HEALTH

India’s Textbook of Neurology
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — India now has its very own Textbook of Neurology. Certainly a rare distinction for a city of medical excellence like Chandigarh as two of its editors are eminent neurologists from the city.

Prof J.S. Chopra, a former Director-Principal,GMCH, Prof S. Prabhakar, Head of the Department of Neurology, PGI, and Dr G. Arjundas, Consultant Neurologist in Chennai are the editors of this first Textbook of Neurology written by neurologists and neuroscientists of the country.

Priced at Rs 600, the book was recently released by the seniormost neurologist of the country, Dr B. Ramamurthy, in the annual conference of the Neurological Society of India.

According to Prof Chopra, the book had been planned by the Neurological Society of India almost 20 years ago. It was felt that the neurologists and neurosurgeons in India should contribute towards their own textbook of neurology and neurosurgery so that the medical students, general practitioners, physicians and postgraduates in neurosciences can learn about the problems as seen in India and managed by Indian doctors.

The book was originally meant to be published with the second edition of the Textbook of Neurosurgery, another pioneering work by the Indian authors. However, due to unavoidable reasons and a number of changes having taken place between the planning and the final publication of the book which necessitated its updating a number of times, it took 20 years to finally bring it to the printing stage.

According to Prof Chopra, some neurological diseases may have an altogether different pattern in India. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis, stroke and inflammatory and infectious diseases of the brain fall in this category. The book has the distinction that the diseases of nervous system as experienced and managed in India are written by the Indian neuroscienctists, who have all made original contributions in their field of speciality.

The book has 42 chapters contributed by 36 authors and has been published by B.I. Churchill Livingstone. A part of the financial support for the book was received by the XIV World Congress of Neurology.

The book focuses on diseases of the peripheral nerves and muscles as seen in India. Besides, it also explains how the vascular disorders in the country differ from those in western countries, particularly as in the case of a stroke in young people.

It also discusses infective diseases of the brain which are observed more in India and other developing countries besides studying the toxic disorders common in the country in view of relative poor health measures, illiteracy and ignorance. 

Conference of ENT surgeons from Jan 4
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The annual conference of the Association of ENT Surgeons of India (AOI) is being hosted by the PGIMER, Chandigarh, this year. The event which is spread over four days is being hosted after 35 years. More than 1,500 delegates from all over the country, including eminent foreign faculty, would be attending the conference.

The highlight of the first day will be a live surgical demonstration to be video recorded and displayed on screen. This surgery entitled “Medialization thryoplasty” is one of the milestone developments in a group of surgeries collectively called phonosurgery. It is performed on individuals, who have lost their natural voice due to vocal cord paralysis, affecting the functioning of the voice-box. This condition may follow injuries to the neck, tumours, previous thyroid surgery or neurological disorders.

The day’s event also includes a CME (Continuing Medical Education) programme on various burning topics like plastic reconstruction of cosmetically deformed nose termed rhinoplasty, endoscopically guided intra-nasal surgeries for the treatment of chronic intractable sinusitis and sinonasal allergies with nasal polyps (FESS) and also screening and rehabilitation of the deaf child.

The Punjab Governor and the UT Administrator, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) will inaugurate the conference on Jan 4 at the Bhargava Auditorium, PGI.

Free dispensary for Sector 38
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — The Sadguru Kabir Maha Sabha has opened a dispensary and drug de-addiction centre at the premises of the organisation in Sector 38 (West).

According to Ms Santosh Ladwal, president of the sabha, the dispensary was inaugurated by Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, and the cost of the entire project was borne by Ms Nihali Devi Ladwal of Butana village in Sonepat. The treatment would be provided to slum dwellers of the area free of cost.

Besides this, the Sabha also runs sewing and stitching classes for girls and a typing, shorthand and computer centre.

Free medical camp in gurdwara
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — As many as 980 patients were examined at a free medical camp organised at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Sector 46, here today. The patients were examined for various diseases and free medicines were also given to them.

The patients were examined by various specialists. Mr Kesar Singh and Mr Himmat Singh, president and general secretary, respectively of the Gurdwara Committee were also present at the camp.

SPORT

SD College win boxing meet
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — SD College, Sector 32, won the overall championship by securing 25 points in the 24th Senior Chandigarh State Boxing Championship which concluded here this evening at the Yoga Centre, Sector 23. Boxing Coaching Centre, and the SGGS College, Sector 26, secured second and third place respectively. Sandeep Yadav of DAV College, Sector 10, and Ramesh Singh of the SGGS College, Sector 26, clinched titles in the bantam weight and light fly weight section respectively. The two-day meet was organised by Chandigarh Amateur Boxing Association. Mr J.R. Kundal, IAS and the President of the CABA gave away the prizes.

The results are:

Finals: light fly weight — Ramesh Singh (SGGSC-26) b Mukesh Kumar (BCC-46); fly weight — Chamkaur Singh( DAVC-10) b Ajit Singh ( BCC-46); bantam weight — Sandep Yadav (DAVC-10) b Prem Rawat (SDS-32); feather weight — Rajbir Singh (SGGS-26) b Paras Arora (SDC-32); light weight — Vikas Bhardwaj b Sumit (DAVC-10); light welter weight — Sachin (GC-46) b Ravicharn Singh (United club); welter weight— Om Prakash (BCC-23) b Vikinder Kumar (SGGS-26); light middle weight — Varinder Dangi (SDC-32) b Sunil Kumar (SDS -32); middle weight — Amrit Pal Singh (SDC-32) b Surjeet Kumar (SGGSC-26); light heavy weight — Ramandeep Singh (SDC-32) b Arihant (SDS-32); heavy weight — Ajeet pal Singh (SDC-32) b Abhay Kapoor (SDS-32); super heavy weight — Kukldeep Singh (GCO-46) b Jaswant Singh (BCC-46).

Taekwondo meet

Punjab Taekwondo Association will hold the 4th Punjab State Colour belts, senior and junior (male and female) Taekwondo Championship on January 6 and 7 at Government College, Ropar. Mr Satpal Rehal, secretary of the association, said that selected players will be eligible for the National Taekwondo Championship to be held at three places, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi, in respective age groups.

A promising shooting star
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Jan 2 — Jasbir Singh Dhillon, a final year BA student of the Sector 26, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, has won many medals in shooting. This includes a gold medal in the .22 prone open sight (NR) event at the GV Mavalankar championship in Chennai past year. Twenty-year-old Jasbir shifted to Chandigarh only in 1998 from Karnal. Since his childhood he was interested in shooting, he said, but hardly any facilities were available in Karnal.

Jasbir who took to shooting in 1998, represented city team in GV Mavlankar Shooting meet in 1999 and secured fourth place. He also secured a silver medal in the 24th Northern India Shooting Championship held at Chandigarh in December 1999 and in the 25th Northern India Shooting Meet which concluded only on December 29, 2000, Jasbir clinched gold medal in the .22 std rifle prone open sight event.

Coached by Mr Manjit Singh at Patiali ki Rao shooting ranges, Jasbir was of the view that this area needs facility for trap and skeet ranges, for which the shooters have enough potential. Though he wanted to participate in the skeet events in .12 bore section at the national meet but his entry was not sent since Chandigarh Rifle Association had not selected any team for that, he added. Jasbir’s main interest lies in skeet events and said that already in trap events the duo of Manavjit Singh and Mansher, both of Punjab, were now renowned international shooters and they practice at shooting ranges at Delhi due to want of such ranges in Punjab and Chandigarh.

Jasbir who shot with Brno (Czech Republic made gun) said that regular cartridges were not given to them and as a result his daily practice suffer. His elder brother, himself a shooter, encouraged him a lot, he added.