Excerpts from Bumpy Roads (Chapter :Medico in green pastures ,catchy cartoons)

Down the track of memories:

One day we decided to undertake a mass tetanus immunization program in the campus.
Trying to immunize healthy students against tetanus was an uphill task. “Doc, I am really afraid no one will attend our program,” one of the staff members in the medical unit said.
We decided to organize an orientation program, and during my “chalk talk,” I emphasized the importance of preventive medicine in the form of vaccination.
“Friends, if you wish to participate, tell us more about your health in the past, whether you have any allergies or any chronic illnesses, complete this pro forma and submit it to the medical unit tomorrow.” “We’ll have a fun fair later,” I went on. “You can make cartoons, play musical chairs, sing, etc. tomorrow, and have some fun.” “But,” I cautioned, “you can make any cartoon of me, but please refrain from making cartoons about your teachers and your colleagues.” Soon after
the orientation program had ended, all the students were seen boarding the college bus and leaving the campus. “No one will come tomorrow, Doc. They all have left,” said another employee of the medical unit gloomily.
“Well,” I said, “we will wait from 9am to 2pm for them and that is all we can and must do.” The next day the weather was very nice and I came out quite early in the morning from

my accommodation in the staff quarters. It was a pleasant walk through the pear orchard, and even more pleasant listening to the chirping and singing of the birds. At 9am, to our great surprise, we saw the students thronging in great numbers in their green coats, their official uniform, to the
medical unit. They started showing us the most wonderful cartoons. Our idea of drawing and displaying cartoons had certainly unleashed their creativity! It became clear to all of us why the students had boarded the bus the day before. Yes, you guessed it – it was to get material from the local market in Sopore, as no such market was available on the campus or in the nearby village. It was amazing to see how the students had depicted their problems concerning campus water, electricity, boring hostel life, etc. in a very creative manner. The funniest cartoons were about me, and with their permission, I have preserved them for the last so many years now. I still feel that those were the best gifts depicting his patient-doctor relationships that any doctor could ever receive. Thanks to all of them....

The funfair cum vaccination and blood grouping program went very nicely, and no efforts were required to inject students with the further two doses required in order to complete the program. Data from those proformas formed the basis of a useful database, as they revealed that there were 18 students who were allergic to sulfa drugs, few were allergic  to penicillin and that some had significant family histories.

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N:B: Tetanus toxoid immunization program has been recommended by American College of Surgeons for agricultural workers and researchers because of their close contact with soil that harbors tetanus spores makes them particularly vulnerable to tetanus. It consists of three doses of Injection tetanus toxoid at 0, 30days and after 6-12 months.Then every 10years single dose.