Chapter
XIX
Neuro-training
Under
Dr.
K.K. Sinha
My
other friends had dissected and studied far better than I had, the anatomy of
brain in the pre-clinical classes, but I was alone to return to the rich Anatomy Museum it ing articles of reputed
neuroscientists of the world over, even before obtaining my MD.
In
April 1984, when I was much disturbed by the inner conflicts of the NMO, my
friend Dr. K. P. Deo suggested to me to go out of Darbhanga for peace and
advised me to go to Ranchi it ten to him that I knew him as an ex-student of my
college who was often quoted by my teachers. He replied promptly invit ing me to come.
On 28th May 1984 , I reached the RMC Hostel-5/37 where Dr.
Dewanand an able and laborious worker of the NMO accommodated me wit h himself. He also said that the zone of
anesthesia round my knees needed some urgent consultation and when it was examined properly, I found under the
microscope Hansen bacilli like a
coloured carpet. As a doctor, I was not apprehensive since it was curable (and so it
was cured in due course) but I had a pit y
on the wisdom of many clinicians who could not pay attention to it in 1975 when I was suffering from the third
year syndrome. So, at Ranchi it ic.
I recall, in the classical novel, Cancer Ward wherein an old nurse Joya
said to her younger colleague on her arrogance to the patients, “It is the
time, you should fall ill, so that you can understand the agony of the
patients.”
Dr.
K. K. Sinha welcomed me and started my training wit h
my treatment. I attended his clinic till the 17th July 1984 . In only 51 days, I found
Neurology is much more than a knee-jerk elicit ation
or some jargon diagnoses wit h which
so far I was familiar. Babinski’s sign used to be our acid test in many cases.
There,
I knew that it was a staff nurse who
noticed up going toes even wit h the
touch of the blanket and Babinski had only reported that, however, mentioning
the name of that nurse in his classical paper. Much later, I also knew, how
Babinski had been failed in the MD examination in 1892, the scene has not
changed, rather worsened in one century.
Only
51 days are but quit e a small period
for training, nevertheless, I used to be wit h
him from the early morning till late in the night, seeing the cases of diverse
pathology, interpreting EEG’s, CT’s, myelograms, angiographies, sonographs and
various clinical investigations, as usual in any such clinic. I saw almost all
the neurological entit ies and had
discussions on their Indian mode of presentation. Our discussions soon picked
up a height of super-specialisation and I found my aptit ude
had a definit e slant towards
Neurology. I had been wit h eminent
physicians and this was a supplement to my fertile brain.
Dr.
Sinha used to note the findings on separate papers
for any abnormal presentation for writ ing
research papers , even in most
pressing time. I found him photographing the important cases and he told me
that in earlier days he used to keep a camera always in his clinic. I assisted
him in such research work and many case records like that of transient global
amnesia, Wilsons it h
me. Next year (in 1985) we also video-recorded two cases of reflex myoclonus
(and also submit ted it for publication abroad) first time from the
country.
I
found Dr. K. K. Sinha was interested in medical conferences, and later on when
I attended them wit h him, I found he
was always a ‘front-bencher’, studious, inquisit ive
to learn, though not participating much in discussions and used to hint to me
at the pers onalit ies of the orators. My sublime interest in the
medical deliberations took a new turn and my knowledge of the pers ons working in various fields increased
dramatically after meeting Dr. Sinha.
His
prescriptions used to be short and succinct and usually mentioned the
diagnosis. He used to believe more in clinical findings than on laboratories. I
found his letter-head as simple as that of
Dr. B. N. Das Gupta who also happened to be his teacher. I also saw the
show there in a letter-head of a doctor of Giridih, mentioning, ‘Independent
article published in BMJ.’ Dr.
Sinha told me that there were some Ayurvedic doctors (GAMS) who were much
better than those consultants.
He
also suggested to me to go to bigger centres as many talented pers onalit ies
of our State were less known nationally like that of Dr. Shit al Prasad Sinha, Dr. S. M. Nawab, Dr. B. N. Das
Gupta, Dr. S. M. Mishra. Dr. Barmeshwar
Prasad. Personally I had known them and learnt from all of them except Dr. Shit al Prasad. I also feel proud to say that they, in
fact, deserved international recognit ion,
not to talk of national.
Dr.
Sinha was more interested in the History of Medicine and he used to tell me how
and when, who found what, like discovery of the life cycle of Plasmodium
by Ronald Ross in India Bihar *
which I could not do for having been pressed wit h
thesis work at Darbhanga.
Later
on, I found he was recording the history of the Khwaja Sufis of his village,
Maner, near Patna
I
used to listen to him, the typical cases presented in the MRCP examination and
the hints given by famous medical tutor, Pappworth (author of a famous book on
Clinical Methods, A Primer of Medicine) such as, “Do not miss to see
knee-jerk in that particular patient of aortic regurgit ation.”
Dr.
Sinha used to tell me the genesis of the nomenclature of various signs and
syndromes.
At
that time he was not so busy like later days after installation of the CT scan
and we had the opportunit y for
discussion at our desire. He once remarked that some neuro-clinician in UK Patna
Not
only Neurology, (and aspects of Psychiatry and Neurosurgery) but also he
touched each and every aspect of Medicine. He remarked that in the UK, he had
filled up the form for the FRCS also finding that Neurology was only diagnostic
and not rewarding therapeutically except in the cases of migraine, epilepsy,
and such few other diseases. And so, he even wished to change to Neurosurgery.
Today, he is a front-ranker epileptologist, a general neurologist as well as a
physician.
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* Including
Jharkhand
On
the last day wit h Dr. K. K. Sinha, it was like a farewell ceremony to me. He taught me
hit herto remaining portions of vit amins wit h
their full history; closed his clinic a bit
earlier and told me that he would be happy to extend any help in future and
would be pleased if any universit y
accepted him as my guide or even as a co-guide, as he had resigned from the
RMCH. That was like a convocation address on my neuro-course.
Later
on, from Darbhanga, I used to writ e
to him the comparative analysis of diseases of north Bihar
and he used to writ e to me his plans
for CT installation, etc. I feel there are very few pers ons
fortunate enough to find such teachers.
Fig. 28 --- Dr. K. K. Sinha (in the centre) in a school health
programme organised by the NMO, Ranchi, extreme L. in apron Dr. Krishna Kanchan
Sharma, and R. to Dr. K. K. Sinha is
Dr. Dewanand Prakash, (back extreme R. --- Dr. Ksh. Birendra Singh).
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