opposition
Toño Soto: ‘The Privilege of Being ‘en cinta’
Remembering our teachers is not just an act of nostalgia; it is a historical and moral duty. There was a glorious era in medical education based on evidence and humanism inherited from the French school: ‘The patient: the center of medical practice,’ regardless of race, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, literate or illiterate. During rounds, respect for the patient shone through as they verified symptoms and signs, investigated the genesis of the disease, reviewed paraclinical tests, and finally, prescribed therapy, returning hope to patients and families. They anxiously watched the small troop of white coats and healing hands, imbued with quality and warmth, convinced that a doctor's words create miracles: ‘Call them by their name, treat them as you would your parents.’ Cultured, sensitive, resourceful, humanitarian teachers: ‘He who knows only medicine, knows no medicine.’ Science, ethics, and culture are healing potions. Unforgettable teachers, including Antonio Soto Yances (Ciénaga de Oro - Córdoba, July 2, 1940), and no one better than his disciple, Dr. Álvaro José Monterrosa Castro, a brilliant university professor, historian, and renowned researcher, to synthesize the life and work of the master: ‘He studied Medicine, undergraduate and postgraduate in Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Cartagena, and traveled to Montevideo, consolidating concepts on human reproduction. Upon his return, he dedicated his life and talents as head of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, a resourceful teacher, lover of Cordoban band music, and used stories and anecdotes to capture the attention of disciples at the Rafael Calvo Maternity Clinic, an icon of maternal and child care, an incubator of distinguished gynecology and obstetrics specialists scattered around the world. Today, Master Soto enjoys peace in the bosom of his home. I remember one morning, during a teaching-care round, he asked his disciples: ‘Why is a pregnant woman told she is ‘en cinta’?’ He immediately launched into the historical account with biblical roots: Antonio Soto Yances, immaculately dressed, asserted that this ‘cinta’ (ribbon/pregnancy) provided support to the blessed womb, demanding the utmost respect. He then proceeded to evaluate, without haste, all the expectant mothers, giving instructions and resolving therapeutic enigmas, convinced that every woman ‘en cinta’ brings a celestial gift, safeguarding, in her sacred womb, beings full of possibilities who have traversed the infinite to nestle in this world: ‘Every child born is good news because they are imbued with the hands of God. Respect and make life respected, without sparing arguments, convincing the pregnant mother that she enjoys the greatest privilege: sowing light and dispelling darkness. In the mother's womb, there are also tears, painfully compelling figures: every 10 minutes, a woman kills the child sheltering in her womb. While life flourishes, death lurks. Why not place on pregnant women, again, a ribbon engraved with bold letters: ‘FRAGILE AND SACRED’ from the womb to the grandfather's cane.
hace 5 meses
