Dr. Thanabalasunderam and the test for sugar in the urine.

Dr. Thanabalasunderam was a Consultant Physician at the General Hospital, Colombo in the early 1960s. He was an excellent clinician and teacher. He insisted on all the patients under his care being tested for sugar in the urine. This was done by doing a Benedicts test, where measured drops of urine were put into a test tube containing Benedicts solution and the test tube was heated on the flame of a spirit lamp. The colour change if any, from blue to brick red was observed and recorded. The colour gave an approximate estimation of the patient's blood sugar level. This was in the early 1960s when a portable blood sugar tester from the blood of a finger prick, was a science-fiction fantasy. Dr. Thanabalasunderam was taking a ward class for the medical students numbering about 12, seated on a bench in front of his desk. He related how the older method among the Ayurvedic physicians was to taste the patients urine with a drop of it on the physician's finger, touching the physicians tongue. He called for a sample of urine of a patient held in a test tube, awaiting a Benedicts test. He dipped his finger in to the test-tube of urine and tasted the urine on his finger tip, on the tip of his tongue, in front of the astonished students. After tasting it he said that there was no sugar in that particular specimen of urine. Then he called upon one of the students in the class, to repeat the test demonstrated by him. A very eager student stepped forward, dipped his forefinger in the urine and was about to place it on his tongue when Dr. Thanabalasunderam called 'STOP'. He told the student that he had not SEEN the test done by Dr. Thanabalasunderam, clearly. He said what he himself had done was, that he dipped his forefinger into the urine but he had tasted the tip of his middle finger. The class broke into uproarious laughter. It was a demonstration on sharpening ones power of observation.

Victor Gnanadurai The western physicians also diagnosed diabetes by tasting urine. Thus diabetes insipidus was diagnosed by insipid tasting urine, though symptoms were similar to 'sugar diabetes' as it is known among my senior English colleagues.

Victor - Mellitus means sweet or honeyed

Philip G Veerasingam Victor, when did YOU become a JUNIOR colleague?


Victor Gnanadurai Dear Philip, where I live, I was said to be a younger colleague. You see Sri Lankan skin never ages, so when I retired, my white friends were were surprised as they thought I was too young to retire! I came here and joined as a house officer, when my f…See more
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  Victor Gnanadurai Sri Lankan skin vs white skin: can you tell the guy on my left is much younger? (From Hospital Doctor of The Year Award, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland 1998 runners up, team led by me in Chronic Pain, all the guys are white, except me!)