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Medicine for the layman
By Kesara Ratnatunga
The traditional Esala Perahera lights up the streets of Kandy with its usual glamour and colour, but this August, the city in the hills is abuzz with activity of a different nature. The sounds of animated voices, hammers and drills, broadcast tests and keyboard clicks filter down the hallways of the Medical Faculty of the University of Peradeniya. The ‘medicos’ of this most picturesque university are leaving their stethoscopes aside as they prepare once again for the exhibition of the Peradeniya Faculty of Medicine - the seventh in its history and the only one of its kind in the country.

Every five years the students and staff of the faculty rally to put on an event like no other, drawing crowds in excess of half-a-million from all corners of the island. The organizers say that each exhibition has surpassed its predecessor both in quality and magnitude. With new advances in technology, the wider availability of computing power and presentation methods, a projected one million people will be accommodated and educated, in novel and creative ways, about all aspects of medical science.

The title theme, "Knowledge today for a healthy tomorrow" suggests that the focus lies in the preventive aspects of medicine - educating people on good living, avoiding disease and the nuances of maintaining a healthy life style. Eleven themes have been classified under the title theme, from which 44 specialized stalls branch out.

"Structure & Function" deals with the living, breathing human body, what keeps it together and how it works. Dissected human cadavers, working models and much more showing the internal architecture of everything from the nervous system to the cardio-vascular system have been designed to take you on a fascinating voyage through the human being.

Several stalls based on growth, development, puberty, reproduction and old age are bound to catch your interest. Special features on child development will focus on educating parents on how best to nurture and monitor their child during the formative years of their lives. The section on sexuality and reproduction - a favourite among the visitors- will take prominence this year as well, with revamped and updated information on human sexuality, behaviour and sex education. Emphasis will be laid on breaking certain stigmas and negative attitudes on ageing as well as on aids and instruments available to improve the quality of latter life.

"Illnesses of importance" is one of the key themes of the whole event. Constituting sixteen stalls, it is the largest and most wide ranging section. Covering diseases of all the human systems it promises to be an invaluable source of information. Hot topics such as diabetes, high blood pressure, AIDS, tuberculosis, asthma and SARS are but a few of the special topics that will be highlighted.

Forensic science is perhaps one of the most fascinating para-clinical subjects in medicine, dealing with the science of investigation using biological evidence. Analysis of skeletal remains, photographic superimposition and facial reconstruction by forensic artists are among the items planned for the "Justice through Medicine" theme. Mock court proceedings and crime scene visits will be demonstrated along with displays on sexual offences, criminal abortions, child abuse and much more.

The Publications and Printing Committee is presently hard at work compiling a magazine comprising over 75 medically related articles in all three languages, written by some of Sri Lanka's top consultants in the medical field. Initially intended as a souvenir of the exhibition, the contributions of the enthusiastic students and staff, not to mention the untiring efforts of the publications committee, have helped transform it into a 200-page goldmine of information. It will be available at Rs. 100 at the exhibition grounds.

The publicity and media crew have been working diligently to give this event as much exposure as possible, with a series of television and radio advertisements over the past month. They have set up a television station as well as a radio station which will broadcast within a radius of 8 km in and around the exhibition grounds. The panel discussions, special one-on-one interviews with specialist medical personnel, video documentaries on the history of the medical faculty and much more will be broadcast. Preparations are underway to bring live broadcasts from the exhibition ground, where the visitors to the exhibition can give their views and opinions.

The 1500-strong student population under the guidance of the staff of the Faculty, Teaching Hospital Peradeniya and Teaching Hospital Kandy, have been toiling day and night in intense preparation. Walking around the faculty one would imagine one were at a construction site, with everything from painting, sculpting, and moulding to sawing, welding and masonry apparent. Behind the scenes, the nine organizing committees under the leadership of the executive committee are making logistical arrangements, planning and streamlining for a smooth run. Students, besides being involved in the organizing, are preparing their presentations and brushing up on their knowledge to give their best to the thousands who are expected to stream in at the gates from Tuesday, August 12 and for a week henceforth.

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