Medical marvel .. fertility etc.,

A few days back, I read about a medical miracle that occurred in the Indian city of Meerut. I understand that a ‘genetically male’ woman has given birth to twins.

A 32-year-old ‘woman’ had a rare hormonal conditional where she looks like a woman but is ‘almost’ a man. She did not attain puberty and has never menstruated. Her uterus was underdeveloped, her ovaries were non-functional and that she had an unpronounceable condition called “XY gonadal dysgenesis “(whew that sure was a mouthful). In short, ‘her’ body was not designed for natural conception or to hold a nine month pregnancy. She went through a series of complicated procedures over a period of three years to make this possible. Embryos were developed with donor eggs (they were not her own) plus her husband’s sperm and implanted in  her uterus, which was ‘built’ or ‘strengthened’ surgically. I have very little knowledge of terms like ovum, zygote, chromosomal study, infantile uterus, endocrinal treatment to elaborate on but I know for sure that’s its cerebral and phrenic (something to do with intelligence).

I am happy to note that her ‘husband’ supported her in this decision.

Dr Sunil Jindal, the infertility specialist who administered the treatment, said,

“This is something similar to a male delivering twins.”

I am sure it took some medical geniuses and a hefty sum of money to make her dreams of having a child come true. Mentions of this marvel will be chiselled in bronze in medical encyclopaedias worldwide. Generations of students will look back and read about this with awe and wonder. Eons later, people will still equate the team who made this possible with Charaka or Shushruta (ancient physicians from the Subcontinent). The doctors will earn awards, no doubt, and will be felicitated worldwide. They might even win Nobel Prizes.

What I do not understand is, was all this required in the first place?  Could ‘she’ not have accepted gracefully (not resigned to) her fate and just adopted a child from one of the thousands of orphanages that exist today?

It’s totally understandable if she might not want to spend on ‘outside’ blood and wanted her ‘own’, but I am sure she could have found a needy family from her own community who would have given her one of their own for some money. For the money the very-much-in-love couple spent on treatments, she could have fed scores of orphanages year long.

I know this might sound harsh, but she must have undergone these painful procedures, the emotional and physical trauma, the expectations, the hopes, the disappointments… to prove to the world that she was not ‘barren’ (excuse my use of such a strong, rustic, cruel, derogatory term) and ‘won’ in the end but was the money and time well spent ? Was it absolutely necessary to bring two more souls onto this, already overcrowded, planet? I understand that this may be a question personal to the parents, but as a citizen of this world, I believe I am forced to ask those parents thinking of adopting this path. Do the orphans of this world deserve no life, love or future? Should we not look after what we have first and then plan ahead?

I accept that it is a triumph of technology, a true medical achievement, but does it have to be just about technology all the time?

I have my doubts.

Feel free to give your opinion  on this subject. 

Street dogs et al.

We had a dog for more than a decade. My brother’s friend had a litter of four puppies but was chastised by his mother for overcrowding the house, and hence he was forced to give the pups away. Sunnu brought one of his pups to our house when it was only five-days-old. We had never had any pet before so it was a novelty for everyone, including our extended family.

The pup was a cute, cuddly, fluff ball, all white with just a hint of black. Initially, we called him Snoopy, for a few days, as he would snoop around the house and sniff everything. However, Snoopy soon became Snowy – blame Tintin comics for that.

We never realised how or when he became our family member.

Needless to say, mum had put in lot of hard work schooling him. She took him to the vet to get sanitised, to the dog-trainers to coach him, cleaned up his mess when there were ‘accidents’ in our living room and did a lot more. We would only play with him once we came back from school. Truth be told, Sunnu did take some responsibility by taking him for his evening strolls and the likes, but majority of his tutelage was under mum. He was instructed to go on the streets in selected places and relieve himself. Since he was neutered, he never created much noise and nuisance during the mating period. He was a quiet and good dog.

The above picture shows an ageing Snowy lazing in our backyard. Photo: Supriya Arcot

His mood depended on our moods.

He would be sullen when he knew that something was amiss in the house, like one of us getting a scolding for achieving low marks. He would jump, frolic and play when we were happy. He would be silent when it was time for our favourite TV serial. He would quietly crawl to his favourite place (under the dining table) when he knew that we were studying for our exams or had guests over.

When we were on holidays, we would send him to the vet (who kept kennels) who would charge us per day for keeping him. Sometimes, when it was a short vacation, we would send him to the driver’s house for safeguarding. He was only too happy to keep the dog for some extra money. When we used to come back, he’d ‘hug’ us with his hairy paws and give a strange kind of whimper. It was much later that we realised that it was his way of ‘crying’ out of happiness.

Time passed, we grew up and soon it was time to fly out of the nest. Snowy had to be content with fewer familiar faces around him, even if (for weeks together) it meant only my mother. Gradually, he resigned himself to spending more and more time with ‘outside’ folks. Then one fine day, we got the news of his death. About how he went to sleep and never woke up. He had just withered away. The folks who were guarding him managed to give him a decent burial. He died (what’s known commonly as) a dog’s death; without us, alone and lonely, pining for his family.

We missed him like anything. We could not help think that it would have been better if we had put him to sleep instead of leaving him with outsiders who were not trained to take care of animals.

Dogs and humans are alike. They need a lot of attention and nurturing. Without heedfulness, they go adrift. While I totally agree that killing any animal is wrong for reasons other than to eat, I feel animals are better off when ‘put away’ in some cases.

The government has already made tried and tested rules to domesticate dogs or cats. If anyone wishes to keep any dog as a pet, they have to get it verified (sterilised) and must have a medical certificate issued by a veterinary doctor. This information is included in the license which should be hung on its neck all the time. Today, either this rule is not publicised enough or has been ignored by the general public. Many domestic pet dogs do not carry any licenses; most do not even have any ribbon or collar to indicate that they’re ‘taken’. So it’s tough to know the health of the ‘pet’.

Stray animals (especially dogs) form a big problem in many towns worldwide. One ribald way of getting rid of unwanted dogs is to hit them on the head with a blunt object, shock them and let them die a slow, numb death. Thankfully, this is not usually done.

The regular way is to collect these street dogs together and pass them through just one electric shock. The death is quick and instantaneous with zero pain. The dead bodies are then burnt or buried depending on the prevailing rules of that region. The personnel handling this operation are well equipped with sterilised gloves and face masks. The general public is well-informed about the dates of such an operation. It’s usually held on a holiday when a majority of the crowd is off the streets.

In Karachi, Pakistan, a large number of stray dogs were recently rounded up and culled. The reason that the local government gave in to such a step was that they were receiving several complaints of dog bites from different segments. While many were outraged by this, I for one was relieved that they were culled and not eliminated by some other inhumane way. Previously, these animals used to get shot dead or fed poisoned meat on the orders of the authorities – both of which were painful. Through culling, the animal doesn’t feel pain and it’s quick.

Pakistani municipal workers dispose of a pile of dog carcasses in a suburb of Karachi on February 11, 2015. Photo: AFP

When it comes to dog culling, the most common question asked by those against it is, if your own mother was a burden, would you have her killed too?

Such a question is absurd in many ways.

My mother is not a pet. She does not carry germs in her mouth. She does not chase, scare and harass children from playing on the roads. She does not scavenge the garbage bins and spread dirt and diseases around. My mother does not pick fights with her own ilk and engage in full throated brawls and howls in the dead of the night.

So comparing my mother with a dog is not only inappropriate, it is downright illogical.

I have read about the stray dogs of Moscow. They demonstrate their domesticity by ‘politely’ asking for food. If a dog sees anyone (especially a good-looking girl) having a sandwich, it goes to her quietly, puts his paw on her leg and keeps looking at her with woebegone eyes, without barking, slowly whining, till she’s smitten and gives him her share of the sandwich or whatever else she can spare. If she refuses to melt at his forlorn eyes, then he simply strays away to another onlooker.

The dogs travel in packs, taking the subway/metro/tram, to go the main city, scavenge the bins there, have their fill and come back diligently by the trains. While it shows laudable discipline in dog behaviour, I doubt if this is practical in crowded cities with cramped public transport.

Many programs are undertaken by dog lovers to sterilise all the street dogs in some cities. While this is a commendable move, what to do with the new dogs that keep coming to cities every day? It might be utilitarian to sterilise them but what about feeding them and disposal of their ‘waste’ on a daily basis? Remember, I am not talking about domestic dogs. Sterilisation might ‘tame’ them but it sure doesn’t fill their stomachs. Neutered or not, they will go rummaging through dustbins and open sewers, and spread filth and garbage around.

It’s routine for small puppies to come under vehicles zooming by (unintentionally, of course). Then they bleed to a slow and torturous death. Even if the driver has good motives, he might not be able to find an animal hospital nearby. Without having knowledge of medicine himself, the kindest thing he could do in such an unforeseen situation is to leave the puppy by the road.

Surely this is more horrific than dying with just one jolt of electricity.

However, those who are against culling can come up with another solution. They can create awareness and raise money for animal shelters, so that these animals may be catered for. But seeing how resources are often scarce and funds are not continuous, an animal shelters would need a lot of supervision to make it work.

In case animal shelters cannot be managed, instead of wasting resources, I believe dog culling is the best way round. Culling is not equal to crushing mosquitoes or cockroaches. It’s a very humane and well thought-out (and usually, well organised) way of getting rid of stray, street dogs.

To me, it is very similar to euthanasia. If the government (or whoever is advocating stray dog killing) was anti-dogs/heartless/cruel/sadistic, then why would they bother with painless and quick methods, when they could as easily resort to a painful, quick and bloody end? The government and the system cares, and that is why they make it as painless as possible.

Rules are always written keeping in mind some good for the majority. If anyone thinks that a particular rule will have only undesirable results, then it won’t be made into a law at all. In a country where animal shelters are scarce, in fact animal rights are scarce, dog culling is the most humane way of avoiding human tragedy. Before embarking upon your instinct to attack the practice, perhaps reflect on what you may have done had you been in power in a state where resources, and finances, for animal care are limited.

#Stray dogs #street dogs #snowy #pets #culling

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Skin colour ,Racism and all that ...

 few days back, an Indian politician passed a remark about South Indian women being dark.

“Here people are awed by fair skin. Matrimonial ads also ask for fair skinned brides.”

He further added,

“In the entire country, there are more saanvle (dark-skinned) men. The women of South are beautiful, their bodies… their skin… We don’t see it here.”

Perhaps he said it as a joke or perhaps he spoke carelessly without realising. Whatever the case may be, it led to a predictable barrage of reactions from foreseeable corners; feminists, anti-racists, anti-fair skin activists and the anti-sexists.

However, I felt this hype and attention was unwarranted. Truth be told, he never insinuated that dark meant ugly. Let me clarify, I am not defending the remarks made by this individual. I am merely listing the salient arguments from all angles on the age-old debate between fair and dark-skinned individuals.

Starting from the Rig Vedic period, people have prayed for health, cattle, war loot, numerous wives, children and clear white skin. Umpteen recipes are mentioned in the ancient texts for long and lustrous hair, sparkling teeth, jet black eyes, and above all, fair skin. Innumerable mantras and slokas are written and chanted when one is born with clear and fair skin.

Many people attribute skin colour to our ancient caste system. Over a period of time, at least in the North, the upper-most caste of priests came to be associated with fair skin. Brown-skinned people were co-related to meagre jobs, such as cleaning, skinning animals and tannery.

On the contrary, in a few remote villages of South India, a dark girl is preferred for marriage because it is believed that she will not hesitate to go out in the fields, sweat under the scorching sun while tending to cattle without worrying about getting tanned. A fair-skinned girl is generally understood to be cocooned at home and is not fancied on the marriage market.

I for one disagree with colour-based discrimination. Inhabitants of a certain region carry a certain skin tone. Individuals from areas further away from the tropical region, such as individuals from the north, are fairer in comparison to their southern counterparts. Fair and dark-skinned individuals exist in all castes and religions. Therefore, skin colour should not even be an issue. It is just a geographical marker.

But mankind, by nature, is never content with what it has.

In the West, truckloads are spent on bronzing and tanning treatments. Worldwide, girls with wavy hair go for expensive hair straightening treatments. Women with straight, limply hair want extra volume and waves, hence they spend a lot on shampoos that increase their volume. Salons and spas are filled with women, as well as men, wanting to change or enhance their appearances, such as shaping their eyebrows or getting a double chin reduction.

On top of all this, there has been a massive boom in the cosmetology sector. Plastic surgeons are booked to the hilt with clients wanting to restructure their cheeks or other bone structures. Today, it has become a common place practice to opt for a toe or rib removal – the procedure is as long as office lunch hours – just to fit into the latest Jimmy Choo pair of shoes or a Versace gown. Tattooing and piercing are just some of the unusual things people do to enhance their looks.

Since time immemorial, people are known to have resorted to extremes to get the ‘perfect body.’ The Chinese system of foot binding is believed to develop strong vaginal muscles due to the small steps they take, which enhances the carnal pleasure of a newly married couple. Thus, small feet gradually began being identified with attractiveness.

Today, the building of the ruptured hymen, which could be due to a sports injury as well, is a common procedure. Creams for vaginal shrinking and whitening are available in many super markets.

However, all these aspects come with their own brand of double standards.

If a girl uses recipes for whitening her skin, provided to her by her grandmother, like turmeric or saffron, only then will she be termed an old-fashioned girl. If she buys the same product produced by a multinational company, she is bombarded with the usual salacious comments associated with racism, vanity and narcissism.

My mother was worried about my marriage prospects since I was brown skinned. I confess that I too used to apply Fair and Lovely in my high school days. But I must have looked like an awkward multi-coloured parrot with a fair face and dark hands and knees. I realised my folly and stopped soon after. Eventually, I did get married to someone who incidentally is several shades lighter than me. I suppose he preferred my personality over my skin colour.

Traditionally, fair skin has been associated with purity, innocence, vulnerability and modesty, whereas dark skin has been associated with virility, danger and machismo. Little wonder that women want tall, dark and handsome husbands and men want fair and dainty maidens as wives.

A person should be free to decide how he or she wishes to look like. Majority, if not all, of the people favouring for fairness creams are educated. The demand is so much that now fairness creams for men have also started doing well.

When extreme procedures, such as changing the shape of your body, hair transplants, liposuction, skin tightening and peeling can be done, why are we so touchy when it comes to skin “colouring”?

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