I have great respect for valluvar, the legendary poet and the philosopher. Let him forgive me for editing his writings for the purpose of fun and science.
Valluvar’s kural states this
தீயினால் சுட்ட புண் உள்ளாறும் ஆறாதே நாவினால் சுட்ட வடு
The fun fact is ..
தீயினார் சுட்ட புண் உள்ளாறாதே , ஆறும் நாவினில் சுட்டால் இல்லை வடு
Again bear with me for twisting the great kural.
Now coming to the science of healing..
These are facts
Fact 1 : Mouth betters skin
It is true that wounds in the mouth heals much faster than cuts to the skin. Recent study has revealed that the tissues that lines the mouth heals about 10 times faster than the skin, if they were to sustain a cut injury. Another fact is that injuries inside the mouth heals without a scar. But cut injury in the skin invariably leaves a scar.
The reason being, the tissues lining the mouth has unique genes ( the healing genes) that remain permanently active. But it is not with the skin cells.
Fact 2 : Dawn betters dusk
Day time injuries heal twice as fast as injuries of nights. Again it is the gene that decides these differences. Research has shown that gene in a cell type called” fibroblasts ” switches on and off during day- night cycles.
Our body is primed to deal with injuries of the daytime much better than at night. Nature assumes that human are not nocturnal animals and hence unlikely to sustain injury at night time.
But our hospitals run 24 hours a day and operation theatres is ready to deal with any emergencies at night. Surgeries are done at night times. Night time healing of such surgical wounds may not be great . Ofcourse we can not postpone emergency surgeries to an ideal daylight schedule. But we should bear it in our mind that elective surgeries, such as elective caeserian section for example, can be posted during the day time.
Auspicious time for caeserian delivery is, “day light hours” of any day.
Dr M Saravanan
Paediatrician
Rio children and Maternity Hospital
Madurai