As an engineer, Tal Golesworthy is no stranger to taking things apart, figuring out what the trouble is and putting them back together with the problem solved.
But for more than 30 years, he lived with a life-threatening issue that was less easy to fix.
That is, until he took an idea from the garden, combined it with some basic procedures borrowed from the aeronautical industry and came up with a "beautifully simple" solution to treat his own heart condition.
He then managed to convince surgeons to put it into him.
And nine years since his operation, the 57 year old engineer from Gloucestershire in the UK, has managed to help over 40 people with similar conditions.
Andrew Ellis, a keen footballer, has benefited from Mr Golesworthy's inventiveness.
At just 27 years old, Mr Ellis said it was daunting to put himself through an experimental medical procedure experienced by so few, but he was glad he did.
Five years after his surgery, he remains fit and healthy and "feels like someone without a heart condition".
More on this very interesting story here.
Eddie
BTW Doctors Bernstein, Wortman and other great Doctors were first engineers. That also goes for a couple of old codgers that work on this blog.
5 comments:
I have always had a great admiration for engineers. I don't think it is generally appreciated how much of an impact they have on our lives and how much they have done for the human race.
I have worked with engineers and I can pretty well always recognise them on the forums etc because of the way they tackle diabetes. It's not a mystery or an inexact science to them.
I didn't know but am not surprised that the people Eddie mentions as having been engineers are now doctors who are not afraid to think independently.
So thanks to the "old codgers" and all the others to whom we all owe so much.
Funny thing I had never heard of Marfan syndrome until the other day when I read that sir John Taverner the composer who died recently was a sufferer.Funny how you see a thing for the first time and then suddenly it is everywhere.....
Kath
'couple of old codgers that work on this blog.'
wonder who that could be ?
:-) my husband is a ChemE -- great to have around sometimes, but other times he'll drive you crazy. ;-)
I bet you drive him crazy eh. Still, we all like a challenge. Can you begin to imagine what Jan has to put up with ?
Eddie
During my engineering education it was firmly drilled into us that it was very important during problem-solving to distinguish between complex systems like human body, climate, economy, and simple systems like car, mechanical watches, oil refinery because what fixes one type of the system, brings chaos into another type. Complex systems works smoothly only when self-regulated, only small changes could be introduced as an input and the data on exit should be examined to correct further actions. Attempts to micro-regulate complex systems always result in a chaos in the system. I wish doctors would realize such differences too. Micromanaging symptoms of diseased body is , unfortunately, the standard approach of modern medicine. The engineer in the article understood that input had to be minimal to avoid failure, while doctors were prepared to micro-manage side-effects of their intervention (blood thinners till the end of life). Even though he decided to fix the flaw in his cardio-system like it was a defected plumbing, he choose the way less disruptive for the work of his system, then the one offered by doctors. People who think about managing their health issues by counting calories in and calories out are just delusional, even though they are under an impression they follow the low of thermodynamics.
Such training gave me the foundation to approach my own health management. We have to ask ourselves each time - treating one particular symptoms, how do we affect the work of whole body? Should be we always fight elevated body temperature, diarrhea,vomiting? How we should treat abnormal fluctuations of blood sugar? How effective the taking "water pill" for an edema is? Body temperature could go too high, and there are situations when antibiotics are absolutely necessary. There are important comforting medical practices like giving a painkiller, or a calming medicine, we just have to always remember that our body is not as simple as a car.
Post a Comment