Rumination -1

My first failure

3.8.1959 11 a.m.

“Doctor! Please do something to save this. This Saturn has devoured the castor bean leaves, which were cut and thrown out from a roadside garden. Please treat it quickly”screamed an agitated middle aged farmer who rushed into the dispensary with a kid in his hands.

But, the kid was cheerfully masticating without evincing any toxic symptoms.

“Don’t worry. I have seen many kids who lived for years after consuming the castor bean leaves from our agricultural fields. Nothing will happen to your kid. No treatment is necessary” I said.

From his facial expression, I understood that the farmer is not happy. He was repeatedly pleading for some treatment. Since I had a firm conviction that castor bean leaves are not toxic to livestock I was stubborn in my decision. The farmer left the dispensary with reluctance.

He was the first client not only to me but also to that “Minor veterinary dispensary” which was inaugurated only 2 hours back. Though that village was not provided with any other basic amenities like school, electricity, protected water supply, etc, the minor veterinary dispensary was established by Government in a small room to protect the farm animals of agriculturists, living in the tail end of Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu, India. Within a week of my graduation, I was appointed as Veterinary Assistant Surgeon to the newly opened dispensary. I joined in duty that day only 2 hours before without any field experience. That minor dispensary also was supplied with very few medicines as mixtures and powders by the nearby Veterinary dispensary. No equipments other than a thermometer, a syringe with few needles and a Burdizzo castrator were supplied.

In the afternoon, I was sitting alone in the dispensary. My peon, the only subordinate, went out in search of a place for our boarding and lodging in that small village. At about 4 p.m. the same farmer came back to the dispensary with his dead kid in a basket. He accused that I have not saved his kid in spite of his repeated request.

I was in a very awkward situation. As young boy, during my daily strolling around our lands where we grow commercially the castor bean plants, I have noticed the incidence of consuming the castor bean leaves by goats and their kids belonging to the villagers. These animals lived for years without showing any toxic symptoms. But, I was not able to understand why this poor animal died. When I discussed with my senior colleagues, I was not able to get any convincing reply. I learnt the reason for the death of that kid and the secret of the survival of the kids in my village who lived for years after frequently consuming the castor bean leaves only after my post graduation in “Clinical Medicine”. I will share the information with readers in my next blog..