CHAPTER 69
Summary
- In 1974, Mariamma, a young student near the end of her internal medicine rotation, is summoned to see Dr. Uma Ramasamy in the pathology department.
- Mariamma admires Dr. Ramasamy, who is a charismatic and respected teacher with a unique method of teaching pathology.
- Dr. Ramasamy runs the Hansen Research Center, a well-equipped, air-conditioned lab. Mariamma is particularly enamoured with the state-of-the-art microscope.
- Dr. Ramasamy asks Mariamma if she wants to assist with her research on Hansen's disease (another name for leprosy), dissecting and photographing nerves from patients' preserved limbs.
- Mariamma initially feels repulsed by the idea but agrees to participate. Dr. Ramasamy commends Mariamma on her dissection skills, which she attributes to her keen eyesight and ability to mentally visualize structures in three dimensions.
- Mariamma reveals to Dr. Ramasamy that her real mother drowned when she was a child. Dr. Ramasamy's vibrant personality and close association stirs a sense of loss within Mariamma for her deceased mother.
- Mariamma, engrossed in her workload, rarely finds time for personal pursuits; she learns about events back home through letters from her father.
- During a Saturday lab session, Dr. Ramasamy tells Mariamma about scientist Armauer Hansen, who discovered the leprosy bacillus; she highlights the importance of being able to 'imagine' what is there to find it.
- Just before Mariamma is scheduled to go home for a brief holiday, Uma approaches her with sad news about an accident.