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| Friday, 25 June 2004 |
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Fitting tribute to an eminent surgeon Reflections on the life of Dr. Noel Bartholomeusz
Dr. Bartholomeusz, known as Batho at GHC, passed away in 1977, having suffered from kidney disease for nearly a decade at a time when renal dialysis was in its infancy and kidney transplants were not even heard of. He had no children. His wife Nora lived alone in Colombo thereafter till she died in 2003. The two of them had decided that when they were no more, their priceless mansion at Independence Avenue should go to the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the deed of gift was signed by Mrs. Bartholomeusz shortly before she died. This book, which is a collection of articles on the two of them, was launched in March 2004 at the ceremonial opening of the premises in which the College office is now located. Mrs. Nirmali Hettiarachchi and Prof. A. H. Sheriffdeen should be complimented for editing this volume. Batho was always impeccably dressed in a white suit with a fresh orchid fixed to the lapel of his jacket. The origin of the orchid was not far to seek, for it obviously came from his collection which he grew in his garden as a hobby. He invariably wore a smile which seldom, if ever, was replaced by a frown. He belonged to an era when his fellow consultants too, such as P. R. Anthonis, L. D. C. Austin, Milroy Paul and M. V. P. Pieris in surgery, Cyril Fernando, P. B. Fernando and E. M. Wijerama in medicine, and Nicholas Attygalle in gynaecology made a name for themselves in one way or another. In 1949, when I was a medical student, Batho assumed duties at GHC, and he was an instant success with the students, who used to queue up from 4 a.m. on the set date in order to get a surgical teaching appointment under him or Dr. Anthonis. This book consists of a series of articles devoted to Batho and his wife. Each of these is preceded by a lengthy account of the contributor which may perhaps serve as a biographical source for posterity. The volume is amply illustrated and includes a series of photographs of antique furniture collected by Nora as a hobby. The book is printed on quality paper in large print that makes it easily readable. The first article in the book is by A. T. S. Paul who was the first cardio-thoracic surgeon at GHC and Batho's colleague. He has written an informative account of the GHC during the periods 1935-1947 and 1948-1975 during which he was personally familiar with the institution. He not only deals with Batho, but also gives a first-hand account of the hospital. The next contribution is by Dr. B. S. Perera who began his career as house surgeon to Batho when the latter was surgeon at Badulla Hospital in 1945. Later he renewed his association in his capacity as a consultant anaesthetist to Batho when B. S. returned from England after his qualifications. Included in his contribution are three interesting episodes about Batho's patients. The next set of articles is by the late Professor Christopher CanagaRetna, Dr. Tony Gabriel, Dr. Michael Abeyratne and Dr. Mrs. Vimala Navaratnam, all of whom had one thing in common, in that they were his past students. Each of them describes in his or her own way their admiration for their teacher. Prof. Sheriffdeen has written an article on Mrs. Nora Bartholomeusz. He first came to know her in 2000, when she expressed a wish to see him as the President of the College of Surgeons "on an urgent matter". This "matter" happened to be the donation of their house and property to the College. The final article in the book is a reproduction of the speech made by Mrs. Anne Ranasinghe at the memorial service to Nora. Mrs. Ranasinghe came to know her on the very day she arrived in Sri Lanka in 1952 and they had been firm friends ever since. All in all, the book is a fitting tribute to Dr. and Mrs. Bartholomeusz who capped their lives with a noble generosity seldom seen in this country. - C. G. Uragoda. Be healthy and happy Suka Valkai- (Pakam 2) (Healthy life - Part 2) "A healthy state is a wealthy state," it is said. How to live healthily is expressed in the book titled "Suka Valkai" (Healthy life) written by K. Vaitheeswaran in Tamil. This book is a guide to lead a healthy life. Mr. Vaitheeswaran through this book emphasizes the importance of a sound body and a sound mind for the self and society. The author was a health education officer who worked in many parts of this Island. He went abroad on scholarships and had a sound knowledge in health. He has been engaged in writing books exclusively on health, and this is his third book. According to him, plans have been drawn to publish another two books one of them is about "Child care". The author has produced all what he had experienced, and the knowledge he gathered in the field of health. The saying "Experiences are elite universities" is mentioned in the preface of this book. Diabetes, high blood pressure, gastric ulcer and heart attack are the diseases well known to all and many of us suffer from these diseases. Victims of these diseases increase gradually. In daily newspapers we can observe requests from poor patients calling for financial assistance from the general public for medical treatment specially for heart surgery, kidney transplant or a similar one. The author analyses about the diseases and shows the ways to prevent them. Wherever necessary he quotes verses from Thirukkural by saint Thiruvalluvar. Verse No. 8 in Chapter No. 95 is quoted in this boom which reads thus: "Let the physician enquire into the disease, its cause and its method of cure and treat it faithfully". Definitely a doctor's kind words promote more cure than the tablets and capsules he gives. The author emphasizes the importance of hard work and good exercise as the cornerstones for good health. He has commented on obesity and its cause and effects. Excess intake of carbohydrates, fats and sugar through many sweet and tasty foods, viewing television or computer for many hours without exercise may cause not only obesity but also it helps develop other common diseases also. So regular eating habit would help a person to lead a healthy life. In chapter four the importance and greatness of a mother's place in home and society was highly praised under the heading "Perumaikuriya Thaimai". Quoting Bagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's saying: "You may be able to pay back any debts, but the debts that you owe to your mother you can never pay back". Mr. Vaitheeswaran has beautifully explained a mother's role in a family. He has elaborated in detail about the different stages of a woman with suitable medical advice. How to manage stress is an important area. The author has gone through this area too. About 75% of the diseases are stress related. When one cannot solve one's problems, he becomes tense. In a nutshell it is stress. Nowadays life is full of stress and strain. The author has very clearly mentioned about this and gives advice how to overcome this. He suggests that meditation is one of the ways to have a stress free life. In brief, the contents of this book are based on the adage "freedom from sickness is true happiness" and it is really a valuable publication. - K. K. Arumainayagam |
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Produced by Lake House |
Dr. L. Noel Bartholomeusz, who was appointed Consultant Surgeon at
General Hospital Colombo (GHC) over half a century ago lived and died in
the land of his birth. He was a surgical legend in his day and his mastery
of the scalpel was recognised throughout the length and breadth of the
country. He could hardly cope with the number of patients that surged into
his consultation chambers everyday.
