MADURAI: Nostalgia filled the air when nine octogenarian classmates belonging to the first batch (1954) of the Madurai Medical College met one another during a reunion function in the city on Monday.
Orthopaedist Dr A Devadoss, general surgeon Dr M Y Sankar, obstetricians/gynaecologists Dr K Kamala, Dr J Saroja, general practitioners Dr G Mathi Prakasam, Rm Muthiah, S S Rajendran, anaesthesiologist Dr JD Babu Bryant and former director of Medical Education (DME) Dr Sembon David took a trip down the memory lane during the event organised at a hotel.
Family members of friends who are no more also took part in the reunion. The last time all of them met was two years ago in Thoothukudi. Turning the day more special, the nine were accompanied by their 91-year-old teacher and renowned plastic surgeon Dr Sam C Bose who taught them in 1954.
As the nine doctors started introducing themselves, three generations of their family members, and talk about their life so far, some of them jokingly termed it, 'a litmus test to diagnose if we are suffering from dementia,' and pass they did that test with flying colours!
During his turn, Dr Bryant from Thiruvananthapuram, who retired as Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, displayed with pride the 13 medals he was awarded. Reminiscing her college days, Dr Kamala said, "We belong to the first batch of 50 MBBS students at the Madurai Medical College and call ourselves the 'First Fifty'. There were only nine women in the batch, but the men always made us feel safe and treated us with utmost dignity." The First Fifty also shares among them a bond and camaraderie that has stood the test time - 66 years, she added.
Juxtaposing the student-teacher relationship then and now, Dr Devadoss said, "In our days, we treated our teachers with great respect and reverence. Today's students treat them as friends."
Dr David, who served as the DME during 1994-95, said, "A human touch is missing among the doctors today; the life-saving profession has turned into a business. While a thorough clinical examination of a patient was considered mandatory among doctors of yesteryear, prescription of a multitude of unnecessary tests has become the order of the day now," he said.