Recently I had a conversation with a doctor. By the way, what I am going to write is not unique to this doctor, but it has happened with many. And so - this piece We were talking about our online courses for undergraduate students. And she said, "When I studied my medical degree, we did not have all these resources, we only used our library and read books ." And I asked "Were you introduced to the Index-Medicus"? There was silence. The answer was obviously no. Index Medicus was a resource available since the 1950s. It was a weekly index…

When I was in school and college, I often helped younger cousins with their lessons. When I taught my cousins, I read their lessons and explained concepts to them. Something that their teachers had already taught, but they could not understand. I did not try to teach them new lessons and I made no attempts to get them ahead of their peers. It is said - The more you teach, the better you learn. As I taught in different contexts in my life, I not only kept learning more but also learned that: You must prepare yourself by studying thoroughly…

I got your attention there, did I not? Well - that is NOT my statement. I am quoting a senior professional from one of the super specialties in surgery. I heard this person mentioning this in a conference of the said super-specialty a few years ago. He was from one of the top medical institutions in India. I figured that he was an expert in his discipline, going by the talk he delivered and the several questions he was asked. This is what he said in his talk: "And I come to meta-analyses. Please do not pay too much attention…