CHAPTER ELEVEN :KILLING SCIENCE: WE, THE WHISTLE BLOWERS

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)