Remember to consult this home doctor

By Dr. Theodora Munasinghe

The medical fraternity recently launched Your Child, Your Family', a book authored by three maestros of medicine Dr. Herbert Aponso, Dr. Harendra de Silva and Dr. Dennis Aloysius.

Three years of work went into this publication. As Dr. Dennis Aloysius said, "It was a real labour of love," meeting every Sunday for 60 Sundays.

With pithy humour he added, "Thank God, there were no women in the committee." Yet he conceded that this book would not have been possible if not for three women, Vimala, Dulla and Chrissie, their wives, who with their lavish hospitality, loving care and concern looked after the three doctors in their tedious and responsible exposition.

The book is dedicated to the mother, the tower of strength in every home. It is said that the key to a child's recovery is the mother and not the medicine. Dedicated also to the fathers, the village folk, to teachers, schoolchildren, to shopkeepers and all health workers, in fact to all people, this book with its wealth of simple medical knowledge reaches out to the man in the street, in the home and in the fields.

The book embodies the principle that health care is not everyone's right but their responsibility, that medical knowledge should not be a closely guarded secret but be shared by everyone and that the most common health problems could be handled earlier and better by people in their own homes. It is a valuable home doctor, a simple and good referral in times of crisis, illness, accident or emergency.

The Sinhala and Tamil editions of the book will be printed shortly.

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