Sanctorius mahatma
- This open access book offers new insights into the Venetian physician Sanctorius Sanctorius (15611636) and into the origins of quantification in medicine.
- 'I had been used to fasting, now and again, but for purely health reasons.' Fasting, however, had much deeper implications for Mahatma Gandhi.
- Sanctorius was the first to use a trocar and cannula.
- •
- •
INTRODUCTION
Tracheostomy is one of the oldest surgical procedures described in the literature and refers to the formation of an opening or ostium into the anterior wall of trachea or the opening itself, whereas tracheotomy refers to the procedure to create an opening into the trachea (Fig. 1.1).1 The term tracheostomy is used, by convention, for all these procedures and is considered synonymous with tracheotomy and is interchangeable. When done properly, it can save lives; yet the tracheotomy was not readily accepted by the medical community. The tracheotomy began as an emergency procedure, used to create an open airway for someone struggling for air. For most of its history, the tracheotomy was performed only as a last resort and mortality rates were very high.
Fig. 1.1: Tracheostomy(Courtesy: Anatomy Library of University of Greifswald, Germany)
HISTORY OF TRACHEOSTOMY
One famous American whose life could have been saved by a tracheostomy was General George Washington, the first President of United States of America. At the end of the 18th century, howev
- •
Body, Hygiene, and the Affective Politics of Gandhi’s Swaraj
Abstract
‘I had been used to fasting, now and again, but for purely health reasons.’ Fasting, however, had much deeper implications for Mahatma Gandhi. In 1925, when he wrote the above words, Gandhi was discussing his experiment in using fasting as a ‘technology of self’ (The Story of My Experiments with Truth, 1925). ‘That fasting was necessary for self-restraint,’ he added. ‘I learnt from a friend.’ Nearly 25 years later, he was far more categorical: ‘Control of the palate is the first essential in the observance of the vow. I saw that complete control of the palate made the observance very easy and so I now pursued my dietetic experiments not merely from the vegetarian’s but also from the brahmachari’s point of view’ (Diet and Diet Reform, 1949).
Access this chapter
Log in via an institution
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Alter J. (2000a) Gandhi’s Body: Sex, Diet, and the Politics of Nationalism, Philadelphia:
Copyright ©peacafe.pages.dev 2025