Modern Medicine's Miracle?!

Dr. MR Kotwal, GangtokIt was wonderful to see the picture of a man who celebrated his 100 year birthday. Personally, for me it was a great feeling of joy to see this very unforgettable face. His portrait is attractive and sagely.
Many years ago, one late evening I had responded to the late Dr Sunder Pradhan’s call (Chief of Surgery at the time) to see a patient in his surgical ward at STNM Hospital. The patient had acute abdomen in other words pain, distension and could not pass stool or flatus. I endoscoped him next morning and to my surprise found him having a condition called phytobezoar*. In simple English this man had a huge ball of vegetable fibre in his stomach that was blocking the passage down to the duodenum (intestine). A phytobezoar is a trapped mass in the stomach, that consists of components of indigestible plant material, such as fibres, skins and seeds. Phytobezoar can cause obstruction over a time and patient has to be operated to cure him. He perhaps kept on tolerating this problem in which one has pain abdomen passes very little stool till finally nothing comes out. The stomach and intestines start bloating up. As nothing comes out one cannot eat much and because of vomiting, pain and emaciation sets in.
On endoscopic examination, when I saw this phytobezoar I had called Dr Sunder Pradhan to have a look during the procedure from the side viewing scope. We did not have video scopes in those days. I suggested that perhaps the only treatment for this person was surgical removal. Dr Sunder Pradhan removed the long tortuous phytobezoar during Laparotomy. (Medical jargon for abdominal operation). Dr Sunder wrote an article and Sikkim Herald published the picture of the removed Phytobezoar, which was over 40 centimetres long and tortuous from stomach down into small intestine.
I wondered with joy of course that he has crossed a century. With his so many wonderful descendents, his enterprising skills and adventure in going over to Tsurpu and getting trained under HH the Sixteenth Karmapa  in those difficult days he must have been a great adventurer I thought.
Today, the world over, the main goal of human beings is to enhance healthy longevity. Of course with good quality of life and many of us want to be frozen in our frames perhaps around 25 or may be thirty years of age. Longevity does not come on its own, even with longevity genes; one has to work hard for living long and healthy life.
Modern medicine has contributed enormously in our longevity of life span worldwide. An average female lives over 87 and male over 82 years in some developed nations. The average age a century ago was half of what it is now. Of the many thousands of oldies over hundred years age are not uncommon in Okinawa, Andorra, Nordic and many European nations. Maybe not us, but many of our descendents are poised to live an average of 125 years by 2050 in the developed nations.
Yesterday, I visited Arab Lama in his house for a brief period and requested him for a picture. I had seen him only 2 or 3 times after his treatment nearly 27 years ago. He was kind enough to permit me to take his picture. He looked almost the same as he did 26 years ago. He told me that he had been operated for brain haemorrhage some years earlier. I intend to meet him again at his convenience to simply chat. As I stepped out of his top floor house I kept on pondering the reason for human existence, whether if this is truly not the Miracle Of Modern Medicine then what it is! We do know that one’s longevity is directly proportional to the region of the world one is born in. In this century both knowledge and means of affordability are the main factors for longevity. Science has improved human life beyond imagination and man is poised to play God.