Corona – Dr Ramakanta's Ideas

The woman who had discovered the molecular structure of DNA

Rosalind Franklin. Most likely you have not heard her name. – Who discovered the Double Helix structure of DNA ? Watson and Crick. Every child knows the answer. – Wrong. The 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine was awarded to James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their discovery of molecular structure ofContinue reading “The woman who had discovered the molecular structure of DNA”

The Rinderpest- Measles story

(It is now established that the Rinderpest disease in the cattle and the measles in humans are one and same virus.) Measles virus diverged from the ancient Rinderpest virus in the 6th century BCE.Rinderpest is a German word. In German, Rinder means cattle and Pest means plague. It is also known as the small pox ofContinue reading “The Rinderpest- Measles story”

The Story of Pandemics

By the rivers of Babylon, the woman noticed a strange thing. All the women of her Kabila had gone to pick up their evening rounds of fruits and berries and mushroom for their tribe. They were a small tribe of 20 odd people living in the Mesopotamia region. It was a story that happened long, longContinue reading “The Story of Pandemics”

Covid-19: 2 Queries

1. Do we need a 4th dose against COVID-19 ? Most of the data around 4th dose is available for mRNA vaccine of Pfizer and Moderna. The new Bivalent mRNA vaccine is effective against both wild Covid virus and Omicron variant. Data regarding Covishield is rare and Covaxin is the rarest. These vaccines are preparedContinue reading “Covid-19: 2 Queries”

The first Painless Surgery

Those Barber Surgeons Those were the days when as you went for a hair cut, your barber would trim your hairs inside your nose, pick any thing stuck inside your ear canal as he would use a sharp blade to pare your nails. Barbers were adept in using sharp blades on human skin. They wouldContinue reading “The first Painless Surgery”