Birth Chapter Summary

 Birth Summary

Birth Summary – The lesson begins with Andrew walking towards his home after having an unpleasant time with his girlfriend Christine. Upon reaching home at around midnight, he finds Joe Morgan outside his house waiting for him. Joe and Susan had been expecting a child. Upon reaching, Joe tells Andrew that he is too anxious to be going inside, so Andrew walks in alone. He realizes that there is still some time left. Susan’s mother, who is wise but tense at the moment, offers him some tea. While he is sipping his tea, he begins thinking about his girlfriend. He recalls how his friends too are having a hard time in their relationships. On the other hand, he feels that marriage is meant to be something peaceful and cheerful. Thus, he finds himself in a conflict. Susan’s mother tells him how worried Susan is for the child because the situation is complicated. After performing the procedure, the child is born, but is lifeless. Confused between addressing the child or the mom, who herself laid unconscious at the moment, he chooses to look after Susan first. He injected her with a few medicines and when he realised that her heart was regaining its strength, he turned towards the child. It was a boy in perfect shape. He suddenly remembered that it was a case of restricted oxygen supply and thus, he instructed the nurse to get hot and cold water.

The nurse, reluctant at first, got him what he needed and he juggled the child in hot and cold water simultaneously. After all his efforts, the child still lay lifeless. All others had already lost hope, while he continued with the procedures. Finally, the child heaved and got his breath. His body was no longer still, leaving everyone surprised. The nurse muttered words of prayer while holding the child. The grandmother was also praying, while Susan still laid unconscious. Exhausted, Andrew left while informing Joe that all is well. While he was walking home at around five in the morning, his heart was full at having accomplished something real in his life.

Birth Class 11 Question Answers

1. “I have done something; oh, God! I’ve done something real at last.” Why does Andrew say this? What does it mean?
A. Andrew says that he had done something real at last. He said this because he had handled a tough situation. He had been successful at saving both – the mother and the child. It was a complicated delivery and gaining success at it made him feel that he had something worthwhile. Doing something real at last means Andrew felt content and jubilant at his own efforts and the achievement.

2. There lies a great difference between textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician. Discuss.
A. Textbook medicine gives knowledge about medicines, diseases, human anatomy and treatments. However, it does not teach you how to handle stressful situations. While a practicing physician has to work in various odd situations. His skills of endurance and medical expertise are tested in such situations. So, textbook medicine and the world of a practicing physician are very different from each other.

3. Do you know of any incident when someone has been brought back to life from the brink of death through medical help. Discuss medical procedures such as organ transplants and organ regeneration that are used to save human life.
A. Yes, my neighbour was in a critical condition. He had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. Timely medical help saved his life. He underwent a heart surgery and now he is hale and hearty.
Medical procedures like organ transplant and organ regeneration are very beneficial for people. Many people donate their organs also so that these can be of help to others. Organ transplant has a good success rate and many people opt for it. The procedure gives them a new life and a needy person gets financial help in return. However, just like other things, the business of organ donation and transplant has become a money making industry with a lot of exploitation of people.