06/12/2025
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬
Most of us believe medicine is a science of certainty.
Take a tablet, the fever goes away.
Pop a pill, the headache disappears.
𝐖𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 — 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭, 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭.
But medicine is not math.
It is probability.
And biology, unlike technology, does not always follow the rules.
Take something as simple as 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐥.
Crocin, Calpol, Tylenol — we have all taken it for fever or pain.
It’s the most common over-the-counter medicine in the world.
For 999 people out of a thousand, it lowers the fever safely.
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲.
The same tablet that helps almost everyone can, in rare cases, kill.
No one knows who that “one in a thousand” might be.
That is called 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐞’𝐬 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞 — a rare reaction where the liver and brain swell up, and a completely healthy person can die within hours.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.
𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥.
You can have the same fever, the same symptoms, the same treatment — and two people will respond completely differently.
It is why a computer can never replace a doctor.
Computers are predictable.
Biology is not.
A line of code runs exactly the same way every time.
A human body never does.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.
Every doctor has seen these moments.
The child who recovers when everyone had given up.
The healthy man who collapses after a “routine” procedure.
The medicine that heals a thousand patients — but harms one.
These are the nights we stay awake, asking ourselves,
“What did I miss?”
“What could I have done differently?”
But sometimes, the answer is — nothing.
𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭… 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞.
So what can we learn from this?
1. 𝐁𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞.
Even the safest treatment carries risk.
2. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲.
Doctors treat, but your body heals.
3. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬.”
There are none.
4. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫: 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧.
We work with probabilities, not promises.
We live in a world that demands certainty.
“Will this work?”
“How many days?”
“What guarantee do you give?”
The truth is — there are no guarantees.
Only the constant dance between biology and belief.
Every day in the clinic, I am reminded:
𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬.
𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧.
Because when biology breaks the rules,
all we can do is stand beside it —
in awe, in humility, and in hope.
Copyright @ Dr Debraj Shome
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𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 '𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬'.
This book isn’t just about medicine; it’s about humanity, ethics, and resilience — about what happens when those who heal are misunderstood by the systems they serve. If you have ever wanted to understand the doctor’s side of the story — the fatigue, the failures, the faith that keeps them going — we hope you will find this book both moving and eye-opening.
Amazon India link: link in comments
