Lessons I Still Remember - 2

(from my good old Batch ‘62 days)

 Sent in by Zita Perera Subasinghe

I am glad Mahendra (Speedy) started this feature. I think it is a great way to give tribute to our old teachers and share memories with our batch mates. I hope others continue this chain so our batch blog remains an active forum for discussion. 

Here are two of my examples of  “Lessons I still remember” 

1.      A precious line from Prof Carlo Fonseka’s lecture on Pain:

To try to define Pain is to render something that is simple in terms of something more complicated. (Those might not be the exact words).

I learned that definitions should not make the subject more complicated. 

2.     From Professor Rajasuriya: we all have anecdotes, one liners and lessons we shall never forget.

I remember him asking us to feel the pulse of a patient after we had had an extensive ward class on pulse and arrhythmias. 

Each one had to feel the pulse and give a diagnosis. Out came various weird and wonderful terms like bundle branch block, loud second sound, thrill and murmurs of all kinds. Finally, one girl felt the pulse for a few seconds and just said ‘Slow pulse’. Prof was delighted. And he asked ‘what would you say the rate is roughly?’ and she replied 60 which again was very close. 

We all learned: Look at basic physical signs and think of simple diagnoses first.  

By the way, the girl who got it right was Manel Rathnavibushana.

(Hi Manel!)

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