BOOKSin review
I
Tisauniquefeatureof
thisbook,writtenby a
physician par excellence,
that page after page it
plungesthe reader into
thoughtand forceshimto
ponderand reflect.It is, in
asense,asuccessorto his
earlier work Man and
Medicine:AHistory,pub-
lishedby OxfordUniver-
sityPressin 2000.As that
workhadtaught us to ex-
pect,theauthor’sknow-
ledgeandrangeof interest
go farbeyondthoseof a
physician,no matterhow
accomplished.NormustI
fail to mentionTheForgot-
ten Art of Healing and
OtherEssays(2009).
Dr FarokhErachUd-
wadiais atrulyeducated
andcivilisedperson.He is
steepedin the humanities,
history—far beyond the
historyof medicine—and
music,to whichhe is pas-
my heart.Ipassionatelybe-
lieveso....
“There is no greater
sagain the historyof man-
kindthanthe epicof medi-
cine. Medicine emerged
outof the mistsof magical
andempiricalbeliefsof the
ancient civilisations. The
trailof medicinehas wit-
nessedseveraltwistsand
turns,victoriesand defeats,
scintillating light and
sombredarkness.Overfive
thousandyearsof history,
medicinehas evolvedintoa
powerfulforce, an art, asci-
ence,aprofessionthathas
takenaquantumleap into
the twenty-first century.”
There are of courselim-
its to medicineas thereare,
indeed,to mostsciences.As
EdmundBurkeremarked:
“The law sharpens themind—by narrowing it.”
Althoughfewlawyerswill
admit that, aphysician
doesnotimpair his fac-
ulties by widening the
areasof hisinterests.On
the contrary, he widens
them.
Dr Udwadia writesfeli-
citous prosewith ease.
Whathe writesof medicine
is trueof otherprofessions
as well,especially thelaw,
whosepractitionerstend,
notseldom,to be cocky.
Thebookhasessayson
otherspecialisedsubjects
like“TheFightAgainst In-
fection: The Microbes
Hunters” and “War and
Medicine”(animportant
topicon whichone wishes
Dr Udwadia haddrawnon
the Geneva Conventions
also) and medicine and
healingin India.FAITHASAHEALER
Theessay“Tabiyat:Medi-
cineandHealingin India”,
whichgivesthebookits
name,providesagoodin-
troductiontothe Unani
andAyurvedicsystemsof
medicines. Theyrosehigh.
Theauthor tracesAyurve-
da’shistoryanddrawson
its philosophy.This brings
us to the doctor’scom-
mentson faithas ahealer.
“Faithin the healingpower
of prayerstretchesbackto
antiquity. Let me quote
from the scriptures
[Avesta] of the ancient
Persiancivilisation,‘Of all
thehealers, Oh Spitama
Zarathustra,mainlythose
whoheal withtheknife,
withherbs,andwithsac-
red incantation, the last
oneis the mostpotentas he
healsfromtheverysource
of disease.’ Indeed,even
today,thereare manylike
me whobelievethat‘Moresionately dedicated. The
last chapter on death
brings out the best in
him—areflectivedisposi-
tion,freedom from con-
ventionalwisdomand a
humanitythatinformsthis
workas it didtheearlier
ones.
Theauthorwritesfrom
theperspectiveof aphysi-
cian.Buthisinsightsare
notlimitedby thatdiscip-
line.Thefirst essayin this
volumeis revealingly en-
titled“A Knowledgeof the
Humanities and History
MakesaBetter Physician”.
At the outset,he states
his fundamentalbelief
withcrystalclarity.“I be-
lievethataknowledgeof
the humanities andhistory
makesabetterphysician;it
is aconcept that is closetoPhysician par
excellence
Thisbookhelpsin preparingitsreaderto facedeath
calmlyevenas it instructshimin thehistoryof
medicineandthejoysofmusic.BYA.G.NOORANI
Tabiyat
Medicine and
Healing in Indiaand
OtherEssaysByFarokhErach
Udwadia
OxfordUniversity
Press
Pages: 210
Price:Rs.695“Readnotto contradict
andconfute,norto
believeandtakefor
granted,nortofindtalk
anddiscourse, butto
weighandconsider.”—
FrancisBacon’s essay
“OfStudies”,
TheMoral andHistorical
Worksof LordBacon,
BellandDolby,1866,
page136.