A Cottage in Swami Hills - 10. The Pharmacy

A Cottage in Swami Hills 

10. The Pharmacy 

As the name implies the name "the Pharmacy" means the drug shop. But, for us in Kumbakonam it meant three things. one Dr P V Ramaswamy Iyer who was our family Physician second the Nair and Rayar duo who administered the "mixtures" as they were called and the third shri.  Krishnamurthy who had a tight leash on the front counter. 

My grandfather told that Dr P V Ramaswamy Iyer L.M &S and himself landed in Kumbakonam together. Dr PVR started the practice in a small house in Mutt Street and my grandfather started the legal practice in Kamakshi Josier Street.  It seems Dr once asked my grandfather to take a share in "The Pharmacy" as he was not having cash to invest. My grandfather had taken not much interest in the proposal as he was not very optimistic about the chances that it will grow. Later "the Pharmacy grew into a big organisation and my grandfather said he regretted not having listened to Dr PVR that day.

One of us visited Dr PVR  at least every week. It could be common cold or fever but the only remedy we knew was Dr Ramaswamy Iyer. His clinic was just like a conventional house where in he occupied the hall adjacent to kitchen. (கூடம் as we used to call).   he was always dressed in white pants and white shirts. He was short and plump almost looking like Mr. Pickwick, He saw the patients in the same hall with no partition. It was more like a durbar where every one will be aware of the other person's illness. he did not believe in the confidentiality of the patients. 

Whenever I saw him, it used to be common cold and cough. Dr had only one solution. It was "Touch". For people born after seventies, the method of treatment may not be known. I will explain the treatment. Dr dipped a stick with a cotton bud in a solution and introduced the stick into my mouth till it went up to the inner part of the throat. He then painted the throat with  the help of the stick and the cotton. Injection was rare and if he gave injection, he billed us five rupees. He then wrote a prescription which no one would decipher and then asked us to carry it to the two wizards occupying the adjacent room. 

When we entered the room, It smelt pretty strong with smell of spirit. Two elderly gentlemen Rayar and Nayar stood there and in front of them myriad number of bottles were arranged neatly in a foldable cupboard. Once the prescription was given, one of them swung into action. It does not matter to whom you give. The result is same. Rayar was having a tuft and spoke more. Nayar was bearded and spoke little. But, both took some tablets put them in the mixing bowl took some cups of some syrup poured it with a flourish and then pounded these tablets together with the syrup till they became a "mixture". This mixture, mostly red in colour, was then emptied into green colour glass bottles with graduated scale. A label was pasted showing the dosage etc , sealed tight with a cork and in few minutes you were out.  My grandmother had a great belief in the mixture and according to her three days of Dr PVR's mixture would cure any illness.

Kittu and Pattu occupied the front portion which must have been once the "Thinnai" and they sold other off the shelf drugs and cosmetics. Once there was a shortage of Horlix. For some reason, it was not available to all in open market. We were special as we were the patients of Dr PVR for all illnesses. So, I used to sneak in at 845 PM around the closing time,and hand over the money to Kittu. Kittu would then wrap the Horlix in a newspaper and give it to me as if it is a contraband material, Soon, the shortage vanished and I think Kittu was  no more the VIP.  

Dr PVR would come to our house many times at nights after closing the Pharmacy for astrological consultations. he had four daughters and I think when I was studying he probably was looking for an alliance for his youngest. My grandfather would look at the horoscopes and advise him. 

His grandson, Vasan, became my friend in PUC. he was from Town High School and since I am from native High School, I had some ego problems initially but we became really close. I was always welcome in their house and his mother treated me like her own son. We studied together and did some projects together. His room in the terrace of his house was our operational head quarters. We were together even for sometime when I was in National College.

Now we gobble up crocins and go for antibiotics. "Touch" has become obsolete as Doctors do not even use their hands to see pulse today. "Mixture" is out of question. We have become modern. Things have become more sanitised and cleaner. Nayar with his long beard would be rejected in any hospital today though no pharmacist today with B. Pharm qualification can even prepare a  "mixture".

Whether the "Mixture" worked or our faith worked , I do not know. I never had to go for a second dose to Dr PVR. In three days, the sickness was gone forever.

Do you find Doctors like that  today?. if you do, tell me.

Cottage in swami hills refers to the house in which we lived in Kumbakonam. This phrase was used once by my grandfather when I asked him that as some  people go in summer to Kodaikanal and Ooty where they have a cottage whether we would also be able to go and stay like them one day. My grandfather replied that he already has a cottage near swami Hills (swamimalai) and he referred to his house as the cottage.