The Indian Mindset

A friend of mine had to attend her uncle's son's birthday party in McDonald's early this evening so I followed her, together with another friend.

Picture two twenty-one year olds and a twenty year old attending a birthday party of an eight year old. 

Right.

So we sat at one of the tables, talking, eating, observing, reminiscing about our own childhood days. After a about an hour or so we had to leave coz we have a paper to study for this Monday. As we were saying our thank you's and goodbyes, the uncle gets us to sit down with his other friends and starts asking us (more like interviewing, if you ask me) about our medical course.

He asks what subject we have to sit for on Monday (Physiology) and then he asks us how we usually study. 

Basically we need to understand and picture everything in our head and then go through all our notes and all to remember everything properly. The whole point is to REMEMBER what we study.

But this man, this man who studied to be an engineer, is telling us how to study for medicine.

"MEMORIZE! ONLY THEN YOU CAN SCORE!"

I felt like getting off my chair and using it to hit him across the face.

One of my friends and I reasoned with him, saying that understanding is more important, but nooooooo. "MEMORIZE!"

Bloody hell.

The human tongue has eight muscles divided into two categories. Extrinsic and intrinsic. Under extrinsic muscles you have the styloglossus, hyoglossus, genioglossus and palatoglossus. Under intrinsic muscles you have the superior longitudinal, inferior longitudinal, transverse and vertical. The anterior part of the tongue has two nerves; lingual nerve for senses and the chorda tympani nerve for taste. The posterior part of the tongue has both the lingual and chorda tympani nerves as well as the glossopharyngeal nerve.

The cavernous sinus is a sort of cavity at the base of the human brain which basically drains deoxygenated blood back into the heart. You need to remember its boundaries, contents, tributaries, communications and applied anatomy. Boundaries include, medial wall and floor made up of the periosteal layer of dura. Lateral wall is made up of the double layered dura of floor of the middle fossa. The roof is made up of an upward extension of the lateral wall. The posterior wall is made up of the double layered dura of clivus. Contents include the internal carotid artery, sympathetic plexus, abduscent nerve and the 3rd and 4th cranial nerves.

And then we learn about the locations, relations, blood supply, histology, development and applied anatomy of the pituitary gland. Origin, insertion, nerve supply, action and applied anatomy of the extraoccular muscles. Origin, insertion, nerve supply and action of the muscles of mastication. Articular surfaces, capsules, ligaments and muscles producing movement of the temperomandibular joint. Location, relations, blood supply and applied anatomy of the palatine tonsils. The conchae, meatus, openings into meatus and applied anatomy of the lateral wall of the nose. Names of the bones, functions, drainage and applied anatomy of the paranasal sinuses. Origin, insertion, nerve supply and action of the muscles of the larynx. 

We learn about the Horner's Syndrome. Stellate ganglion. Dural venous sinuses. Dural folds. Ciliary ganglion. Opthalmic artery. Boundaries and contents of the infratemporal fossa. Lateral Pterygoid. Chorda tympani. Otic ganglion. Maxillary artery. Pterygopalatine ganglion. Waldeyer's Ring. The soft palate. Superior constrictor muscle. Little's Area. Nasal septum. Antrum of Highmore. The thyroid. Cricoid. The epiglottis. Rima glottis. Vocal Cords.

This is everything that came out (everything from our two weeks of lectures) for our recent Anatomy exam.

AND YOU CAN SO EASILY TELL US TO F***ING MEMORIZE EVERY DAMN THING WE STUDY THROUGH OUT OUR FIVE YEARS OF HELL AS MEDICAL STUDENTS?!

Are you.

Effing. 

Mental. 

Question.

Mark.

This is precisely why Indian parents are forcing their kids into medicine. They think that by MEMORIZING, their precious offspring will SCORE, and therefore, will make PERFECT DOCTORS one fine day.

F. 

You.

Once you're in medical school it's not about your effing scores anymore. It's about understanding everything you're being taught and being able to APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE. 

It's about understanding.

It's about applying. Application.

Nobody's gonna come up to you and ask, "Eh what you scored for your exams ah? You memorize ah?" and then judge you based on those scores. They're gonna see how well you interact with and treat your patients!

Until and unless this concept is understood by the average Indian being, things will never change.

And I will forever be ticked off by the next person who comes waltzing by, telling me how to study for something he or she will never study for.

The amount of rage emanating from me right now...

*Please note that not all Indians have this mindset. 

**Please also excuse the language.