The father of microsurgery Dr K Venkataswami referred a 75-year-old patient to neurologist Krishnamoorthy Srinivas. KS spent a considerable amount of time with the patient listening in detail to her problem of loss of memory. He desisted from prescribing expensive tests and medication but suggested a simple remedy: he advised her to maintain a diary recording her activities through the day. He recommended that one should endeavour to register with care the events and conversations. This would facilitate easy recall. 

I remember the long years this good clinical neurologist, who recently expired at the age of 84, offered his services to the Public Health Centre, Mambalam. 

T T Vasu as President and M C Subrahmanyam as Secretary sought and obtained the services of KS and provided these to hundreds of patients at the PHC at low cost. I also remember KS presenting some international experts under the auspices of the T S Srinivasan Foundation. 

Srinivas was one of the shining instances of reverse brain drain. He qualified with three FRCPs and had training in Canada but chose to return to Chennai. After PHC, he worked for the Voluntary Health Services and  set up the Institute of Neurological Sciences. He continued to extend his extensive knowledge to thousands of patients. 

The ‘Maggie’ two minute doctors...

Sadly, the breed of doctors who listen to patients in detail to sharpen diagnosis is dwindling. I remember  cardiologist Dr. T J Cherian’s wry comment:  “it took me nearly 20 years to gain proficiency in diagnosis, listening to patients. Today young medicos lean heavily on scans and other diagnostic machines and prescribe expensive instant remedies!”