Import

From nautical origins to medical innovations and beyond.

- S. Radha Prathi

Sometime ago, the word PORT was being used randomly in the outpatient foyer of the oncology department in a hospital. My ears perked up to catch the word right. It was indeed PORT. I wondered what the import of the word could be. I had heard of docks and ports, but "docs and ports" were quite unusual.

Well, maybe some of you are aware of it. I learnt that the concept or should it be contraption (?) is a common word in Crab country. The "chemo port" which appears like a "button idli" in a nondescript shade of grey with a little silicon tube hanging out of it is supposed to be medical research's special gift to the Kingdom of Carcinoma. The device apparently makes life easier for the "curers" and the "to be cured" alike in Cancer Country. It is strategically inserted into the body of the honorary Cancerian through a minor surgical procedure and is expected to facilitate the process of chemotherapy!