Leprosy
mailing list – September 12th, 2006
Ref.: Opinion on new textbook on leprosy.
From: Narasimha Rao P.,
Hyderabad, India
Dear Dr Salvatore Noto,
Greetings. I was going through the
correspondence on need for “a new updated textbook on leprosy”
keenly. Ms. Susan
Lord in her letter (LML July 21st, 2006) requesting
for opinion on need for new text book mentions that “in addition, it
is felt that the future sustainability of high quality leprosy
services requires that good training material is available at
medical schools and other training establishments.”
It is clear by the
above suggestion that the textbook on leprosy is intended mainly for
students of leprosy in medical schools and training institutes and not
aimed at providing additional information to leprosy workers. Going through the
correspondence, most of our colleagues’ replies implied that leprosy
worker does not need textbook or has time for it or never really going
to spend the time studying up all the details.
For many decades, basic
doctors joined in leprosy work and learnt leprosy on the field
‘while on the job” successfully.
However it took considerable time for them to understand the
nuances of the disease. It need
not be the case now. With about 1500 medical
schools in India, it is important that medical graduates and
especially post graduates in dermatology (which includes leprosy as a
part of curriculum) should have access to latest information on
leprosy in the form of an up-dated textbook so that he/she can have
sound knowledge on theory of leprosy before managing leprosy patients.
I
work in a medical college, which teaches Dermatology and leprosy to
its undergraduate and postgraduate students as a part of the
curricula. I happen to interact with physicians and
dermatologists during academic and informal meetings. I have observed that, even
though most of these clinicians can diagnose a case of leprosy, many
find it difficult to be confident in managing and treating such a
case.
The knowledge of Leprosy and the nuances
of patients’ management have remained exclusively with very few leprologists
all over the world for a long time. As we discuss
among ourselves regarding developments in leprosy we tend to feel that
what we share amongst us is a common knowledge. Unfortunately it is not true (ref: LML 28th July, 06 Schreuder P.A.M., Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil). When we assign a dissertation topic student on the
subject of leprosy, we find that he/she is at a loss to find
relevant information from hand books of leprosy. He /she may be
able to get the needed information from the internet, but such an
information is at times contradictory for them to draw any decisive
conclusions. In such
times, we always felt a need for an updated textbook on leprosy, which
informs the reader, the widely accepted facts, ideas, theories
and practices in leprosy. A
textbook is much easy to read and understand and comprehend.
Compiled information, such as abstracts or articles available on
Internet are no doubt useful to enlarge on the available information.
With decline in leprosy programmes and
funding, leprologists will become a rare breed if not extinct in few
years. However, the
leprosy as a disease will remain certainly for many more years in
countries such as India and some other countries of south Asia and
America. The knowledge
remained with leprologists should be disseminated. It is very
important to have leprosy as a part of syllabus / curriculum in
medical schools and colleges at least for a couple of decades more.
And to keep it in curriculum and for easy dissemination of
knowledge, we are in need of an updated textbook of leprosy with
detailed information about leprosy and its management.
P.
Narasimha Rao
Hyderabad
India
