This amulet is more than a lucky charm
They step into the New Year of 2020 with much hope for they are able to leave behind their heart issues. An ‘amulet’ has come to their aid in an intervention performed for the first time in Sri Lanka. Usually, an amulet is a piece of jewellery that some people wear because they think it [...]
Why ‘Caesar’?
If there ever was a word we have heard repeated frequently in recent months, it must be the word ‘Caesar’. But the majority using this word are blissfully unaware why this surgical procedure was named after the honorific title of a Roman Emperor. Perusing the old records, the first thing that strikes us is the [...]
Tale of a pioneering doctor and Kandyan prisoners
The doctor who performed the first CS in South Africa in 1826 was James Barry. Raja Bandaranayake, author of ‘The Betwixt Isles’ states that Barry a graduate of Edinburgh followed post-graduate studies at Guy’s and at St. Thomas’ under the famous surgeon Sir Astley Cooper, a name familiar to all students of Anatomy. As a [...]
How to eat a whale: Changing habits one little step at a time
Have you heard of tiny Melinda Mae, Who ate a monstrous whale? …She took little bites and she chewed very slow, …And in eighty-nine years she ate that whale -Melinda Mae by Shel Silverstein B.J. Fogg is a social research scientist at the University of Stanford. He is also the director of the Stanford Behaviour [...]
Unravelling the mysteries of Microbes and Man
When I was a Surgical Registrar in the ’70s, I spent a great deal of time in the operating theatre dealing with the complications of peptic ulcer. These could burst and cause peritonitis, or erode into an artery and cause major and sometimes fatal bleeding. They also caused severe chronic abdominal pain, and the usual [...]
Seven steps to take when a child informs you of assault
Frequent reports of violence against children in this country are alarming. Adverse childhood experiences have a direct effect on the wellbeing and the development of a child. A child who experiences cruelty approves of violence as an adult. This condition directly impacts the country’s overall development. In 2017 alone, over 9,000 complaints were received by [...]
