Read on Twitter
My introduction to humanities and social science from my father, an orthopedic surgeon, sheds light on why universities ought to discard their myopic STEM obsession.
A short thread...
A short thread...
My father was a highly qualified surgeon, had a three decades-long practise in which he became Head of Dept of Orthopedics at a small and a large hospital in Calcutta, India.
He was also well read in history, anthropology, and sociology. But this wasn't just his passion....
He was also well read in history, anthropology, and sociology. But this wasn't just his passion....
Dad said, good doctors know patients exist in a society with a past, present and future possibilities. Their religion, caste, ethnicity and class affect them physically and their perception of it. E.g., there are genetic similarities/diseases in sub-castes due to endogamy....
Good doctors also know what a patient can afford in the short and long run: types of meds or post-op care. Because you can't fix a man's leg or make him healthy by putting him under sufficient financial stress to elicit high Blood Pressure and a Heart Attack....
But patients won't necessarily tell a doctor all of that. The doctor must gain a patient's trust, know some of their background, and always listen. The source of a doctor's knowledge and his or her capacity to do that lies in the humanities and social sciences.
Good Night!
Good Night!
