Thirukkural and modern medicine

“Sir, I had asked for a gastro sentiment for the vomiting, and a nephrology consultation for the debased urine output.” With wide eyes and a consciousness of accomplishment, the young doc expected maine to admit her shrewdness. I mildly pointed retired to her that some the symptoms are related to the patient’s precocious sweetener levels and dehydration, and erstwhile the sweetener levels are optimised, everything should autumn successful place. I gathered the students successful a circle, and explained them to place the basal origin of each symptoms successful a diligent alternatively than seeking aggregate specializer opinions. The contiguous procreation are tuned for pithy remarks alternatively of long-winded stories, and hence I quoted a kural, “Noi-naadi Noi-mudhal naadi adhu-thanikkum Vaai-naadi vaaippa seyal.”

It is conscionable a operation of 7 Tamil words with a heavy meaning, astir which 1 tin sermon adjacent for a full day. To the flabbergasted students, I explained them the context. “Valluvar, the writer of this couplet, asks the doc to not dainty the symptoms oregon bid costly investigations. He coaxes the treating doc to speech to the patient, analyse them thoroughly, place the basal origin of the symptoms and dainty the illness with expertise. In this modern epoch of ace specialisation, astir doctors are seeing the diligent arsenic a bundle of ‘symptoms’ alternatively than arsenic a idiosyncratic with a illness that manifests with symptoms of antithetic organ systems. The patients are subjected to aggregate specializer opinions and consultations, and a artillery of wide-ranging tests, which tin beryllium perchance avoided. I privation we work this couplet often to support reminding ourselves astir the request for a holistic individualised attack to the patients.”

Thirukkural is simply a compilation of 1,330 couplets written by Thiruvalluvar. It was written successful the Sangam play of Tamil lit betwixt the 3rd BCE and 3rd CE. Many judge that Thiruvalluvar is not a azygous idiosyncratic but alternatively antithetic poets due to the fact that of the extended and wide scope of topics that has been discussed successful the Thirukkural. The unsocial facet of Thirukkural is its brevity (seven words successful each couplet) and affluent content, which provides a wholesome position of life. The substance has 3 large divisions — aram which speaks astir virtues, porul which discusses wealth, and inbam which talks astir emotion life. In particular, the aram conception is truthful extended and laden with unsocial teachings which holds bully crossed antithetic generations, geography, societal strata, gender, assemblage and age. It discusses galore indispensable virtues 1 should cultivate and practise specified arsenic honesty, self-restraint, education, learning, gratitude, hospitality, kindness, goodness, duty, and donating too covering a wide scope of societal and governmental topics specified arsenic rulers, ministers, taxes, justice, agriculture, education, and abstinence from intoxicants. Thirukkural has nary regional, taste oregon spiritual identity, and it has been translated into much than 100 languages crossed the globe. The authorities has included this successful the schoolhouse textbooks and it ensures that the children and the communal idiosyncratic are regularly exposed to it by displaying important thirukkurals successful nationalist transport and authorities offices.

Just similar immoderate different motivation book, 1 tin revisit Thirukkural astatine antithetic stages of their life, and recognize its contented from a newer perspective. As a child, I utilized to recite much than 100 kurals similar a sloka overmuch to the excitement of my parents. In those days, memorising the kurals was a sure-shot method to get afloat marks successful the connection exams. Having reached the precocious forties now, I re-read the kurals from a antithetic vantage point. It helps maine to extrapolate it to my profession, however I grip my patients and colleagues and woody with nonrecreational hurdles.

As a doctor, people my involvement is towards the taxable of medicine and Thirukkural. Despite spending truthful galore couplets connected different aspects of life, the writer had offered lone 1 conception of 10 couplets for medicine. For Valluvar, medicine is thing but what we ingest arsenic food. Within these 10 couplets, helium has allotted six couplets for eating appropriately. I wonderment however applicable it is present successful this modern epoch of accelerated food, binge eating and obesity epidemic. He repeatedly insists america to cheque what we devour for each meal. After eating, helium warns america to refrain from eating until we consciousness the adjacent hunger pang. He asks america to beryllium definite whether the nutrient we ate earlier had digested good earlier reasoning astir the adjacent meal. We person present been conditioned to devour connected a timely mode whether we consciousness bare oregon not. Food has go a root of interruption for america from our hectic schedules. We look for the java and luncheon breaks to relieve ourselves from the enactment monotony alternatively than arsenic the due clip for loading calories to our starving cells. The writer insists that the idiosyncratic who moderates his eating lives comfortably portion the glutton suffers.

In the different 4 couplets, helium focuses connected the doctor. First, helium insists the doc to look for the basal origin of the disease. Then, helium rapidly points retired that portion diagnosis is the key, the medicine should see the signifier of the disease, the patient’s property and his contiguous wellness condition. How profound and pertinent it is! In the adjacent couplet, the writer brings the absorption backmost to the diligent among the antithetic healthcare stakeholders. The celebrated Mayo brothers who person contributed immensely to modern medicine, erstwhile quoted, “The champion involvement of the diligent is the lone involvement to beryllium considered.” Valluvar had said the aforesaid 2 millennium agone that immoderate aesculapian attraction should impact these 4 orders: archetypal comes the patient, past the treating doctor, the medications prescribed and yet the nurse. In the existent scenario, 1 tin adhd the infirmary absorption arsenic the past and slightest important container successful this order. When the absorption is connected the patient, people different things volition autumn successful place.

Thirukkural is simply a masterpiece, and it has influenced scholars and leaders crossed the ethical, social, political, economic, religious, philosophical, and spiritual spheres of the world. It is 1 of the astir important texts successful literature, which should beryllium often work and re-read by us.

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