Health is the only area of life where people question professional opinion, give advice to health professionals, seek advice from non-professionals and even carry out instructions of religious leaders in health.
If you work in the health sector, especially in third world countries, you would agree with me that most patients visit various other sources in addition to the hospital. Some even visit only these perceived alternatives before finally coming to the hospital when it's too late.
One very ridiculous opinion I have heard was in a bus. It was not for me but I overheard it.
A man was discussing and telling his friend that being AS genotype and making babies with a lady of fellow AS doesn't mean they will give birth to SS (sickler). That once they agree to birth only three children, they are good to go.
According to this man, it's the fourth child that usually gets the SS genotype.
THIS IS A FALLACY
While the Mendelian pattern of inheritance suggests that the fourth child is the one at risk, what this man failed to understand is that it was just an explanation. Not a rule of inheritance.
All the children of an AS couple could very well come down with SS while all may even be completely free by being AA.
The Mendelian pattern was only used to illustrate and explain inheritance and probability of an offspring inheriting a trait from the parents.
I immediately took that opportunity to enlighten the man, his friend and the other occupants of the bus.
Initially the man wanted to argue with me, even when I told him I was a medical student, saying I should ask my teachers.
I refused to let him win not because I needed to win the argument but because I didn't want his miseducation to stand knowing full well that some people in that bus may have believed him.
Seeing sicklers in the hospital is a painful experience for me.
Seeing people in pains generally makes me sad, but seeing children in painful crisis makes me even sadder. Then knowing this crisis was preventable is the most annoying aspect.
Especially in the 21st century, with all the knowledge, awareness, internet, hospitals, available tests, etc.
The images are mine, desiged on canva
Posted Using INLEO
