Elixir in primary colours

 I had never thought of this story. But when I wrote of an incident  ( real, but unfortunately people refuse to believe --- even the protagonist denies) at  the PM hospital in Mavelikara, suddenly I had some fleeting memories of the Malaya Dispensary near the Pookkada junction and quite a few incidents cropped up in my mind. This hospital was also known as the Prasad’s hospital.

A word about Dr Prasad. When I had his “darshan” for the first time I might have been six or seven and he was in his late sixties. His thick grey hair on his head and the thick grey handlebar moustache gave him an exotic look and he was certainly much more handsome than someone a third his age. He comes to the hospital in the morning and the first thing he does was to remove his shirt and hang it on the back of his chair. While on duty he wore pants and a banyan with sleeves. Every time I was taken there with fever, head ache or stomach ache I had noticed all that I have described above. It should be mentioned that those days there weren’t any disease beyond fever and head ache. It was easy for parents to write the clichéd leave letters “as my son/daughter was suffering from fever and head ache ....”. The first change occurred when a student wrote one for himself as he was suffering from his sister’s marriage.

On every occasion  I was there with some problem or other I had noticed one thing. The treatment had a simple pattern.  The doc will first examine the patient and scribble something on a piece of paper which the patient has to take to the “Kamponder”.  Kamponder is the ancient form of the Chemist. The name might have its genesis in the work he did. After a glance at the prescription he would mix some three or four liquids measured out of big bottles  using an ounce glass and forms a compound.  Thus the one who prepares a compound is a “Compounder” and the “Kamponder” is by natural evolution, the way Superintendent evolved into Suprant or Hurricane lamp evolved into Arrakkan lamp or  Jaffna Pukayila evolved into Chappanam Pola. Kamponder, Compounder or whatever, the patient always got the medicine in the liquid form in one of the primary colours – Red, Blue or Green.  The medicine always had a magical effect with the patient getting cured in a day or two.  Some five years ago Pradeep  (Pradeep Luke Sam) told me of a Thomachan doctor in his village. Whatever be the problem of the patient, this doc too gave the same medicine, again in one of the primary colours and of course, with quick relief.

Pala Thulli Peruvellom

The scene is again the Malaya Dispensary. This time I was there with fever or head ache of course, and was a 10^th standard student. Nothing has changed. The same doc in the same" uniform", the same “Kamponder” and of course the medicines in the same colours. I don’t remember who was accompanying me. But I very well remember the following incidents. I found Kumarettan (name changed) lying on a stretcher very very weak. His father was an aristocratic feudal Nair of our village. Kumarettan was the unchallenged boozer of the village. I saw Dr Prasad running towards the stretcher and feeling Kumarettan’s pulse. As per his instructions Kumarettan was taken to a special room. Those days none had heard of ICU’s or other units. After some twenty minutes or so Dr Prasad came out with sweat all over his face and his banyan soaked in sweat. From the doc’s talk with Kumarettan’s relatives (by this time some of my uncles too had arrived), I gathered that the patient’s heart had stopped and it was revived with great effort. I still remember what the doc said next. “Last week I saw his X-ray. He has only two or three centimeters of liver left. If he consumes another drop of alcohol he will die”. The crowd slowly dispersed. I have no first hand information of the next part of the story. But the person who narrated that was a highly respected senior of my family. The story goes like this. Kumarettan was admitted there and along with the medicines, complete rest was advised. By about 8 O’clock in the evening a nurse came to give an injection but alas, she was shocked  to see none in the bed. She waited for quite some time and was shell shocked to see Kumarettan and the bystander walking unsteadily towards the room. Even before she could open her mouth Kumarettan said ,”Prasad doctor said that one more drop and I will die. I have big faith in him. Therefore I took one full glass in one go! My dear child, I feel much better. Good bye to drops”.

When this incident occurred I was 16 and Kumarettan 26.  It is 45 years now. He still maintains that ten year lead over me.  The only adverse thing that had happened to him was that his teeth deserted him even as he was entering his forties. So good bye to drops was not such a bad decision???