“Medicines can cure diseases, but only Doctors can cure patients”.
The importance of doctors in our society can never be overemphasized. Their presence holds so much value and significance, and while we can pay them to deal with our problems, we can never pay them enough for their kindness.
On March 30th every year, National Doctor’s Day is celebrated across the globe in honour of the individuals who selflessly dedicate themselves each day as caregivers and saviors. Particularly over the past year since the COVID-19 pandemic started, we have learned to appreciate their work and dedication. Many of us would agree that not all heroes wear capes. Every day, doctors snatch as many people as they can from the jaws of death and for that, we remain in debt. Underneath that white coat of dignity, every doctor holds a combination of four qualities – compassion, empathy, knowledge and passion. That is what drives them to go through long, strenuous hours and still emerge victorious, winning lives at the end of each day. For this reason, it is befitting that we set time apart to thank all physicians for their essential service and dedication to serving humanity.
It’s relatively easy to forget just how vital and valuable doctors are in our lives – that is, until you fall sick or get injured. The truth of the matter is Doctors deserve a lot of recognition and appreciation from us for their courage and understanding. A doctor’s job can be overwhelming, to say the least, yet they carry on with smiles, and they remain polite throughout the day. They have to break down difficult and complicated cases and treat all kinds of patients every day. We shouldn’t also forget that the outcome is not always good, which can be hard to deal with. It is hard to try and process what these men and women go through each day. Therefore, celebrating Doctors Day is the least we can do to thank them and raise awareness and remind each other about the precious roles played by these individuals every day.
History of Doctors’ Day
The tradition of celebrating Doctors’ Day originated in the United States on March 30th of 1933. The celebrations started in Georgia, in an area called Winder. It is said that this was Eudora Brown Almond’s idea to set apart time and honour physicians for their work and dedication. During those times, people would leave flowers on the graves of physicians who had passed on. It is because of this that red carnations became the symbolic flowers for National Doctor’s Day.
Since this date, a lot of other significant historical moments have also taken place on this day. For instance, the first-ever anaesthetic to be used during surgery was used on March 30th as well. The anaesthetic was used during a procedure to remove a tumour from a man’s neck, and it was first used by a doctor by the name of Crawford W. Long, M.D. The man reported that he did not feel anything during the surgery, and he wasn’t even aware of the events that were taking place during and immediately after the surgery. It is nothing short of a horror to think of when people had to go under the knife without anaesthetic being administered. We are certainly thankful for all the progressions that have been made and are still being made in modern medicine!
Why Do We Celebrate Doctors Day?
Simply put, we celebrate this day to acknowledge the work and contributions made by doctors in our lives every day. While different countries might have other dates and ways to celebrate this day, the idea behind all is the same.
In India, they celebrate this day in honour of their great physician, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, and Brazil celebrates it on October 18th in honour of Saint Luke’s birthday, who was also a physician. In Cuba, they celebrate it on December 3rd as they honour Carlos Juan Finlay and celebrate his birthday. He was a Cuban physician and scientist, and he was the man who investigated the cause of the Yellow Fever. In the United States, Doctor’s Day is celebrated on March 30th, when anaesthetic was first used in surgery. Many countries have different dates and different names for this day; in Vietnam, they celebrate on February the 28thm, while in Iran, it’s on March 4th. The bottom line is that the idea behind it all is the same; to show appreciation to all doctors and acknowledge them for their hard work and dedication.
How to Celebrate Doctors’ Day
You can celebrate this day in several ways as long as the main focus is to show all doctors that they are appreciated. The first thing you might want to do is show your own personal or family doctor some appreciation. You can write them a happy doctors day postcard, or even buy them a present to thank them for their unswerving care, the long hours they put in and for responding to your late-night calls and queries without ever complaining. If you are reading this, you probably have a doctor in your mind who you are thankful to or someone in the medical profession who took good care of you when you were unwell. Take this day as an opportunity to return to them the love that they show you and show them how valued and appreciated they are.
Besides thanking your doctor, you can also celebrate this day the traditional way by leaving red carnations on the grave of a physician who passed on. Also, the red carnations tradition is not only limited to graves; you can even give them to anyone in the medical profession that you appreciate. These days there is social media, so you can also post a picture of the carnations on your various social media pages together with messages about Doctors’ Day.
There are also many movies, documentaries and television shows on doctors that you can watch on Doctor’s Day. Suppose you are not an outdoors person; you can grab some popcorn and enjoy a doctor based TV marathon with your family or friends. Some of the all-time favorites include the movie Wit, which follows a professor who found out she has terminal cancer and Patch Adams featuring Robin Williams. Patch Adams combines pathos and humour, and it is about a man who loved helping others and decided to make it as a medical doctor. You can also find medicine related games and quizzes to play with your kids, asking questions like ‘when is doctors day’.
Please keep in mind that there is no end to the ways you can celebrate. You can also schedule a check-up or even commit to living a healthier lifestyle; it’s all up to you. Whatever you think of, be sure that you will be expressing your appreciation to your doctor for the care they provide.
What are your thoughts about Doctor’s Day and how it should be celebrated? Do you agree that doctors are important and should be appreciated? If you enjoyed the article and want to read more of our content, please subscribe and get notified whenever we have a new post. You can also share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment on this post.