A medical maestro turns writer

King Buddhadasa wrote Sarartha Sangrahaya, his voluminous book on medicine, while he was ruling the island. Here is a doctor who is dabbling with books while knee-deep in his profession.

"A medical maestro" may be a borrowed phrase. Some would call it an illegal usage even forgetting that this messy world includes terms such as "poetic licence". Further, the writer feels that when it comes to the instance of an upcoming practitioner entering the field of writing solely for the benefit of his patients and making a grand success of it, the term is used as an eulogy to the doctor may be excusable.

Soft stuff

The cynics who long to see evil in anything good may decry the good doctor's efforts as propaganda. It is certainly not. There are umpteen doctors who write, but excuse me, most of them love to show the world that despite the stethoscope hanging around their necks they are as human as everyone else. So romances, not necessarily in hospitals but wander even into battlefields provide them writing stuff in most cases.

But, Harindu Wijesinghe does not stop at soft stuff. He discovers the most sensitive stuff in hard, even morbid cases, which discovery that the sick can provide positive nourishment for writing, is in itself an ingenious find. Pain which is certainly not charming nor beautiful like love appeals to him because it is this which afflicts most humans. Pain does not kill, either in the long run or in the short run but it wraps around many men and women ailing them terribly and killing them physically and mentally with that agonising pain alone.

His latest book penned in Sinhala (edited by Deepani Ranasinghe) and fighting against arthritis, a disease now gripping many a man and woman, even child, typifies many a plus factor of a promising writer. The material is presaged by this apt statement, "Rajeku vunath, ledak vunoth" "that leaves more matter unsaid than what is said.

Succinctly put it means, even a crown is useless against enveloping sickness. The foreword runs on, that the ailment that is elevated into the topic status ie.arthritis is today on top of the list of diseases that stifle the faculties that a human becomes heir to, at birth. It prevents mobility and handling things and spreads today more among adults.

Dreaded disease

Going on the statistics the author claims that about 240 millions all over the world suffer from this dreaded disease. Going by present trends by 2020, one in five of the world population can succumb to it. It is the writer-cum-editor's inherent right too to imbibe the gravity of the subject in the reader. Going into a lighter vein, the disease is described as a Five Star disease as the expenses involved in fighting the battle against it are very high.

The book deviates from the average 'Oushada Sutras' in the approach to the subject. The curtain opens on the agile dancing movements of Michael Jackson said to be aped and improved on, by famous Indian dancer Prabhudeva still going on. What is the connection? Watching their movements one begins to wonder at the supple nature of bones in the human body, whether it is bones that constitute them or stuff like rubber.

Whatever is answer to that nobody will deny the beauty that the bone structure contributes to the human body. Hence it is the right of the humans who own them to look after them and if this task is forgotten, the dreaded disease begins.

Hope

Here is hope instilled in the reader by the writer. The sickness is not at all hopeless. The literary matter entwined with the dry information makes way to easy reading. As the book advances however the material cosseted is categorised well for the reader's information though the book ends with the warning that this work only gives a fundamental idea of the disease and one should not use it as a remedial text. As a patient becomes sensitised to the fact that signs are setting in he should contact a doctor and begin treatment. Even the exercises to combat it have to be taken with a doctor's guidance.

"If you desire not to seek the help of the walking stick and try to preserve the legacy of the 360 bones that you were heir to, this book will only help you as a preliminary guiding light". That is the utmost humility that a professional can display in a path he has volunteered to tackle. The writer also breaks down many a myth grown around the disease and this is a very laudable attempt in a country where many a kata katha or fabrication spreads in the cacophony of human dialogue.

For the reader's information here are some myths that mislead the average man and woman and arguments against them.

A. It is a disease confined to the elderly - no age barriers seem to exist in certain cases..1 B . It is a hopeless disease. There is no cure for it - There are plenty. Today's therapy includes a whole host of medicines and exercises. Actually a whole revolution has been orchestrated with regard to the cure of arthiritis., than with regard to other diseases.

A very heavy link is attributed between this disease and food habits but other than over use of fatty food, this fact has not been established.

Overweight is certainly a contributing factor. But lessening one's weight not only reduces the trends towards the disease but is conducive to one's general health. Intake of Salt, oil and sugar in excessive proportions add up to the enemy's strength.

An excuse is the antipathy to exercises. But this phobia only increases the liability of the disease endangering you more.

Walking, cycling, swimming are very good therapies.

That there are ways of developing cartilage, a basic factor in producing pain. Still not proved. Yet there are pain killers that work as short term remedies.

Injections in themselves cause pain. No. that is magnifying the little pain caused.

Extension

However, the goodness of this young author and doctor, whose qualifications have been embellished internationally shines via this work. Grandson of one of the island's greatest philanthropists now no more, today he gifts his services free for establishments such as the SLSMA (Sports Medical Association) of which he is President and even opts for free treatment for our cricketers.

So authoring a book of this nature seems only an extension of this good work and even tallies with the Buddhist culture that predominates our society which society is nurtured by other religions too.

To the Buddha is attributed this famous chant, Arogya Parama Labha, which means health is the supreme wealth" and Jesus Christ who is being celebrated this season himself made his name as a healer. Moslem Ulamas and Moulavis have gained prestige as medical men.

Monarchs such as Buddhadasa chose doctoring as the profession adjacent to kingship, healing not only humans but animals and reptiles too. Did he write a book too on the field? Yes.

The 1,000 plus paged Saratha Sangrahaya was his great work and he wrote it while ruling.

The book is still extant due to the resuscitating efforts of W.J.M. Lokubandara in his capacity as Minister of Indigenous Medicine. Many a good man and woman, relate themselves to books - a natural trend.