While
performing a surgery the other day and during normal ‘chats’ in the
course of the operation, the nurse who was with me began an interesting
conversation. She enquiringly asked me whether the children born by
Caeserian section (operation for delivering the baby) were more
intelligent than those born in the normal course. Since I was not aware
of such a ‘fact’, I pondered over the thought while finishing the
operation.
After a while I told the nurse that her information indicated logical thinking. During an operation (Caeserian section), the baby is delivered quickly and so the child has to struggle less. The risk of the child spending time without air (oxygen) is also less. On the contrary, in vaginal (normal) delivery, the child has risk, though rarely, of getting struck in the birth canal and suffering from hypoxic brain damage (damage to the brain because of decreased supply of oxygen to the brain). The nurse was happy because I had provided an explanation to her ‘fact’.
After a while another thought hit me. I told the nurse that this could not be correct since “any man-made process cannot be more efficient than a process designed by nature”. Even though a birth by operation (Caeserian section) might be faster but still it is an artificial procedure developed entirely by humans. All other species on the planet also reproduce and reproduce more efficiently, and they never seem to require any kind of operation! Agreed that operation does come to our rescue at times, but in my opinion such times are not as common as they are made out to be these days.
Man has moved away or, in more sophisticated words, has progressed from tree shades to air-conditioned rooms, earthen pitcher water to chilled refrigerated drinks, walking to ultra-modern cars, etc. But the point to ponder is that have these unnatural additional comforts and pacemakers in life really contributed to our well-being or have taken away their share from the little peace we had? Whenever man is pitched against nature, he can only win small battles. He can never win the war. Nature is invincible. So, why go against nature and not along with it?
This viewpoint was published in the National Edition of "The Tribune" on 7th May, 2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120507/edit.htm#5
After a while I told the nurse that her information indicated logical thinking. During an operation (Caeserian section), the baby is delivered quickly and so the child has to struggle less. The risk of the child spending time without air (oxygen) is also less. On the contrary, in vaginal (normal) delivery, the child has risk, though rarely, of getting struck in the birth canal and suffering from hypoxic brain damage (damage to the brain because of decreased supply of oxygen to the brain). The nurse was happy because I had provided an explanation to her ‘fact’.
After a while another thought hit me. I told the nurse that this could not be correct since “any man-made process cannot be more efficient than a process designed by nature”. Even though a birth by operation (Caeserian section) might be faster but still it is an artificial procedure developed entirely by humans. All other species on the planet also reproduce and reproduce more efficiently, and they never seem to require any kind of operation! Agreed that operation does come to our rescue at times, but in my opinion such times are not as common as they are made out to be these days.
Man has moved away or, in more sophisticated words, has progressed from tree shades to air-conditioned rooms, earthen pitcher water to chilled refrigerated drinks, walking to ultra-modern cars, etc. But the point to ponder is that have these unnatural additional comforts and pacemakers in life really contributed to our well-being or have taken away their share from the little peace we had? Whenever man is pitched against nature, he can only win small battles. He can never win the war. Nature is invincible. So, why go against nature and not along with it?
This viewpoint was published in the National Edition of "The Tribune" on 7th May, 2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120507/edit.htm#5
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