“Medicine Cures Diseases, But Only Doctors Can Cure Patients”: Carl Gustav Jung

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 1 July 2024 A Tribute to All Doctors “Medicine Cures Diseases, But Only Doctors Can Cure Patients.” – Carl Gustav Jung Iss Rengti Hayaat Ka Kab Tak Uthaein Baar Beemaar Ab Ulajhne Lage Hain Tabeeb Se Sahir Ludhianvi (How long shall one carry the Cross of a crawling existence? / Those unwell have begun to question the doctor) Note: Sahir's aforementioned couplet is from his famous Ghazal, Dekha Hai Zindagi Ko Kuchh Itna Qareeb Se / Chehre Tamaam Lagne Lage Hain Ajeeb Se. The cinematic version of this Ghazal from the movie 'Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka' (1975) is simplified and it doesn't have the abovementioned couplet. Har Marz Ki Dawa Hai Uss Shakhs Ke Paas Jaadugar Se Kam Nahin Chaaragar Mera Inayat Merathi (He has medicines for all maladies / No less than a wizard is my doctor) Once someone asked the legendary doctor Bidhan Chandra Roy, what should be the qualities of a good doctor. Dr Roy said, “much more important than a doctor's degree, he or she should have an angler's patience, empathy, discernment and compassion.” Dr Roy himself possessed all these qualities in abundance and to honour his birth and death anniversaries, July 1 is commemorated as Doctors' Day in India. By the way, he breathed his last on the same day. “A doctor is an angel on earth," said the Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates of Kos many centuries ago. Despite changing ethos, ethics and earnings with the passage of time, a doctor is still the most venerable figure across the globe and is seen as the saviour by the masses. What Dr Roy said about a medico is actually a metaphor; metaphor for being human because the qualities, viz, patience, empathy, discernment and compassion enshrined in a doctor are also the qualities of being a good human. In other words, a doctor is considered a noble individual. The constituents of the character of a lofty human are indeed patience, empathy, discernment and compassion. All these sublime aspects of an individual are actually interlinked. Patience and empathy go hand in hand. When you've patience, you discern people, situations and circumstances with a sense of discernment and compassion. That leads to empathy when you feel and discern the pains and sufferings of others as your own. The distillation of all these qualities may be expected of a doctor but these virtues are also expected of every individual who's sensitive and sensible. When empathy and compassion come together, you relate to everyone sans an iota of prejudice. It creates an exalted perception that the whole world is my home and all creatures, not just humans, are related to me. A doctor saves life without ever thinking whether he's saving the life of a friend or an enemy. All are the same to him. Yours truly experienced this. We must imbibe this spirit of universal empathy from the doctors. When the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was incarcerated at St Helena, one of the most isolated places on earth, the Brits appointed an Irish surgeon for him. His name was Barry Edward O'Meara. In fact, O'Meara accompanied Napoleon to St. Helena and became his physician. In his book 'Napoleon's Doctor ' by Dr Hubert O'Connor wrote that one day, Napoleon asked the doctor, “Being a doctor, it's quite easy for you to take my life.” The young Dublin doctor replied, “Let the Brits do that. I'm here for your service and my only objective is to save your life." Yes, the sole, as well as the soul, objective of a doctor is to save the life of his/her patients. Every patient is equally dear to him/her. Famous English novelist William Somerset Maugham, a doctor who never practiced, rightly said, “Only a fundamentally good human being is also a good doctor. Since I didn't consider myself to be a very good human, I never practiced and wrote novels instead." Take a bow, doctors on this special occasion. May your tribe increase. ----- An abridged version of this article has appeared in The Times of India's website edition ------- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/medicine-cures-diseases-doctors-patients-carl-gustav/d/132607 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism