Curiosity...... Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

Curiosity......

Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale

There are many views on the qualities and attitudes that help you to become a good Doctor, such as empathy, skill, a good knowledge base, displaying patience, ability to work in a Team, modesty, honesty and many more. These qualities are desirable for any aspiring medical student who wants to become a good doctor. I wish to suggest that Curiosity is another useful quality.

There are many definitions of curiosity.

The urge you feel to know more about something or someone.

The desire to learn or know about anything.

Curiosity is associated with a strong desire to know about things, from how a machine works to why people fall ill, from why there are storms to how we make decisions on probability.

And there are many aphorisms associated with curiosity. To cite a few.

"Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning": William Arthur Ward, an American author, said this in the 1800s.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious”: Albert Einstein.

“Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people call intelligence boils down to curiosity.” Aaron Swartz. American computer programmer associated with the website Reddit.

“If you can let go of passion and follow your curiosity, your curiosity just might lead you to your passion.” Elizabeth Gilbert. American Journalist and Author.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”: Albert Einstein

Curiosity leads to asking questions and seeking answers through reading and other information-seeking methods, leading to understanding and wisdom (rather than mere knowledge accumulation).

I remember very fondly one of my teachers at Royal College, Mr Arulanandan, who repeatedly said, “Always ask the question - why?” At home, I drove my mother insane by repeatedly asking her why. In desperation, she used to say, “Because I say so!”

Looking back on my days as a medical student in Colombo, I had this persistent desire to ask the question, "Why?" When you study a subject, you need more than simply reading the text to give you a critical appraisal of the subject, and that is why I love books that pose questions at the end of each chapter that you need to answer before you move on to the next one.

When dealing with a patient with a problem, I was intensely curious to discover why he had those particular symptoms and try to explain them. Without curiosity, I doubt whether I would have acquired helpful knowledge. Neurology was especially appealing in commencing a path with a question followed by a step-by-step dissection of the problem, leading to what more data is needed and, finally, an answer. This, of course, applies to any branch of medicine.

Doctors accumulate a vast amount of data. This data has to be connected and relevant if they want to turn knowledge into wisdom. Curiosity helps in this process, and we develop internal classifications and connections that organise data and help us retrieve it productively.

Some of our teachers who encouraged us to be curious were Dr  Wickrema Wijenaike, Dr Carlo Fonseka, Dr Oliver Pieris, Dr Lester Jayawardena, Dr George Ratnavale and many more.

Curiosity makes learning fun! Food tastes so much better if you are hungry!

In human history, if our forefathers had not been curious, I doubt whether we would have achieved so much.

I hope I have said enough to provoke responses from the Blog's readers. Let us have a healthy discussion. I don’t believe that “curiosity killed the cat”!

I am just curious!

Dr P R Wickramanayake (17.01.1932 - 30.07.2024)

Dr P R (Ranji) WIKRAMANAYAKE (17 01. 1932 – 30.07.2024)

From  the Sunday Island. 6th October 2024.

Kindly sent by Kumar Gunawardane

A few weeks ago, the Sri Lankan community in Australia lost one its most distinguished sons, Dr P R Wkiramanayake, known as Ranji to his friends, an accomplished and highly regarded endocrinologist. He was 92 years of age and hailed from a distinguished family with its origins in Galle. The ancestry and genealogy of the family is well recorded in the book “Galle as quiet as asleep “(1993) by Norah Roberts.

The elder son of E.G. Wikramanayake, Queens Counsel, Ranji was born into the lap of luxury. Like his father before him, Ranji attended St Thomas College, Mount Lavinia from where he entered the Ceylon Medical School, and from where he graduated, and proceeded to the UK for Post graduate work. On his return from London with the MRCP he was appointed consultant physician at the Out Patients Department of the General Hospital, Colombo.

He soon was interested in the study of diabetes and read a paper at the Plenary Scientific Sessions of the Ceylon college of Physicians, 30 years ago. After serving a Nuffield Fellowship in the UK, he moved to Australia where he worked as Diabetologist at the Prince Edward Hospital.

It was through my close friend and former schoolmate Dr Medduma Kappagoda that I first met Ranji who Kappa brought home one day about 30 years ago, in order to assess my blood sugar. That visit was the foundation on which a strong friendship developed and through which I had the great pleasure of enjoying a dear friendship with his brother Nimal later after I moved to Melbourne.

Ranji lived in the affluent and desirable seaside suburb of Vaucluse and his great hobby was horse racing. His father Guy, a leading Queens Counsel, had owned a string of racehorses in Colombo and was the winner of several trophies when racing was the pastime of “kings and squires”. Ranji too owned at least a couple of thoroughbreds in Sydney whose activities kept him occupied during his leisure.

Ranji married Amara Weerasooria daughter of the late Dr and Mrs SE Weerasooria. Amara was Head Girl of Visakha Vidyalaya and an outstanding netball and tennis player. There combined qualities had to produce extra ordinary children. Their only son Priyan is a popular gastro surgeon in. Bowral, and the two daughters Roshanara a lawyer and Shemara is a highly successful leader in the corporate world of Australia.

It was during the course of last year, and earlier this year that I had close interaction with Ranji. It was during this period that Nimal fell ill and passed away about three months ago. Ranji was highly solicitous of Nimal’s welfare, and chose to convey his medical advice to Nimal through me. Ranji the elder brother was generally of a quiet and unruffled disposition. When Nimal was hospitalized he chose not to disturb him, and instead telephoned me for progress reports. About six weeks ago he rang me from his hospital bed in Prince Edward Hospital where he worked previously, to say in a feeble voice that his heart is failing on him. He left this world a few days later.

Ranji Wikramanayake was of a rare breed, sadly lacking in the old country today. Dedicated to his profession, and guide and guardian to his family, he was honest, hardworking and generous. He was a founder member of the. Ceylon College of Physicians, and a member of the Ceylon Society of Australia for many years until his demise.

A little known aspect of his generosity was his donation of five million rupees in January 2016 to the Ceylon College of Physicians, the interest earned from the donation to be awarded annually to the best research paper on diabetes. Ranji was to personally present the donation, but on their way to Colombo, his wife Amara fell ill and had to return to Australia. He was not a man for excuses and made sure that the gift was made on his behalf by his close friend Tilak de Zoysa. Ranji Wikramanayake certainly earned his rest, may he now rest in peace.

Hugh Karunanayake

Remembering dear batchmate Zita Perera Subasinghe- Two years

Remembering dear batchmate Zita Perera Subasinghe- Two years 

Tempus fugit. It is two years since we lost our dear friend and colleague, Zita. This beautiful post was sent by her son Rohan.