‘House call’ doctors and the apothecary

 During the days of the baby boomers like me —the good old 60s and 70s ,I had never travelled to a doctor’s clinic for any kind of ailment . Everything was comfortably managed within the four walls of my home with our family doctor visiting us . He most often would be accompanied by the most consequential person in our lives, the compounder or the apothecary as he was known during earlier times .Compounders made customised medicines and syrups according to the instructions of the doctor , as per the requirement of each patient.

Unlike the present day when I see little kids bawling away ,when they see the ‘ white coat ‘ and are cajoled and wooed by their parents with their favourites ; we used to look forward to Dr Uncle ‘s visit . He was part and parcel of our home . My mother was in charge of all our medical problems and would read up a lot on this subject too . She was extremely systematic about maintaining our temperature , symptoms etc . All in all our Florence Nightingale who would give up her night sleep in case we were in pain or having high fever. After she did her basic research on us and found it beyond her healing powers , she would call for the doctor who was also our ‘ family physician ‘. Come hail or snow , whether there was electricity or not , he never turned us down as far as my memory goes . By the time it was time for the Dr to arrive , my mother would lay a neat tea tray with a lovely tray cloth and would be all set to receive the duo . A steel vessel specially kept for boiling syringes was also filled with water and in readiness ,besides of course a towel specially kept apart for the doctor . The doctor had our entire family history of illnesses and was also well acquainted with the latest tidings of the family ! Dr SK Das the first family doctor I remember while we lived in erstwhile Calcutta , knew how to get around the child and would easily and deftly perform his job . He was followed by Dr SK Sathe in Belgaum who was another extremely kind hearted man .The doctor and patient had equal faith in each other. We did not have to explain every time what allergy ran in the family , or whether the youngest had a bout of chicken pox recently ! He knew it all . He could recount every little bit and piece regarding each individual . To add a little zest to this topic — I am sure you would recollect the old Bollywood movies where it was raining incessantly and a woman was in travail . A man with an oversized black umbrella goes to fetch ‘Dr Babu’ and despite the inconvenience, the health care giver, ever willingly accompanied the man to the house at the dead of night .Those were the days of ungrudging, compassionate doctors. The days when ‘ Mercurochrome ‘ left a red stamp on cuts and we felt good when folks asked “ what happened beta ? hope u are not too hurt “ ? ! while we would limp a little more in want of more sympathy ! The days of soft sweet swab sticks used to paint the throat which was infected , the days of painful TABC ( typhoid , para typhoid and cholera ) injections given through those gigantic , formidable needles that incapacitated us for at least two days and not to forget the small pox vaccine stamped on your upper arm like a wax government seal, forever !Good riddance to the last three . It will always remain a painful reminder of yesteryears .

The doctor would soon suggest medicines and the compounder would take out a small mortar and pestle to grind a quarter of a pink tablet , a half of a white one and some other full tablet ( not in that order or proportion ) powder it and put it into a small bottle and pour something in , akin to the colour of Rooh Afza and shake up the bottle till the powder dissolved well enough . Afterwards a paper strip with gradations was stuck neatly on the bottle which represented the dosage of the medicine . This would be mostly teaspoon measures . By then we children were super excited to see the coloured syrups and were willing to have it without a fuss thinking it to be some kind of ‘ manna ‘ from Heaven !! Thereafter some small talk with the family and the assurance that the Dr could be contacted at any time , night or day in case things went out of control . We dare think of calling up our physician these days at a wrong hour ! He wouldn’t be bothered whether we were living or dead the next day !

I remember my mother telling me that when I was around 2 years old , I had fever and became delirious. Our doctor rushed to our home and sat for at least four hours till my fever came down . He himself was putting cold compress on my forehead and medicating me . Such unreserved dedication !Somebody whom we admired for his simplicity , his professionalism and dexterity . The old timers believed in not just healing the body but also the mind and the soul . They believed in instilling confidence in patients . In fact they adopted families ! These were the virtuous doctors who stood by the Hyppocrates oath through thick and thin . These days I read the oath at the entrance of most hospitals ; more for our understanding and least for those it was made for !
Come to think of it , we as children lived less complicated lives compared to the ‘ zoomers ‘ and generation Alpha . Medical research certainly had not reached such excellent standards as now and doctors were not super specialists with a long line of degrees after their name . But we didn’t have as many diseases as we suffer today. The emotional , physical drain and empty pocket experience once we escape a multi speciality 5 star hospital was at all costs avoided because there never existed one .The ‘ touch and feel ‘ technique of knowing symptoms seems to have disappeared too . Knocking on the stomach between the index and the middle finger which gave different sounds is out of fashion now ! Mr ENT does not seem to know you have a heart and the Hepatologist thinks you are a headless chicken ! By the time the one day picnic running from pillar to post , at the hospital is over and we exit , we could have developed a new disease and may be back on the ‘ revolving chair ‘ once again !! The house call doctors made things so easy for the poor and rich alike . It was like shooting fish in a barrel ! My grandparents lived in our ancestral village in Kerala . Can you imagine those antiquated days when a street light was a luxury and even if it existed ,showed light only as bright as a fading candle . The heavy rains in the south and many more such hiccups were not stumbling blocks in the way of the doctors who so kindly gave personalised medical service . My grandparents were lucky to belong to a family of doctors . By any streak of bad luck if the telephone lines were down, they would still come hook or by crook when we sent a house help on cycle who knew the short cuts like the back of his palm to fetch the Dr brother or Dr cousin . I had never seen such a huge torch before or thereafter in my life like my doctor uncles had . Without exaggeration almost as big as a Lambretta scotter ‘s headlight ! The brown leather bag with medicines was held adeptly by the apothecary cum driver who would help the Dr out of the car while a senior member of the household would perform the welcome ceremony and soon the healing process would start . Amazingly, every time with few positive sentences . “ Pengale ( elder sister in Malayalam ) there is nothing wrong with you . What made you call me ? “ If it were meal time , they would join us depending on how busy they were . Enroute the Dr might look up somebody who was ill a fortnight ago to simply enquire. These healers were the bedrock of our society . Although many methods were archaic and orthodox they kept us alive and kicking !
The system of ‘ house call ‘ doctors peaked in the 1800s . Surprisingly not many abroad and a lot many of us here are aware that the first doctor was an Indian Sushruta by name who even conducted surgeries in the second century BC .This was the branch of medicine called Ayurveda whose founding fathers were Indians . It is still a very important alternate therapy . Lot of people still believe in healing through this method . Our epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana mention very distinctly about the healing by Ayurveda . Now we have come a long way as far as medicine is concerned. But are we not losing that human touch whilst healing ? It’s becoming like any other commercial industry . I remember unmistakably, that the poor were not denied medical aid for lack of money . The compounder maintained a book with individual names in it date wise . The amount due was also written in it .People paid up as and when they got their wages . I am lucky to have seen times like that when selfless service was rendered.
Here I recollect what Nathaniel Hawthorn once said.
“ Time flies over us , but leaves its shadows behind “ !!

177 days with my grandson !

       “ A child is like a butterfly in the wind

          Some can fly higher than the others ;   

               but each one flies the best it can .

          Why compare one with the other ?

           Each one is different , each one is special

                      Each one is beautiful  

                                        Anonymous 

             I decided to undertake an eighteen hour journey , across the oceans just to spend some valuable time with my two and a half year old ! I thought it was important for him  to know his kith and kin as he grew up , especially being on an alien land . He needed to know our culture ,our rich heritage and our history.  I was keen he started understanding and speaking at least two Indian languages . English came to him naturally in any case . I had a few basic aspirations for him .  Eating home cooked meals and not making French fries , pizza and burgers as his staple . Taking up some hobby around the house , trying to help his mother ,so that he could grow up to be sufficiently independent . Yes , these classes often went through the roof with no stop in sight for the little one as he pranced around and kept repeating the words laughing  aloud . His large beautiful eyes spoke more than he expressed .

             I honestly cannot pinpoint at which moment during my  sojourn there, did I  unleash the child  within me ! I saw Vardaan grow month after month , a little bigger , more naughtier , trying to be more persuasive and more expressive .  His vocabulary seemed to be exceptional for a two and a half year old and  he had  become candidly chatty.  He wanted to speak like an adult at the fastest and questioned when in doubt ! He used to come out with rather funny words like ‘ Poisomus  Creme‘ just because we used to prevail upon him not to lick his body lotion and creme  since it was poisonous . His barrage of questions was never ending . He wanted to ape each of us in behaviour and speech .  He was forever confused whether he should call us  Appacha and Ammachy in Malayalam ( for grandparents )or Papa and Mama like his parents addressed us . After the initial few days he decided to sleep between  the two of us in our bed . He would come with his ‘ cudally , cudally ‘ pillow  ( read as cuddly ) and his softy , softy blanket along with MITER ( Mr ) TUTU his favourite teddy who was as tall as him . Tutu was his first Christmas gift from us . He was christened Tutu by my husband because we were on the brink of the year 2022 ! He had nick named his stuffed toys with all kinds of fascinating  names like  Mr Monu , Mr Capy , Mr Myrtle , Mr Cuddles  etc and this entire entourage would find their way to our bed . He  was very particular that we said good night to each of them , which could be sometimes so vigorous to the extent of stifling us !! 

      Then came the season of story telling . He was more interested in listening to real time stories and  would also suggest the plot . Initially it began with two cops and two thieves and this would be re-enacted many times over . Finally he knew the story verbatim and before I could come to the next line he would tell me what came ahead ! “ Mama there was a big cave in the forest “ and the size of the cave would be extended by both his little hands so much so that it would hit his grandfather’s  head with a thud which was not so welcome to him who was in zee zee land already ! His admiration for the cops there was tremendous , especially the siren on their vehicle . Showing our photograph his mother told Varu that his grandfather was in the Army at one point in time . Soon came the retort “ it is called the cop army Mama “ ! He has such a sense of present wit that he can make anybody burst  into splits of laughter. The  IQ for a little midget of his age is staggering . He can give uninterrupted attention to conversations and is an excellent transmitter !The minute somebody rings the door bell , lo and behold our man is there with his adorable social graces . My little elf would be soon transformed into the best kid in the lane with everybody loading him with compliments ! The other side of the coin seemed to be meant only for us to see !! One day when the bell rang , his mother asked him who it was . This was the time our toddler was trying his hand with long sentences and eloquent words . What he replied was really funny . “ Mom there is nobody people there “!

Although this little poppet is our personal physician at home ; even extending his benevolence to the neighbors but when he had to go to his pediatrician , it was quite a nightmare ! At home when he went overboard washing his trucks and toys , I kept reminding him of his  Dr Shetty in case he caught a cough or cold !! At first he used to plead not to do so giving the excuse “Amma can’t you see how messy it is ?” but since it became once too often and irresistible for him , he told me “ Mama please bring Dr Chetty ( Shetty ) . I am not scared!"  Indeed sacred games of different kind !! 

Another episode I cannot forget is when my son ‘s Audi had a flat and he called the way side service , this little man was all eyes and ears . Next day onwards , he started opening out the wheels of each of his toy cars and trucks including his tricycles. Finally what was left was a a pile of junk yard cars . His experiments came forthwith before he forgot the subject .The gleam in his eyes with a hint of a smile never stopped intriguing  me. I knew that the little computer was working overtime in his little head!

His gait is very commanding . Hands locked behind , penchant for dressing  ( to which his mother was a major contributor ), then he would come running to me for brushing his hair , baby lotion on his face and a small request in my ears “ put some parpume ( perfume ) ! Indulging him in these fun things was my passion . Finally one look in the mirror and he would ask “ am I handshome “ ! I could hear his mom shout out from their room “ handsome is what handsome does “ !!

      We all love music in the family and my son  sings beautifully and plays the guitar . Sure it is in this little one ‘s genes as well . He loves hearing his father sing and loves to hear songs play on the google . One of my favourite hobbies is to hear the evergreen oldies too. Very soon I was  dumbfounded to hear this cutie sing the first two lines of the song “ Deewana hua Badal “ ! That was the start point of our singing and drama classes ! Without much delay , he started giving commands to ‘ Aunty Google ‘. “ ok google play Deewana hua Badal by Asha Bhonsle and Mohammed Rafi from the film Kashmir ki Kali “ I was absolutely mystified at this rapid fire round from him . Without much of a time lapse , he graduated to singing a whole stanza and by the time we left , he could somehow sing the whole track with his cute words sprinkled in . For example instead of  ‘ mehaboob ‘ it would be mehabooj and when it came to the “ Aha , ha , ha , ha , ha “ part he would make a quick little shake of his  little bottom and watch whether we were approving !  Very soon he moved on to Rajesh Khanna’s songs  and the amusement of it all was when he one day requested me “ Mama can you please call Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore to my house ? “ That took the cake ! Usually instead of beating around the bush I like to give him simple and straight forward answers as I used to do with my son . But this time I was bemused how to explain  that this hero he so revered had crossed the rainbow bridge . Finally after much brain scratching I conceded defeat and told him that I would try my best ! 

       My grandie is a very affable toddler and a people ‘s person . He loves having people over including the little dogs who cross their home on walks . He would never fail to greet anybody and introduce himself and ask them their names and what they did . When folks clinked glasses and said ‘ cheers ‘ he would run and get his little tumbler with juice or water and do the same saying “ cheers to good times “ ! Seemed like one of   yesterday ‘s Kingfisher airlines advertisement ! The  orange  lips which the juice left alongside his mature etiquettes always brought a giggle to me . Once we were invited by a friend to dinner and they were enquiring of our choice of drink . Pat came a little voice from somewhere  “ I’ll have  wine” !

He has a great deal of equanimity . When we both had to go out , he would come darting and hold  our hands lest we slip anywhere . He would then say “ now walk very slow-ly  Appacha , Ammachy . Similarly when we got back , he would rush to my side of the SUV to open it and I had to put up an act of him helping me out ! From carrying light to moderately heavy groceries he did it all . His gentlemanly garb would get frayed only when he used to decide to experiment with the naughty side of him ! Under the elastic label of ‘ helping ‘ , he would squeeze out some water from his bottle , run for the mop and start wiping up the area till his mom caught him red handed . 

       We had gifted him a ‘ Doctor ‘s  set ‘ few months ago . Since I had a bad back , he used to come with his bag and ask me whether I have a BUBU ( hurt ) . Then he would wear his specs and check the heartbeat ,  poke something into my nose and give two three jabs left right and centre and finally an all ok certificate and scoots  ! His favourite cartoon character is BLIPPY and sure he learnt  quite a lot from him . Came Halloween and our little man decided to dress like BLIPPY . His favoritism for  ROOMBA was unparalleled . On many a night before bed he would hug me and say “ Ammachy I love you tooooo much ; more than the ROOMBA and its docking station !! I realised this was his  highest standard of love . It was more than an award for me !

       The Sun God slowly started smiling and the cold began receding . We wanted to start a garden going for them . My littlest member was the most enthusiastic . We got him a gardening set and pair of gloves which could house one more set of little hands in them . Yet he would diligently wear them and be with us trying to pull tufts of grass , calling himself CESARO ( the name of their gardener ) till this phase of messing  around was over ! Initially he felt pinching flowers was normal . Then I thought of a novel idea . I told him that he is in charge of the garden and must take care of it well and water it  till I came next ! I think this is working well . Then there is LORENA who is a house keeper who comes to clean the house . The moment she is in , the little sweetie would be after her calling her name in a sing song manner “ LORAAIINA did you wash your hands ? did you wipe your hands on my Papa ‘s towel ? ! “ I don’t think it would have been much of a problem for Hank Ketcham to have written the cartoon strip Dennis the Menace and make Dennis so delightful and captivating so much so I am still in love with him. The author would have to just  watch few children like mine closely and boom would pop out a Mr Dennis ! My children just told me that after I got back to my Indian shores ,  my little one has almost turned to be a singing minstrel like those specialist entertainers of the 1830s visiting their neighbours and singing all the Hindi songs he knew while they went about their chores. I miss his drools and tight hugs .They oozed with affection.

         Vardaan means ‘A BOON ‘ in Sanskrit .  All what I want to tell you son  is that  “ I love you to the moon and back ”! This phrase originated from one of the best selling picture books ‘ Guess how much I love you ‘ by Sam Mc Bratney. Till we meet again Verdi for more frolic and fun .  Be like the anemone - carefree , bright and beautiful and keep fluttering in the breeze . Your innocent laughter and pranks will always remind me of a packaged box of rainbows and sunshine .