When I was an undergraduate student, the Professor of Psychiatry taught us about how a human being needs a private zone around him, and does not like people to invade this zone. While talking, he casually placed his hand over that of one student, who moved his hand away. The Professor advanced his hand some more, and the student moved his hand further away.
"This is it!" he said, and we understood what he was talking about.
This private zone seems to have gone away in the minds of residents these days, at times during gynecological surgery. A lot of gynecological operations are done in lithotomy position. The gynecologist sits on a stool in front of the patient, and two assistants stand on his either side. When any surgical instrument is removed by an assistant, it has to be returned to the nurse. When the nurse is on the other side of the gynecologist, it becomes difficult for the assistant to return the instruments. For quite some time, I have observed that a number of the assistants place the instruments on the lap of the operating gynecologists. The weight becomes a distraction and the concept of the private zone is clearly violated, which adds to the discomfort. I had one resident doctor a while ago, who was not very bright. He would rest his hand on my knee when he had nothing in particular to do as an assistant. I requested him twice to rest his hand elsewhere. When it happened a third time, I lost my patience.
"See, it is distracting me, and it is important I concentrate on the operation. You may have developed this habit because others did not object to it. I am an elderly man, and it may not matter much if you do it while I am operating. But if you do it when a woman is operating, you will get into no end of trouble." The whole theater heard this, because I made it a point of saying it clearly and loudly enough. He improved in a hurry. I had forgotten about this, until something happened the other day.
A senior resident was performing an MTP, and a junior resident was assisting. When the senior removed some tissue with ovum forceps, she would place it on the dorsum of the assistant's gloved hand, instead of getting the nurse to remove it from the jaws of the forceps. The junior resident not only did not mind this, but seemed not even to notice it. Both of them realized what was happening only when I pointed it out. Then it stopped.
Are the times so changed that parts of human beings are a part of the furniture part of the time in the operation theaters?
"This is it!" he said, and we understood what he was talking about.
This private zone seems to have gone away in the minds of residents these days, at times during gynecological surgery. A lot of gynecological operations are done in lithotomy position. The gynecologist sits on a stool in front of the patient, and two assistants stand on his either side. When any surgical instrument is removed by an assistant, it has to be returned to the nurse. When the nurse is on the other side of the gynecologist, it becomes difficult for the assistant to return the instruments. For quite some time, I have observed that a number of the assistants place the instruments on the lap of the operating gynecologists. The weight becomes a distraction and the concept of the private zone is clearly violated, which adds to the discomfort. I had one resident doctor a while ago, who was not very bright. He would rest his hand on my knee when he had nothing in particular to do as an assistant. I requested him twice to rest his hand elsewhere. When it happened a third time, I lost my patience.
"See, it is distracting me, and it is important I concentrate on the operation. You may have developed this habit because others did not object to it. I am an elderly man, and it may not matter much if you do it while I am operating. But if you do it when a woman is operating, you will get into no end of trouble." The whole theater heard this, because I made it a point of saying it clearly and loudly enough. He improved in a hurry. I had forgotten about this, until something happened the other day.
A senior resident was performing an MTP, and a junior resident was assisting. When the senior removed some tissue with ovum forceps, she would place it on the dorsum of the assistant's gloved hand, instead of getting the nurse to remove it from the jaws of the forceps. The junior resident not only did not mind this, but seemed not even to notice it. Both of them realized what was happening only when I pointed it out. Then it stopped.
Are the times so changed that parts of human beings are a part of the furniture part of the time in the operation theaters?
