An invention from India

Sir,

I hope my email finds you well in these challenging global times. We have greatly valued your participation in this puberphonia research study and your willingness to share about your experience.

PUBERPHONIA

1. It is a common probem,2. Easily treatable,3.It is not due to harmonal,4.Speech therapist are treating it with huge expenditure and long days of treatment and many more. . As a result, puberphonia boys starts denying sexual maturity and masculinity, and hence denies using the mature male voice. The child hence gradually develops the habit of speaking in the high-pitched female voice. Since then few puberphonia boys refuse to marry, not willing to go for higher studies or job. They are left out in the society. They may desperate and may do anything as they like. Among 800 cases treated in our centre 50% had history of suicide attempt. We are seeing on an average of 2 patients a day.

Dr. M. Kumaresan (Kumaresan Muthiah) is a well-known ENT surgeon in Chennai, India. He is the fit person for the definition by Dr. William Osler who said, “ a good physician treats the disease and a great physician treats the person who was the disease”.

Dr. M. Kumaresan has successfully treated more than 770 puberphonia cases and according to the patients ‘they got a new lease of life’. This is the Article published in ‘Journal of Otolaryngology – ENT Research’ Volume – 10, Issue – 4 (2018).

During the course of his service, he came across several persons with ‘puberphonia’. As Dr. William Osler, he also believed that ‘each person represents a story and disease’. The ‘story’ of puberphonia patients moved him. As a great physician he understood ‘the patients and their disease’. Among the 770 odd persons came for treatment to Dr. M. Kumaresan, 254 (42.3%) belonged to the age-group 21-28; this is the appropriate stage at which a man realizes ‘how his defective voice’ comes as a hindrance for his worldly life of employment and marriage. A determined physician, Dr. M. Kumaresan conducted extensive research on this subject. During the course of his service, he came across several persons with ‘puberphonia’. As Dr. William Osler, he also believed that ‘each person represents a story and disease’. The ‘story’ of puberphonia patients moved him. As a great physician he understood ‘the patients and their disease’. Among the 600 odd persons came for treatment to Dr. M. Kumaresan, 254 (42.3%) belonged to the age-group 21-28; this is the appropriate stage at which a man realizes ‘how his defective voice’ comes as a hindrance for his worldly life of employment and marriage. A determined physician, Dr. M. Kumaresan conducted extensive research on the ‘physiology of speech organs’ to identify the root of the disease “puberphonia”. It proved successful and thus saved the future of many young men. 

              Avvaiyar is the first poet who recognised puberphonia in the 10th century (pedu in Tamil Language- மானிடர் பேடு நீங்கிப் பிறத்தல் அரிது pēṭu, hermaphrodite. அலி, பெட்டை) as a disability in human being similar to physical disability, inability to see and inability to hear. In a poetric language she described the speech problem and the ways to get the relief from it in her Vinayagar Agaval poem.  Vinayagar Agaval is is a mantra is a motivating chant. It is a sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities. It is interesting to note that thousands of people daily read this Tamil sacred poetry while praying to God Vinayga. But we fails to understand the inner meaning. No one had taken the step to follow it. We recently while praying recognised the importance of it.

If Dr. M. Kumaresan describes his achievement “a simple procedure”, it is due to his simplicity and nobility. Treatment for puberphonia is indeed a great achievement and invention in the medical field.

If so, I would be delighted to talk.

Thanking You,