Padre Doctor Saheb — The pioneer of pain-free surgery in Kashmir

Abstract

Imagine living in Kashmir in 1846 AD — the year when Kashmir was sold by the British to Raja Gulab Singh.  If you were unlucky to have been struck by a surgical affliction such as a painful periodontal abscess with a swollen jaw, a Hakim would have been your first port of call.  He would have sought the services of the local Naevid (barber) who would have initially tried a poultice impregnated with his home-made herbal mix and if necessary, made a referral to a leach-applier (dirke-gor) to suck out dirty blood from the phlegmon. If that didn’t work he would have advocated extraction of the offending tooth and cited the old Kashmiri (nay Persian) saying, ‘dard-i-dandaan, Ikhraj-i-dandaan’. (If a tooth is painful, remove it).  

Hesitantly the sufferer would ask, “Will it be painful sir?” And with a convincing smile the barber would reply, “Boz myani-jigra— Yutaan neah ranj tulakh — tutaan labakh ne gunj.” (Listen my liver; endure the pain — enjoy the gain)