Love Cells...., Kalai Selvi Arivalagan [e textbook reader .TXT] 📗

One more beautiful day of spring, Sylvia looked ahead through the open windows of the Virology laboratory. She can see the top layers of the tall neem trees swaying in the morning breeze. Love song of a koel echoed through the sky and made every one grin with a happy smile. It looked like informing every one around that spring is the time to love and rejoice.

Sylvia joined there as a Secretary only three days ago. Initially she found the people there a bit indifferent who did not accept her into their company. Once the work schedule got tightened, she rarely got the time to think about it and she was caged inside her room and started to enjoy the sole company of her ‘computer’.

The room where she worked had a window high near the ceiling. Only streaks of light peeped in through the closed glass windows. The door to the room was always closed as she always typed confidential documents or letter. Once she was inside the room, the whole world was shut.

Sylvia learned to respect the company of her computer and she soon found out that machines are better than the ungrateful people around her.

***

One afternoon around 3 pm, Sylvia was listening to the song of the koel from the Virology lab. Research scholars were as usual busy with their schedules. Suddenly peels of laughter filled the room. Sylvia smiled at the laughing young girls.

“Can I join you there?”

“Yes.” One of them replied and continued with her laugh.

Sylvia walked to the wash basin. Mona returned her smile and continued to wash her hands. She was sterilizing her hands to take blood from a patient who had come there for screening for viral hepatitis.

“Nothing, Syl. We were just laughing.”

“Oh! Never believe her.” Vandy stamped her feet and pinched Mona teasingly.

“Anything interesting.” Twinkling her eyes, Sylvia looked at Mona. Her eyes shone brightly that gave her intellectual look one more tint. Without any words to tell, Sylvia understood. Mona was in love.

The Institute was closed for the semester holidays. The department was empty except for the research scholars.

The immunology lab was empty except for the patients who came for their Hepatitis B test. Vandy, Sylvia and Mona completed their lunch without any hurry.

“A surprise”, telling so, Mona took a juice bottle from her bag. “I have brought something to celebrate”

“Is it so?”

“What is it?” Without answering their questions, Mona walked toward the cupboard at the end of the lab. After picking up three paper cups, she returned with a smile.

“What is it? Tell us before you pour into the cups" Vandy enquired.

“Find it out”. Mona filled the cups with the juice. She then added water to the half filled cups.

“Grape juice”, Vandy shouted. “Drink it first”, Mona replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “Three cheers for Mona” laughing aloud, they gulped the juice fast.

After having two cups of grape juice, Vandy and Sylvia started to feel drowsy.

“Mona, what is this, we feel drowsy”.

“Ha, ha, ha” Mona started to laugh. “That’s what I want”.

“Vandy, the grape juice is fermented. It is turning into wine,” Sylvia replied.

Laughter filled the entire dining hall. Mona started to narrate how she and her cousin sister prepared the juice and how she accidentally added an extra pinch of catalyst that helps the juice to stay longer.

*******

On that day, a family had come for their Hepatitis screening. The two little children who were afraid of needles, started to cry aloud. Mona took them near her and started to explain what she will be doing. With their eyes wide open, the kids listened to her narration. While talking to them, Mona took the blood from their father and mother. She asked the eldest kid to come. After seeing her brother not crying, the little girl came forward on her own to Mona.

“Mona, complete this batch, and get the report ready.” Telling so, Mike left the lab.

“Yes. You can’t even tell that with a smile.” Mona turned her back with a murmur.

“John, have you kept the tips for drying in the hot air oven.” Mona enquired John.

“Yes. They are ready.” John took the sterilized tip box from the hot air oven and gave it to her.

“Where is the micro-tip pipette?” Mona called Vandy.

“Sylvia, can you please pass this on to her?” Sylvia passed the pipette to Mona and sat near her.

Filling the wells in the kit box with the serum separated from the blood taken for screening, Mona started to do her routine work in the lab.

************

Sylvia has learned a lot after joining there. In the Immunology lab, many viral hepatitis research projects were carried out. The opportunity gave Sylvia quality time to learn more about the virus and how viral infection passed from one generation to another. New information about viral research and how the new findings helped the medical fraternity to save the suffering people, made Sylvia feel satisfied.

Every day people came there for their hepatitis screening. Whenever Mona handed over a report that showed the person as positive for hepatitis screening, Mona spoke to the person expalining how to handle things and also the ways to come out of that. Mona always assured the patients, that it is only a temporary phase and they will soon come out of that.

Yet, when a patient hears that he or she has tested positive for hepatitis, the first reaction is shock. It took at least a while for the patient to come back to normal. Many patients preferred Mona because she spoke to them in a softer tone and gave them hope.

“Testing positive for hepatitis is not so serious. You can bring everything into control with your diet and your life style.”

“Phyllanthus amarus is a good herbal medicine. Take them as capsules for a while and come back after three months again to screen your blood.”

“Regular follow-up will help you to come out of this. There is no need to panic.” Mona’s comfortable words made them feel convinced.

Maintaining tissue culture at the Virology Lab was a routine responsibility. As the Institute was closed for the summer holidays, Mona had to take care of the tissue culture.

Maintaining the tissue culture needed much care. Usually the sample for tissue culture is received from a reputed institute at Pune. The tissue received for growing is actually the kidney cells of a species of a monkey from Africa.

Once the cells successfully started to multiply, the cells are treated with virus particles followed with antibiotics. Maximum care is taken to maintain the cell growth. Every day before checking for the cell growth, the room is sterilized by switching on the UV light. Mona entered the room after that and checked for the cell growth. Mona succeeded at that time. The cells successfully started to multiply, which gave way for further research.

**********

When Mona was successful in cultivating the cell culture, changes happened within her also. Love cells started to grow in her.

Mona was filling the wells of the Elisa kit to do the final batch of tests on the samples collected earlier. It was taking time because she was busy preparing for her Ph.D methodology exams also. Yet, she had to finish the assigned tasks. Mona managed to do things pretty well. Mike always came to her with complaints and blamed her of not getting results within the scheduled time.

Mona could not suppress her tears when Mike sarcastically laughed at her and told her that she should learn to be smart enough to be a research scholar. Richard came to her rescue.

"Mike, I will take care. Please go now"

"Hmm" With a grumble, Mike left the place.

"Leave him, he is always like that. If you have to prepare for your methodology, I can take care of these tests"

"No, thanks" Mona murmured. Let me finish this set first. If you can take care of the next two batches, it will be great for me"

"Sure. Don't worry. I will take care". With a smile Richard left the place.

A cheerful batch of research scholars and paramedical post-graduate students were on their way to attend a conference at Ooty. Sylvia joined the gang along