Thoughts

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On Ignorance

“Ignorance is bliss” - Thomas Gray “Better be unborn than untaught, for ignorance is the root of misfortune.” - Plato So, which one is it? Would one do well to squeeze their eyes shut, stick their fingers in their ears, and pretend something does not exist? Or is the correct approach to face it head on, and pray that the new knowledge does not become an unwanted burden? Of course, there is no single correct answer. Each context requires its own response, that has had an appropriate amount of time, and sufficient thought given to it. In the medical field, we have been blessed with an abundance of available resources and knowledge, graciously bequeathed unto us by some of the brightest minds of their time. These pioneers dedicated decades, or even their whole lives to provide us with this information, for it to be neatly condensed into a few lines in our textbooks, the student completely unaware of who it was that procured this knowledge, and how they managed to get it. The ‘how’ is

On the Modernisation of Healthcare

Written below is an essay I submitted for a contest, so I figured this would be a great way to revive my blog. Enjoy! In the brightly lit hospital waiting room, only two figures could be seen, a father and his child - holding hands and huddled in a corner. The only sounds that could be heard were the frantic tapping of the father’s feet, his mutters of prayer, and the soulless drone of the air conditioner attempting to drown them out. The harsh lights bear down on the two of them, made almost blinding by its reflection off the pristine white tiled floor, causing beads of sweat to trickle down his forehead, giving a sheen to his gaunt expression. His phone buzzes. He takes a deep breath, lets go of the child, and with hands shaking, checks his phone. A few seconds elapse. A soft sob can now be heard, and the man has his head in his hands. His wife’s condition has taken a turn for the worse. She might not survive the night. The text message was the harbinger of the dreadful news he had

On Miracle Cures and Hope

In today's culture of paranoia and fear, I genuinely believe that what I'm going to write about may actually be important. Of course, that might just be the folly of a teenager trying to make his blog work, take it as you will. Of all the recent fads and phenomenons, the one that has bothered, bugged and baffled me the most is vaccine hesitancy, the anti-vaxxers as they are commonly known. A quick history lesson, the sentiment of "vaccines are dangerous" started in 1998, when British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield decided that the MMR vaccine predisposed children to "behavioural regression and pervasive development disorder". Autism. This is where the idea of vaccines cause autism came from, and with the development of the internet and quickening of the spread of information, the MMR vaccination rate genuinely began to drop. Andrew Wakefield lost his medical license the following year. But of course, the damage had been done, a

On Progress and Innovation

Progress. As a society, progress is prioritised and preached at every turn, from a very young age. China is notorious for this, and that's what I'll be covering in this blog post, whether or not this emphasis on innovation and moving forward is actually healthy for our society, with a bit of science sprinkled in for good effect. Taking on a more well-known figure this week. Above is a picture of Chinese biophysics researcher He Jiankui, who has made waves in the scientific community with his work involving a technology known as CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Probably meaningless to most of you, but the general idea is genome editing. His work involved the editing of the genes of two embryos for HIV resistance, as their father is HIV positive, and allowing for the embryos to then develop. The result? Twin girls Lulu and Nana, and worldwide outcry. The concept of CRISPR and its usage in the editing of embryo

On Expression

How far can a person go, before it is considered "too far"? How much can a person do or say, before it is considered "too much"? This invisible line, which each and every person has their own perception of, is what I would like to touch upon in this piece, after an extended absence from writing. Meet Mark Meechan, known by the alias 'Count Dankula' on YouTube. Not the prettiest face to look at, but bear with me. This mans claim to fame is essentially making his girlfriend's dog a Nazi. He said, and I quote, "My girlfriend is always ranting and raving about how cute and adorable her wee dog is so I thought I would turn him into the least cute thing I could think of, which is a N azi ." Among other things in the video, he conditioned the dog to give the Nazi salute and react to the phrase "Gas the Jews". Tasteless and disgusting, I know. This man should've been made an example of, been shunned from society for doing suc

Moments and Memories

Dear Reader, I would like to ask you some questions. Have you ever stopped, and questioned what’s happening around you, your surroundings, the thoughts flowing through your mind? Have you ever mentally removed yourself from a situation and wondered, how did I get here? If you answered ‘yes’ to the previous questions, I would like to ask one final question. Have you ever wondered if you will ever be able to relive that particular circumstance? This line of questioning is not unlike the grossly over used proverb “stop and smell the roses”, a saying that, until recently, I have been unable to fully comprehend. However, the start of a new chapter in my life has forced me to pause and smell the proverbial roses, and has also made me realise that I have failed to cherish certain moments in my life, moments that I will never be able to relive, and this realisation is one that will haunt me for years. My inability to see the “bigger picture” got in the way of me creating memories