Abhijit Naskar's Blog - Posts Tagged "medical-practice"

The world is filled with various professions. But perhaps the most significant among them in terms of its direct impact upon human life, is the profession of a doctor. There's a special kind of people who call themselves doctors. I wonder, whether they know what that term doctor really means. I wonder whether they actually, genuinely, realize the gravitas of the responsibility that they take upon themselves, by becoming doctor. What is it to be a doctor? Is it about merely knowing deeply, empirically, about biology, sickness and health - or is there much more to this so-called divine profession! So, let's find out together - what is a doctor - and what is the real purpose of such a glorious title? What is the mission of a doctor?

Though I do not officially practice medicine, because I am in the field of mental health, I receive many queries from patients as well as doctors from all over the world on a daily basis, regarding various mental issues. I am not a doctor - I am a scientist - a scientist with deep concern for the well being of the global society. But you'd already know that, if you have read my works. I don't practice medicine, but I do try my best to advise on issues of the mind, as a friend - and I mean, as a friend, which means I don't take any money for whatever little time I can provide to clear the confusions of the some of the individuals who correspond with me.

And the very first thought that appears in my mind, upon closely examining the psyche of patients and doctors, is that to be a real doctor, it is imperative that while acquiring knowledge of medicine and biology, one must also foster the mentality of being a doctor. Because, being a doctor, is not simply about having an understanding of anatomy and sickness, rather it is about having an understanding of true wellness and more importantly, it is about understanding the intensity of the concern of the patient's next of kin. The purpose of medicine is not to postpone death, but to improve the quality of living. Hence, a doctor's mission should not be to prevent death, but more importantly it should be to improve the quality of life. Being a doctor is unlike any other profession on earth. Being a doctor is the closest real thing that we can have on earth to being a God with the power to sustain life. Gods are imaginary, but Doctors are not. They are actual living beings on earth, with the actual expertise of give life to others. The responsibility of a doctor is higher than any other kind of responsibility. Because, the human society does not rely on any other professional, to such a gigantic extent as it does on doctors.

The very first lesson of becoming a doctor is that, if you have very little patience, then you should not even think of becoming a doctor, because you may acquire all the knowledge about medicine and anatomy, but without the fundamental virtue patience, you can never in a million years become a Doctor. Patience is the golden virtue in doctorhood. Without it, no matter how many medical books and papers you memorize, they will not make you a real, effective and genuine doctor. So, what could define a genuine good doctor! After all, good doctors is what the society really needs, not some pompous bookworms with stethoscopes. And if you can't be a good doctor, then there is no use of being a doctor in the first place - be anything else but a doctor. Because doctorhood is not everyone's cup of tea. If you think you are good at studies, and that makes you qualified to be a doctor, then you couldn't be more wrong my friend. You can go into medical research with that attitude, but not in medical practice.

There is a subtle yet quite radiant distinction between medical research and medical practice. Medical Research is about understanding the anatomy in a better way, and discovering new gateways of sustaining and nourishing life. But medical practice on the other hand, is about putting that understanding in practice, which involves real humane encounter with patients. Mind you, o conscientious doctor, patients are not your clients, they are the gods whom you took an oath to serve for so long as you live. The moment you put that apron on in your mind, you dedicated your life not to the benefit of your own, but to the benefit of your society - the benefit of people. It is the divine law of service that you promised to keep, even in the midst of utmost difficulty. And the moment you fail to abide by this divine law of service, you would no longer remain a doctor, but simply a mockery of the medical profession.

This law - the law of service - the law of benefiting your patient beyond any personal gain, is not a pompous philosophy to boast about, but the bed-rock of doctorhood. And if you want benefit of your own, above the benefit of your patient, then you should better go into business, not in medicine. Mind you, here I am not talking about self-denial, for it is an impossibility, rather I am simply talking about not taking your comfort and luxury to be more important than the well being of the patient, not just the physiological well being, but psychological as well. And I am pretty much aware that this is not at all an easy job. That is why I mentioned in the very beginning that patience is the golden virtue in doctorhood.

A doctor should be a clown at heart, a scientist at brain and a mother at conscience. This means that a doctor should be cheerful, insightful and caring. Being cheerful does not mean always being funny, rather it means to be aware of the seriousness of a situation, and still keeping calm. Being insightful does not mean knowing everything about sickness and health, but to have the common mental maturity and capacity to accept when you do not know something, or to accept a mistake if committed. And being caring does not mean flattering or pampering the patient, but to genuinely take the well being of the patient to be of more concern than the well being of your own. And these three principal faculties of doctorhood grow stronger in time as you keep fostering and practising them. However, on the off chance that you fail to truly practise them, despite all wishes and efforts, then you should have the basic courage to leave medical practice and go into research, for the betterment of the society.

No good can come out of denying the self. Therefore, if it is really in your soul to be a doctor so that you can do real good quite literally in people's lives through direct interaction, then by all means, give your heart and soul to the service of humanity by learning and practicing medicine, but if that practice seems too much of an effort for you and you can't keep up with the pressure and constant nagging of the patients or their dear ones, then be brave and leave the practice. Mind you, practice of medicine is a profession for patient souls, not rash intellectuals. A patient doctor is a real doctor, an impatient doctor is no doctor at all.

Further Reading
What is Mind?

What is medicine? And what is the practice of medicine? Is there really any difference between the two? Do not rush to a conclusion - let's move slowly. Let's think over the question. Let the question stir inside your mind. Aren't the practitioner and the practice an organic manifestation of potential! As long as you think that there is a separation between you as a practitioner of medicine and the practice of medicine, you can never be a first class physician. The force of medicine, that is the force of wellness, must course through your veins like lifeblood, only then can you become a beacon of hope to the hopeless and a ray of help to the helpless.

You know what medicine means! MEDICINE means Mercy - Empathy - Dare - Integrity - Care - Ingenuity - Nobility - and Ethics. Now, from the outside these qualities may look different, but in practice they all are one force for good. Let's investigate how. What is a human without mercy - not a human. What is a human without empathy - not a human. Likewise, all these qualities define the very existence of a true human being - they distinguish human life from animal life. Hence, any human who is a true human, automatically turns into a medicine for the society. And based on the paths chosen by these humans, they are termed differently. Some are called scientists - some are called teachers - some are called doctors - some are called cops - and so on.

Those who treat the darkness of the unknown, are called scientists - those who treat the ignorance in the budding minds, are called teachers - those who treat the darkness of ailments in individuals, are called doctors - those who treat the darkness of chaos in the society, are called cops - and so on. Each human being on this planet is a potential medicine, for each human being holds in their nerves the capacity to heal the wounds and sicknesses of our society.

And when it comes to being a doctor, the sickness is both metaphorical and physical. So, don't be a doctor just to earn a living, for being a doctor is much more than just making a living - it's about empowering others to start living. Remember, there is no such thing as just a physical sickness, for every sickness has much deeper and wider implications in the life of the person who's sick and that of their family. A disease not only cripples an individual, it cripples a family. So, expand your mind from the narrow technicalities of diseases and treatments, only then you will be a first class doctor - only then you'll be medicine incarnate.

Remember, you are not just a person in the lives of the sick, you are their hope - you are their help - you are the first monsoon cloud that they have been praying for in their draught infested lives. If your medical training turns you into a mean, egotistical, insensitive machine with merely a technical understanding of medicine, then you are anything but a doctor, for a doctor is not a walking encyclopedia of medical knowledge, a doctor is a gateway to wellness.

Now we must understand the meaning of wellness. I have said previously, wellness is not the lack of sickness, wellness is the capacity to overcome sickness. For example, symptoms of a sickness are not necessarily signs of weakness, rather they imply that your body is actively fighting the sickness. And when all the resources of the body fall short to fight the sickness, that's when the real trouble begins. However, with the advancements in modern medicine we have been able to provide substantial aid to the body in its fight against sickness and avoid many of the lethal outcomes. And the advancements continue, thus becoming better with each passing day in fortifying life in its ever-going battle against disorder. And in this battle, scientists, doctors and nurses are the torchbearers.

You my friend are the one who is to hold the torch of wellness high with your spine upright, so that every sicknesses trembles at the very sight of you. However, hard as it may sound, we'll always have sickness, for sickness adds value to wellness. A life without sickness is a life without wellness. So, don't pursue the illusive idea of a diseasefree world, rather aim towards improving the quality of life. More than treating a sickness, try to empower life. Treating sickness is a very small portion of the grand picture of a well and healthy life. Hence, treatment of sickness is a part of Medicine, but it's not the whole of Medicine. The day you realize this, is the day a revolutionary doctor is born.

A doctor is one who's gentle as a bird,
A doctor is one who's brave as a soldier,
A doctor is one who's amusing as a clown,
A doctor is one who's caring as a mother.
Treating the sick is not a comfort job,
It is a difficult life without leisure and lure.
If all you want are wealth and tranquility,
Trade in your medical license for a liquor store.
The world is filled with doctors most cold,
Many don't practice medicine but self-centricity.
Instruments and intellect don't make a doctor,
Without warmth all pills lose their efficacy.
Healthcare means aid first talk rules later.
Better a kindhearted fool than a heartless monster.

Celebrities and influencers are not health experts,
Stop taking medical advice from halfwits of wellness.
Stop being a two-bit doctor from ten minutes of googling,
For Google is not a substitute for doctors and nurses.
Compared to that of a trained and experienced doctor,
Even as a neurobiologist my diagnosis skills are insignifant.
Then why can't you accept that when it comes to medicine,
Your opinion is worth no more than a counterfeit coin.
One goes through years of training and many sleepless nights,
Then they earn the right to wear the white coat of service.
And yet upon spending an hour surfing on the internet,
You put on the personality of a grey-haired neurologist!
Lack of expertise is by no means the same as lack of dignity.
But denial of expertise indicates a definite lack of senility.

Superstition is the opium of the ill-informed public,
Conspiracy is the opium of the over-informed public.
With ten minutes of googling every flipping flat-earther
feels and behaves like a reputable rocket scientist.

Human mind has a prehistoric predisposition of paranoia,
To counteract ignorance mind cooks up brilliant fantasies.
Thus scientific expertise succumbs to facebook expertise,
Facebook groups become authority on medical diagnosis.

Self-diagnosis is a modern day healthcare crisis,
Where the patient desperately tries to redeem control.
In trying to oust the experts from science and medicine,
Google certified society only heralds its own funeral.

Take people out of healthcare, and healthcare is dead.
Take doctors out of healthcare, and healthcare is damage.

“Medicine means Mercy – Empathy – Dare – Integrity – Care – Ingenuity – Nobility – and Ethics, or it can mean Mechanical, Egotistical, Dehumanizing, Indifferent, Cold, Insensitive, Nincompoop Elitist. You decide what you practice, and your decision will determine what you are – a doctor or a butcher!”

“Doctor Not Butcher
(Medical Anthem Sonnet)

We are the Doctors,
Our worship is to the ailing.
We don’t bow to politicians,
Nor to bureaucratic bullying.

Service to the sick
is service to the divine.
There is no greater divinity,
than being a human lifeline.

We don’t recognize borders,
We don’t recognize states.
Patientcare is our national anthem,
Reward of medicine is smiling patients.

Dead doctor postpones death,
Living doctor improves life.
While butcher doctors monetize malady,
To empower life, real doctors strive.”