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NEUROLOGY IN OUR MIDST by Dr. Amado M. San Luis
Article by Cooper Resabal

The author, whose mother came from Balilihan, Bohol, was my classmate in La Salle Academy, Iligan City. We were both in the school band. He played the trombone, I played the alto saxophone.

He completed his neurology training at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, where he went on to practice and teach neurology for 35 years. He not only taught medical students, but even nurses, physical therapists, patients with neurological diseases, and their relatives. He is married to Cynthia, also a medical doctor. They have 8 children.

In a letter he wrote while preparing to publish the book, he said he intended to address "neurophobia," which he defined as "a fear or difficulty experienced by medical students because of their inability to apply basic neurology to clinical neurology."

Dr. San Luis said it is important to address the prevalent issue "because the leading causes of deaths and disabilities are neurological in nature, like strokes, brain injuries, dementias and other degenerative disorders."

"Imagine the doctors, nurses and physical therapists taking care of the patients when in reality they are afraid or incompetent to understand the victims.  This book is for medical, nursing and physical therapist students as well as generalists, that is, nurses and doctors in general medicine."

He explained that the book shies away from the usual medical book formats and presentations.  "I mixed the way topics are presented and I emphasized understanding.  The design therefore cannot be used as medical book in the school but a primer before going into neuroscience subjects.  This book will make them understand the clinical significance of the different topics in neuroanatomy.  Unlike the usual (approach) where the structures are taught and they are expected to remember and recall only."

"I also designed the presentation of the book by relating anatomic structures to everyday activities that we experience or witness…without being conscious that the central nervous system is the one making these possible.  It is for this reason that I titled the book, “Neurology in Our Midst. (A primer to neuroanatomy and  clinical neurology).”

My only contribution to this lifetime opus of Dr. San Luis is that I facilitated the choice of the cover for the book by showing him paintings of Boholano artist Sam Penaso whose acrylic work titled "Humanscape" is now the book cover.

Here is the introduction of the book.

INTRODUCTION

Everything that we do has its origin, control, termination, and processing in the nervous system, a compelling reason why one should at least get a good idea of how the brain works.

Even when sleeping, the brain never ceases working.  Look at the people around you; see how they walk; the accompanying body movements, the speed, the balance, the directions they set, their decisions to hurry or to stop, their avoidance to bump each other even while some are talking through their I-phones. 

All these people are in amazing assortments of fluid activities, but not one has a conscious idea about how delicate and precise the brain integrates the complex nervous system to make what you have witnessed happen.  Then one person with a limp and pace slower than those of the rest strikes your attention.  He makes you wonder why he was different.  Could it be that his brain function has been disturbed and has adapted to the need to travel? 

While reading this and imagining what the text is describing, your brain is integrating all the learned information, as well as the “unlearned” when you were still in your mother’s womb, to form a system of communication. 

When your friend taps you on the shoulder, he recognizes you through his memory; his smile is made possible by the finite control of the muscles of the face while your response is likewise influenced by your memory cells.

Your interpretation of the smile is yours alone, a recognition of friendship, much of which are integrated by your limbic system, the seat of emotion.  Neurology, the study of the nervous system, is all around us and within us….in our midst.

Published 2019 by Xlibris.
To order copies, contact www.Xlibris.com, [email protected]


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