Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Hanuman's reincarnation


This is one of the patients that we did not operate on.  He has an unusual bilateral horizontal cleft, a "Tessier 7" defect, that would require a larger team than we came with.  Arrangements are being made to have him done in Singapore.  The parents are ambivalent about having the surgery done, because some of the villagers think he looks like Hanuman, an Indian deity, and bring the family offerings.  Hanuman, as a child, tried to eat the sun, thinking it was a mango.  Indra, the god of Weather and War, shot him in the face with a thunderbolt, which left the facial deformity.  Nowadays, we know that Hanuman's defect was merely the consequence of genetic predisposition coupled with in utero exposure to toxic substances during the 6th to 10th week of gestation.  But a thunderbolt is a way cooler explanation.  This picture was actually hanging in the postop ward with incense burning under it.



I think I'm on to something with the rhino mystery.  Miss News Anchor Lady's "pet name" is Rhina.   Rhina, rhino, pet.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Certainly, that would explain how she got past the small elevator, by shifting into human form.  Also explains why she insists on carrying around a large tube of hand lotion, because rhino skin is very dry.  I'm talking LARGE tube.   Mystery solved.

1 comment:

  1. hi, nice blog.
    However, the hanuman boy is bilateral cleft 6, not 7. 7 goes towards the ear.

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