Résumé
A few institutes in India have started a programme of Humanities in Medicine (HiM) on a small scale. In 2014, the Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) decided to begin an HiM programme for undergraduate students and this has been conducted successfully for the last three years. The major strengths of the programme have been its formal integration within the curriculum and the contributions of a large number of enthusiastic, talented and motivated faculty. In this report, we wish to trace the evolution and implementation of the HiM programme in our institution
Résumé
We report a 23-year-old man who presented with acute abdomen. At laparotomy, he was diagnosed to have superior mesenteric artery thrombosis, with consequent extensive intestinal gangrene extending from the proximal jejunum till the mid transverse colon. He subsequently developed dry gangrene of the digits. Further evaluation showed that he had marked hyperhomocysteinemia. The gangrenous bowel was resected, and the homocysteine level normalized with folic acid supplementation. He is well at 1-year follow up. His brother, who was asymptomatic, was also detected to have hyperhomocysteinemia, which responded to folic acid.