One day during my surgical internship, my professor, who shared my passion for writing, took me to the college library’s medical history section. There he showed me dozens of dusty books, only a few of which had been checked out. They were classic volumes on the history of medicine topics. He opened my eyes to a new world—the delightful world of the history of medicine about which I knew nothing. The first book I checked out and read from cover to cover was A History of Medicine, by Arturo Castiglioni, translated from the Italian and edited by E.B. Krumbhaar (1947, New York, Alfred A. Knopf).
I was hooked.
I read and re-read scores of books and articles on the history of medicine, science, and the contemporary history of the world. Soon, I began writing tales from the history of medicine for the general reader. Thus, I continued my passion for storytelling into my professional career as an academic pediatrician.
Books
I love telling short stories.
Growing up in rural South India, I was surrounded by natural beauty enriched by the rustic village life. Even as a child, I would tell stories about what I saw and felt. Then I studied medicine. As a medical student, I wrote articles about medical conditions for general readers. They were not scientific manuscripts, but stories about people and their sufferings, and how they conquered them. I published those articles in Sunday newspapers and special holiday issues of high-profile magazines that had statewide circulation. My articles were very popular.
