Dr.K.VEERAMANI
Donating with a benevolent heart is the most commendable human virtue, in my opinion. It need not always be a monetary donation. Organ donation too is a sign of humanism. We heard less about it in the past, since science and technology had not developed to this extent then. Time and again we learn from
the print and electronic media that someone somewhere has saved somebody by donating their vital organs through their family members. In a
sense, they live even after they have passed away. There are many who donate one of their kidneys fearlessly. Most people donate their eyes with the
belief that after their lifetime, someone would gain vision. Ofcourse, blood donation saves millions of lives. The flag of humanism flies and
flutters high on the sky making us salute the organ donors.
Organ donations prove the amazing growth and development of our rationalist era. The organs of young men and women who are declared
‘brain-dead’ when they succumb to accidents, are donated by family members to save other lives. The entire body is also donated sometimes to
hospitals. Astonishing advancement in the world of science and technology has led to successful transplantation of the donated organs.
Blood donation camps are frequently held in our colleges. Students who are members of NSS units willingly come forward to donate blood. This
makes us feel proud of the humanism in the youth of today’s generation. Accident victims urgently need blood when they struggle for survival. Blood
banks are able to save their lives. All of us must be sure about our blood group. Humanism makes our life meaningful.
On 10th November, 2022, a young 25 year old woman in Chennai fell from a bike and sustained injuries. She was declared brain-dead
at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMC). Her family consented to donate her organs. The Transplant Authority of
Tamil Nadu initiated the process and allocated the organs. One kidney was sent to Apollo Hospitals and the other was used by KMC
itself. The lungs of the woman were allotted to Apollo Hospitals. The liver was allocated to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital.
The valves of her heart were allocated to Madras Medical Mission. Sounds incredible? And that is because truth is stranger than fiction.
How invaluable humanism is! The woman concerned would continue to exist in various bodies, won’t she? Rats and rabbits were once used for experiments
in medical laboratories. These days medical college professors use donated bodies of the deceased to teach anatomy. The organs extracted are also used by the teaching faculty. We may or may not be useful to society during our lifetime, but by all these types of donations we prove ourselves useful even when we cease
to exist, don’t we ?
