from this situation at least for students like me as my home was far away from karamsad. However, my friends from ahmedabad and baroda had great escape every week. That movement to home also had a component of food and female.
On Saturdays ,you would find most of the students going to the college with big bags on their back carrying clothes to get washed, empty dabbas to be refilled with home made food(breakfast), and books perhaps to read (which never happened at home for most of the boys!).
Females, well, were the extra attraction at journey. It was nice time for the boys and girls to interact in the train. Like my room mate tapasvi and lobby partner jasmine shah, many of my friends were seen surrounded by gopis in the train. Still, there were many ‘left outs’ from having such luxury. Some of them had better ideas. They used to sit on the top berth of the train compartment, making sure to watch ‘birds’ from the height ensuring their eyes to reach unreachable places.
The students would sprint back to PSMC on Monday. They would come rushing, throw their bags in the hostel room and would run to the college. But Mondays were also special for other reason. Most of the students would bring breakfast from home, given in enough amounts so that they can use it for the whole week. However the tasty items from home hardly lasted a day or two. This was because the items were shared with all others.
No one ever taught us ‘sharing is caring’ but it was very natural for all the students. Amdavadi and barodian students perhaps contributed greatest to this tradition as they went home almost every weekend, negating very much ‘amdavadi haramjaadi’! For this reason, hardly any one’s cupboard was left out with any stuff within couple of days. Even lobby partners were called to taste any new items from home.
However, there were exceptions. One chap in nursing hostel [the temporary boys’ hostel in our time] was very clear about his policy. He straight forward used to say, ‘my mother has sent all this for the week and she said not to share this with any one’. Accordingly he used to push his head in his cupboard daily morning so that he could enjoy it all alone for the whole week! His partners, stunned at his behavior initially, gradually accepted that.
Related to food, the following story was told to me by others in the hostel of PSMC. It was claimed true but I can not claim the same. Obviously, I have changed the true names of the said real characters. However apart from the presentation, the said facts are kept as they were told to me...So I start with following scene…
“Hello friend! Welcome back to hostel...” Jagesh was greeted as he returned from home after a few days leave
Jagesh, busy in arranging his luggage back to his cupboard, simply nodded yes.
“Guys, I also have returned today from home. My mother has sent nice home made kachori, ganthia and laddus for all of us. Come here! Join us Jagesh!” Jagesh’s room mate maheep invited jagesh.
“Tasty! May I get one more kachori?” Balu, third room partner, eating with Jagesh admired “you can have surti items from my bag. Get them out.” He added.
This was usual scene anywhere in the hostel. But for jagesh, the sharing was unilateral phenomenon.
“What have you brought Jagesh?” sniffing something tasty, maheep was eager.
“Nothing guys! It was difficult to bring any thing from that far.” joining the laddu party after arranging his luggage, Jagesh negated.
“Tell us man! We saw you eating something from your cupboard last time you returned from your home! You gave the same today’s answer that day also. Is it that you dislike to share?” Balu had a sneaking suspicion. His observation was substantiated my many other lobby partners too. And that was repeated every time whenever Jagesh returned from his home.
“Oh! Not at all, why should I behave like that? You both are my fast friends.” chewing kachori, Jagesh explained in muffling voice.
“May we check you cupboard?” now maheep became intrusive.
“No no! No need. There are only clothes and books. Don’t you believe me?” Jagesh said as he completed the last laddu.
“Ok we believe you.” And soon the party was over.
Jagesh went to bathroom.
“Maheep let us do something for this liar. It would have been fair on his part if he told us the truth .but I feel, this guy is simply a liar” Balu was sure about the smell from Jagesh’s luggage.
“But how can we screw him?” maheep scratched his head.
Balu thought for a while.
“Yes! I have an idea…listen …” and thus a plan was hatched. To jagesh’s great misfortune, balu was one of the greatest mischief makers of their batch.
That day, when Jagesh went to library, a green signal was given not only to maheep but also to some of the lobby partners.
“Come on guys! Break open the cupboard. This special party is sponsored by none other than our great room mate Jagesh!” announced Balu.
Within a few minutes the lock was broken and within seconds to that all friends found the much sought treasure – Jagesh’s hidden banquet!
“Balu was right! Jagesh is a complete liar!” throwing the treasure to friends maheep said. “Ask others to join the feast. We alone can not complete these all”
The feast was grand. Not because the food stuff was very tasty but perhaps the stolen stuff was tastier or more over, the taste of ‘tit for tat’ was beyond capacity of the group’s taste buds!
Soon, everything was over. The cupboard was re arranged and closed. Every one dispersed just to eagerly wait for the scene when Jagesh returned from the library.
“Hey maheep, my cupboard is wrecked by some one! Who did this?” shocked by the broken lock Jagesh’s tongue slipped “and which rascals ate my whole week’s breakfast?”
“What breakfast?” assuming innocence maheep said “you did not bring any eatables from home. You told us today morning. Didn’t you?”
Sensing the trap, immediately Jagesh had to save himself “oh yaar! I forgot there was nothing here. You are right.”
Maheep gestured his eye to Balu and gave a winning smile. “Jagesh just make sure your books and clothes are not stolen”
Not understanding how to react to this situation, Jagesh answered “they are very much ok”
Every participant cupboard raider had a great laugh that night. But this was not the end. There was some thing more to happen.
Jagesh was not taking his meals at the student mess. His Tiffin used to come from karamsad. Many a times, tired Jagesh would come from the college in after noon and would find his tiffin empty! And no one would be ready to reveal the identity of the robber despite Jagesh’s marathon efforts at inquiry.
Routinely, a maid would come to take back all the empty tiffins. She would clean the tiffins so that they could be re filled and re sent at evening.
On one bad day for Jagesh, a maid came with his tiffin and she said she wanted to have word with him. As soon as she saw him she greeted him with a load of surtis! This was totally unexpected on Jagesh’s part! Puzzled and stupefied, Jagesh could not figure out what went so wrong with the maid. The discourse lasted until all the rage of the maid transformed to her choicest surti. Naturally, all others enjoyed the episode. After much of persuasion and explanation from Jagesh’s side consisting mainly words like “I do not know, I have not done this, I am sorry,” and gestures of apology, the maid was convinced to continue her services for him.
It was obvious for maheep to ask Balu about his role in this incident. Balu smiled. Gestured with his eye and whispered “today, I not only ate his tiffin but also put a tiffin bomb back in it!”
“What?”
Balu’s eyes sparked mischief as he said:
“A condom”
Bhargav, my classmate and lobby partner was very witty and he had a lot of sense of humor. After the college, we used to have routine discussions on many topics. Bhargav told us many jokes and one liner.
“You know Neh, any movement on this earth by any creature is because of one of the three main reasons- fear, food and female.” Standing at my room’s door, as he used to, bhargav revealed one of the basic rules of nature.
“Yes bhargav! You are right. But every creature ultimately needs female!” added biren.
“No yaar, all three what bhargav said are basic motive and you can not compare them” tapasvi was clear about his idea.
“See man, As far as we are concerned, we fools study because of fear of failure which might deprive us from getting food and probably also might starve us from female in future! So ultimately- damn female!” biren was some times unbeatable in argument.
Think of a situation when you see all your friends in other branches enjoying their college days bunking almost every lecture, enjoying films now and then and have a lot of time to spend for chit chat. At the similar times you, carrying load of books in big bag on your back, are every week trying to get through hell of vivas and exams. Karamsad was a kind of a lonesome place because it was a village and was away from city. Even if one wished to entertain oneself with routine collegian stuff, there were no such facilities nearby. Still, there was an open air theatre ‘jalaram’ mostly showing cheap gujarati movies and a few tea-pakoda cabins outside the collage gate. So arguments, counter arguments and discussions were big part of our daily entertainment programme.
There was no escape from this situation at least for students like me as my home was far away from karamsad. However, my friends from ahmedabad and baroda had great escape every week. That movement to home also had a component of food and female.
On Saturdays ,you would find most of the students going to the college with big bags on their back carrying clothes to get washed, empty dabbas to be refilled with home made food(breakfast), and books perhaps to read (which never happened at home for most of the boys!).
Females, well, were the extra attraction at journey. It was nice time for the boys and girls to interact in the train. Like my room mate tapasvi and lobby partner jasmine shah, many of my friends were seen surrounded by gopis in the train. Still, there were many ‘left outs’ from having such luxury. Some of them had better ideas. They used to sit on the top berth of the train compartment, making sure to watch ‘birds’ from the height ensuring their eyes to reach unreachable places.
The students would sprint back to PSMC on Monday. They would come rushing, throw their bags in the hostel room and would run to the college. But Mondays were also special for other reason. Most of the students would bring breakfast from home, given in enough amounts so that they can use it for the whole week. However the tasty items from home hardly lasted a day or two. This was because the items were shared with all others.
No one ever taught us ‘sharing is caring’ but it was very natural for all the students. Amdavadi and barodian students perhaps contributed greatest to this tradition as they went home almost every weekend, negating very much ‘amdavadi haramjaadi’! For this reason, hardly any one’s cupboard was left out with any stuff within couple of days. Even lobby partners were called to taste any new items from home.
However, there were exceptions. One chap in nursing hostel [the temporary boys’ hostel in our time] was very clear about his policy. He straight forward used to say, ‘my mother has sent all this for the week and she said not to share this with any one’. Accordingly he used to push his head in his cupboard daily morning so that he could enjoy it all alone for the whole week! His partners, stunned at his behavior initially, gradually accepted that.
Related to food, the following story was told to me by others in the hostel of PSMC. It was claimed true but I can not claim the same. Obviously, I have changed the true names of the said real characters. However apart from the presentation, the said facts are kept as they were told to me...So I start with following scene…
“Hello friend! Welcome back to hostel...” Jagesh was greeted as he returned from home after a few days leave
Jagesh, busy in arranging his luggage back to his cupboard, simply nodded yes.
“Guys, I also have returned today from home. My mother has sent nice home made kachori, ganthia and laddus for all of us. Come here! Join us Jagesh!” Jagesh’s room mate maheep invited jagesh.
“Tasty! May I get one more kachori?” Balu, third room partner, eating with Jagesh admired “you can have surti items from my bag. Get them out.” He added.
This was usual scene anywhere in the hostel. But for jagesh, the sharing was unilateral phenomenon.
“What have you brought Jagesh?” sniffing something tasty, maheep was eager.
“Nothing guys! It was difficult to bring any thing from that far.” joining the laddu party after arranging his luggage, Jagesh negated.
“Tell us man! We saw you eating something from your cupboard last time you returned from your home! You gave the same today’s answer that day also. Is it that you dislike to share?” Balu had a sneaking suspicion. His observation was substantiated my many other lobby partners too. And that was repeated every time whenever Jagesh returned from his home.
“Oh! Not at all, why should I behave like that? You both are my fast friends.” chewing kachori, Jagesh explained in muffling voice.
“May we check you cupboard?” now maheep became intrusive.
“No no! No need. There are only clothes and books. Don’t you believe me?” Jagesh said as he completed the last laddu.
“Ok we believe you.” And soon the party was over.
Jagesh went to bathroom.
“Maheep let us do something for this liar. It would have been fair on his part if he told us the truth .but I feel, this guy is simply a liar” Balu was sure about the smell from Jagesh’s luggage.
“But how can we screw him?” maheep scratched his head.
Balu thought for a while.
“Yes! I have an idea…listen …” and thus a plan was hatched. To jagesh’s great misfortune, balu was one of the greatest mischief makers of their batch.
That day, when Jagesh went to library, a green signal was given not only to maheep but also to some of the lobby partners.
“Come on guys! Break open the cupboard. This special party is sponsored by none other than our great room mate Jagesh!” announced Balu.
Within a few minutes the lock was broken and within seconds to that all friends found the much sought treasure – Jagesh’s hidden banquet!
“Balu was right! Jagesh is a complete liar!” throwing the treasure to friends maheep said. “Ask others to join the feast. We alone can not complete these all”
The feast was grand. Not because the food stuff was very tasty but perhaps the stolen stuff was tastier or more over, the taste of ‘tit for tat’ was beyond capacity of the group’s taste buds!
Soon, everything was over. The cupboard was re arranged and closed. Every one dispersed just to eagerly wait for the scene when Jagesh returned from the library.
“Hey maheep, my cupboard is wrecked by some one! Who did this?” shocked by the broken lock Jagesh’s tongue slipped “and which rascals ate my whole week’s breakfast?”
“What breakfast?” assuming innocence maheep said “you did not bring any eatables from home. You told us today morning. Didn’t you?”
Sensing the trap, immediately Jagesh had to save himself “oh yaar! I forgot there was nothing here. You are right.”
Maheep gestured his eye to Balu and gave a winning smile. “Jagesh just make sure your books and clothes are not stolen”
Not understanding how to react to this situation, Jagesh answered “they are very much ok”
Every participant cupboard raider had a great laugh that night. But this was not the end. There was some thing more to happen.
Jagesh was not taking his meals at the student mess. His Tiffin used to come from karamsad. Many a times, tired Jagesh would come from the college in after noon and would find his tiffin empty! And no one would be ready to reveal the identity of the robber despite Jagesh’s marathon efforts at inquiry.
Routinely, a maid would come to take back all the empty tiffins. She would clean the tiffins so that they could be re filled and re sent at evening.
On one bad day for Jagesh, a maid came with his tiffin and she said she wanted to have word with him. As soon as she saw him she greeted him with a load of surtis! This was totally unexpected on Jagesh’s part! Puzzled and stupefied, Jagesh could not figure out what went so wrong with the maid. The discourse lasted until all the rage of the maid transformed to her choicest surti. Naturally, all others enjoyed the episode. After much of persuasion and explanation from Jagesh’s side consisting mainly words like “I do not know, I have not done this, I am sorry,” and gestures of apology, the maid was convinced to continue her services for him.
It was obvious for maheep to ask Balu about his role in this incident. Balu smiled. Gestured with his eye and whispered “today, I not only ate his tiffin but also put a tiffin bomb back in it!”
“What?”
Balu’s eyes sparked mischief as he said:
“A condom”
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