FACTUAL FICTION EPISODE 1

 FACTUAL FICTION EPISODE 1 

 

Prologue 

The heading may sound like an oxymoron .This story is based on a real life incident with fictional characterization! Please rewind your mind to 1950s and read the story with then vision! 

Fiction 

27.09.1958 Saturday 

Ramlal, the District collector, retiring from a week long work, after a brief family time with his wife Shanthidevi and seven children, went to bed and fell asleep in matter of seconds! Shanthidevi after making all her children  to bed including her four  and a half year old child went to bed at around 11:00 pm. 

At 01:00 am, collector was wakened up by a moaning sound, to see his wife tossing in the bed as she had a severe lower abdominal pain. In no time he sent a messenger to bring Dr Srinivasan, a Civil Assistant Surgeon Grade-1, in-charge of the nearby 28 bedded Government Hospital, who has been trained in various hospitals of England, is also a distant relative of the collector! 

After eliciting a mild tenderness in the Right iliac fossa region, he gave her injection and tablet as she was also having some temperature.  

28.09.1958 Sunday 

In the morning,  though her pain seemed to be decreased but not completely pain free, her blood samples were collected and sent for testing! Doctor went for a family trip and returned back in the night. 

In the blood test, there was 84% Polymorphonucleous cells confirming acute inflammation! Doctor, suspecting Acute appendicitis, advised to proceed with surgery.  

On hearing this the collector and his wife were shocked! 

Much to all our expectations, collector went in for a second opinion with Dr Mithran, the District  Medical  Officer, in-charge of District Head quarters hospital! He said against surgery as she is in recovery stage and it’s already nearly 48 hrs since the pain started!  

In the meantime she again had pain and having faith in the first surgeon both consented to proceed with appendicectomy in the near by GH itself and not in the District hospital as the DMO was against the surgery! Collector having been aware of the rivalry between the two consulted doctors, he didn’t reveal Dr Mithran’s opinion to Dr Srinivasan! 

29.09.1958 Monday  

As the anesthetist of the hospital was on leave, the assistant surgeon trained in anaesthesia put the patient on chloroform anaesthesia, a widely used anaesthesia in those days. 

As the pandora box was opened by a grid iron incision, the appendix was found to be normal! But could see a blackish sac which on palpation had multiple stony feel substances! 

Suspecting an enlarged gall bladder with gall stones, the surgeon in good will made a kochers incision and removed the enlarged gall bladder in black and red color with gall stones. The immediate post operative period was uneventful!  

The collector thanked the doctor for his good work. The patient regained her consciousness at around 05:00 pm. 

In the night, much to the disgust of all, the patient condition was deteriorating as she had a tachycardia with thready pulse! There was no urine output and the patient was in profound shock and was rushed on fluids. 

30.09.1958 Tuesday 

As per the instructions from collector,  a team of doctors  headed by Dr Mithran took charge over the patient and started accusing and belittled Dr Srinivasan for wrong diagnosis, wrongly removing gall bladder to conceal his wrong diagnosis, prolonged chloroform anaesthesia, proceeding with surgery in local hospital and not in head quarters hospital, not taken enough investigations prior to surgery and so on. 

Dr Srinivasan felt guilty as what he has done in good faith has turned against him. As he was not allowed to see the patient, all he could do was to pray for the patient’s recovery! 

As he is in charge of the hospital he could see what’s happening around the patient! Some alternative medicine people were called for and also some priests were chanting mantras expecting miracles to happen! 

All went in vain and the patient declared dead on 03.10.1958 at 02:30 am. 

The team of doctors opined that the shock received by the deceased due to surgery further aggravated by prolonged administration of chloroform in an inadequately prepared patient resulted in hepato-renal failure and death! 

Dr Srinivasan once a hero, now a villain in the eyes of collector was dragged to court! 

Epilogue 

Doctor was served a notice under Section 80, C.P.C. on 31-8-1959 and then filed a suit claiming damages of Rs. 11,000/- due to the death of his wife because of rash and negligent operation conducted by the doctor. Rs. 5000/- was claimed for the loss of service of the deceased, and Rs. 6000/- for the loss of the estate of the deceased (Rs. 1,000/- being the compensation for pains and suffering of the deceased and Rs. 5000/- being the compensation for loss of expectation of life of the deceased) 

After all Court trials, the judgement was passed in December 1984 accusing the doctor for his rash and negligent act in causing death of deceased!! 

Reference  

Ram Bihari Lal vs Dr. J.N. Shrivastava on 14 December, 1984 

Madhya Pradesh High court Judgeme