Latif Nasser: The amazing story of the man who gave us modern pain relief

Prevoditelj: Sonja Žarić Recezent: Ivan Stamenković

A few years ago,

Prije nekoliko godina,

my mom developed rheumatoid arthritis.

mojoj majci se pojavio reumatoidni artritis.

Her wrists, knees and toes swelled up, causing crippling, chronic pain.

Njena zapešća, koljena i nožni prsti su natekli uzrokujući kroničnu bol.

She had to file for disability.

Morala se prijaviti na invalidnost.

She stopped attending our local mosque.

Morala je prestati odlaziti u lokalnu džamiju.

Some mornings it was too painful for her to brush her teeth.

Neka jutra je bilo prebolno čak i prati zube.

I wanted to help.

Želio sam pomoći.

But I didn't know how.

Ali nisam znao kako.

I'm not a doctor.

Nisam liječnik.

So, what I am is a historian of medicine.

No, ja sam povjesničar medicine.

So I started to research the history of chronic pain.

Tako da sam počeo istraživati povijest kroničnih bolova.

Turns out, UCLA has an entire history of pain collection

Ispada da UCLA ima cijelu kolekciju povijesti bolova

in their archives.

u svojim arhivima.

And I found a story -- a fantastic story --

I našao sam priču -- fantastičnu priču --

of a man who saved -- rescued -- millions of people from pain;

čovjeka koji je spasio milijune ljudi od boli;

people like my mom.

ljudi kao što je moja majka.

Yet, I had never heard of him.

Ipak, nikad nisam čuo za njega.

There were no biographies of him, no Hollywood movies.

O njemu nema biografija, niti Hollywoodskih filmova.

His name was John J. Bonica.

Njegovo ime je John J. Bonica.

But when our story begins,

No, u vrijeme kad naša priča počinje,

he was better known as Johnny "Bull" Walker.

bio je više poznat pod imenom Johnny "Bik" Walker.

It was a summer day in 1941.

To je bio ljetni dan 1941. godine.

The circus had just arrived in the tiny town of Brookfield, New York.

Cirkus je tek stigao u mali gradić Brookfield, New York.

Spectators flocked to see the wire-walkers, the tramp clowns --

Gledatelji su pohrlili vidjeti hodače po žici, klaunove --

if they were lucky, the human cannonball.

i ako su sretni, ljudsku topovsku kuglu.

They also came to see the strongman, Johnny "Bull" Walker,

Također, došli su vidjeti snažnog čovjeka, Johnnyja "Bika" Walker,

a brawny bully who'd pin you for a dollar.

mišićavog nasilnika koji te prikliješti za dolar.

You know, on that particular day, a voice rang out

Znate, tog određenog dana, glas se javio

over the circus P.A. system.

preko cirkusog razglasa.

They needed a doctor urgently, in the live animal tent.

Hitno je bio potreban liječnik, u životinjskom šatoru.

Something had gone wrong with the lion tamer.

Nešto je pošlo po zlu sa krotiteljem lavova.

The climax of his act had gone wrong,

Klimaks njegove točke je pošao po zlu,

and his head was stuck inside the lion's mouth.

i njegova glava se zaglavila u lavljim ustima.

He was running out of air;

Ponestajalo mu je zraka;

the crowd watched in horror

rulja je sa užasom gledala

as he struggled and then passed out.

kako se mučio i onesvijestio.

When the lion finally did relax its jaws,

Kada je lav konačno opustio čeljust,

the lion tamer just slumped to the ground, motionless.

krotitelj je samo pao na tlo, nepomičan.

When he came to a few minutes later,

Kada je došao sebi poslije nekoliko minuta,

he saw a familiar figure hunched over him.

vidio je poznatog lika pogrbljenog nad njim.

It was Bull Walker.

Bio je to Bik Walker.

The strongman had given the lion tamer mouth-to-mouth, and saved his life.

Snažni čovjek je dao krotitelju umjetno disanje i spasio mu život.

Now, the strongman hadn't told anyone,

No, snažni čovjek nije nikome rekao,

but he was actually a third-year medical student.

on je zapravo bio student treće godine medicine.

He toured with the circus during summers to pay tuition,

Išao je sa cirkusom preko ljeta da plati školarinu,

but kept it a secret to protect his persona.

ali je to tajio da bi zaštitio svoj lik.

He was supposed to be a brute, a villain --

Trebao bi biti zvijer, zločinac --

not a nerdy do-gooder.

a ne štreberski dobročinitelj.

His medical colleagues didn't know his secret, either.

Njegovi kolege medicinari, također, nisu znali njegovu tajnu.

As he put it, "If you were an athlete, you were a dumb dodo."

Kako je rekao: "Ako ste bili atletičar, bili ste glupavi dodo."

So he didn't tell them about the circus,

Tako da im nije rekao za cirkus,

or about how he wrestled professionally on evenings and weekends.

niti da se bavi profesionalnim hrvanjem navečer i vikendima.

He used a pseudonym like Bull Walker,

Koristio je pseudonime kao Bik Walker,

or later, the Masked Marvel.

ili kasnije, Maskirani Marvel.

He even kept it a secret that same year,

Također, držao je u tajnosti te iste godine,

when he was crowned the Light Heavyweight Champion

da je postao Prvak svijeta

of the world.

u lakoj kategoriji.

Over the years, John J. Bonica lived these parallel lives.

Tijekom godina, John J. Bonica je vodio paralelne živote.

He was a wrestler;

Bio je hrvač;

he was a doctor.

bio je liječnik.

He was a heel;

Bio je podlac;

he was a hero.

bio je heroj.

He inflicted pain,

Nanosio je bol,

and he treated it.

i liječio ga.

And he didn’t know it at the time, but over the next five decades,

Nije znao u to vrijeme, da će u sljedećih pet desetljeća,

he'd draw on these dueling identities

tijekom ovih dvoboja identiteta

to forge a whole new way to think about pain.

skovati potpuno novi način razmišljanja o boli.

It'd change modern medicine so much so, that decades later,

Promijenit će modernu medicinu toliko, da će ga desetljećima kasnije,

Time magazine would call him pain relief's founding father.

časopis Time nazvati ocem lijekova protiv bolova.

But that all happened later.

No to se dogodilo kasnije.

In 1942, Bonica graduated medical school and married Emma,

1942. godine Bonica je diplomirao medicinu i oženio Emmu,

his sweetheart, whom he had met at one of his matches years before.

svoju voljenu, koju je sreo na jednoj od utakmica prije par godina.

He still wrestled in secret -- he had to.

I dalje se bavio hrvanjem u tajnosti -- morao je.

His internship at New York's St. Vincent's Hospital paid nothing.

Njegovo stažiranje u bolnici Sv. Vincenta u New Yorku nije donosilo zaradu.

With his championship belt, he wrestled in big-ticket venues,

Sa svojim pojasom prvaka, hrvao se u velikim dvoranama,

like Madison Square Garden,

kao što je Madison Square Garden,

against big-time opponents,

protiv značajnih protivnika,

like Everett "The Blonde Bear" Marshall,

kao što je bio Everett "Plavi medvjed" Marshall,

or three-time world champion, Angelo Savoldi.

ili trostruki svjetski prvak, Angelo Savoldi.

The matches took a toll on his body;

Utakmice su uzele danak na njegovom tijelu;

he tore hip joints, fractured ribs.

razderao je kukove, slomio rebra.

One night, The Terrible Turk's big toe scratched a scar like Capone's

Jedne noći, palac Užasnog Turka je ostavio ožiljak kao Caponeov

down the side of his face.

na jednoj strani njegovog lica.

The next morning at work, he had to wear a surgical mask to hide it.

Sljedeće jutro na poslu je morao nositi kiruršku masku da bi ga sakrio.

Twice Bonica showed up to the O.R. with one eye so bruised,

Dvaput se pojavio na hitnoj sa jednim okom toliko nateknutim,

he couldn't see out of it.

da nije mogao ništa vidjeti.

But worst of all were his mangled cauliflower ears.

Ali najgore od svega su bile njegove oštećene rascvjetane uši.

He said they felt like two baseballs on the sides of his head.

Rekao je da se osjeća kao da ima dvije bejzbol loptice na svakoj strani glave.

Pain just kept accumulating in his life.

Bol se nastavila gomilati u njegovom životu.

Next, he watched his wife go into labor at his hospital.

Nakon toga, gledao je svoju ženu kako se porađa u njegovoj bolnici.

She heaved and pushed, clearly in anguish.

Nadimala se i gurala, sa očiglednom mukom.

Her obstetrician called out to the intern on duty

Njen opstetričar je pozvao stažista u smjeni

to give her a few drops of ether to ease her pain.

da joj da nekoliko kapi etera da joj ublaži bol.

But the intern was a young guy, just three weeks on the job --

No, stažist je bio mlad čovjek, samo tri tjedna na poslu --

he was jittery, and in applying the ether,

bio je nervozan i dok joj je davao eter,

irritated Emma's throat.

iritirao joj je grlo.

She vomited and choked, and started to turn blue.

Ona se ispovračala i počela gušiti, a lice joj je krenulo plaviti.

Bonica, who was watching all this, pushed the intern out of the way,

Bonica, koji je sve ovo gledao, ga je odgurnuo sa strane,

cleared her airway,

raščistio joj dišni put,

and saved his wife and his unborn daughter.

i spasio svoju ženu i svoje nerođeno dijete.

At that moment, he decided to devote his life to anesthesiology.

U tom trenutku je odlučio posvetiti život anesteziologiji.

Later, he'd even go on to help develop the epidural, for delivering mothers.

Kasnije, otišao je još dalje razvijajući epiduralnu za porođaje.

But before he could focus on obstetrics,

No, prije nego što se mogao fokusirati na opstetriku,

Bonica had to report for basic training.

morao se prijaviti za temeljni trening.

Right around D-Day,

U vrijeme dana D,

Bonica showed up to Madigan Army Medical Center,

Bonica se pojavio u Vojni bolnički centar Madigan

near Tacoma.

blizu Tacome.

At 7,700 beds, it was one of the largest army hospitals in America.

Sa svojih 7700 kreveta, bila je to jedna od najvećih vojnih bolnica u Americi.

Bonica was in charge of all pain control there.

Bonica je ondje bio zadužen za kontrolu boli.

He was only 27.

Imao je samo 27 godina.

Treating so many patients, Bonica started noticing cases

Liječeći toliko pacijenata, Bonica je primjetio slučajeve

that contradicted everything he had learned.

koji se protive svemu što je naučio.

Pain was supposed to be a kind of alarm bell -- in a good way --

Bol bi trebala biti nešto kao alarm -- na dobar način --

a body's way of signaling an injury, like a broken arm.

način da tijelo signalizira ozljedu, kao što je slomljena ruka.

But in some cases,

No, u nekim slučajevima,

like after a patient had a leg amputated,

kao kada su pacijentu amputirali nogu,

that patient might still complain of pain in that nonexistent leg.

taj pacijent se i dalje žalio na bol u nepostojećoj nozi.

But if the injury had been treated, why would the alarm bell keep ringing?

No, ako je ozlijeda izliječena, zašto alarm nastavlja zvoniti?

There were other cases in which there was no evidence of an injury whatsoever,

Bilo je drugih slučajeva, gdje uopće nije bilo dokaza o ikakvoj ozlijedi,

and yet, still the patient hurt.

ali ipak, pacijenta je boljelo.

Bonica tracked down all the specialists at his hospital -- surgeons,

Boncia je potražio sve specijaliste u svojoj bolnici -- kirurge,

neurologists, psychiatrists, others.

neurologe, psihijatre i ostale.

And he tried to get their opinions on his patients.

Pokušao je dobiti njihova mišljenja o svojim pacijentima.

It took too long, so he started organizing group meetings over lunch.

Potrajalo je, no počeo je organizirati grupne sastanke tijekom ručka.

It would be like a tag team of specialists going up against the patient's pain.

Bila je to ekipa specijalista koja se bori protiv boli pacijenata.

No one had ever focused on pain this way before.

Nitko se dosad nije usredotočio na bol na ovaj način.

After that, he hit the books.

Nakon toga, potražio je knjige.

He read every medical textbook he could get his hands on,

Pročitao je svaki medicinski udžbenik kojeg se mogao dočepati,

carefully noting every mention of the word "pain."

pažljivo zapisujući svaki spomen riječi "bol".

Out of the 14,000 pages he read,

Od 14000 stranica koje je pročitao,

the word "pain" was on 17 and a half of them.

riječ "bol" se pojavila u 17 i pol.

Seventeen and a half.

Sedamnaest i pol.

For the most basic, most common, most frustrating part of being a patient.

Za temeljni, najučestaliji, najfrustrirajući dio bivanja pacijentom.

Bonica was shocked -- I'm quoting him,

Bonica je bio šokiran -- citiram ga,

he said, "What the hell kind of conclusion can you come to there?

rekao je, "Do kojeg, dovraga, zaključka da ovdje dođeš?

The most important thing from the patient's perspective,

O najvažnijoj stvari sa gledišta pacijenta,

they don't talk about."

oni ni ne pričaju."

So over the next eight years, Bonica would talk about it.

Tako da je tijekom sljedećih osam godina Bonica pričao o tome.

He'd write about it; he'd write those missing pages.

Pisao je o tome; napisao je te stranice koje nedostaju.

He wrote what would later be known as the Bible of Pain.

Napisao je ono što je kasnije postalo poznato kao Biblija boli.

In it he proposed new strategies,

Tu predlaže nove strategije,

new treatments using nerve-block injections.

nove postupke korištenjem injekcija za blokadu živaca.

He proposed a new institution, the Pain Clinic,

Predlaže novu ustanovu, kliniku boli,

based on those lunchtime meetings.

na temelju tih sastanaka za ručak.

But the most important thing about his book

No, najvažnija stvar o njegovoj knjizi je

was that it was kind of an emotional alarm bell for medicine.

što je ona predstavljala neku vrstu emocionalnog alarma za medicinu.

A desperate plea to doctors to take pain seriously

Očajnička molba liječnicima da shvate bol ozbiljno

in patients' lives.

u pacijentovom životu.

He recast the very purpose of medicine.

Preinačio je samu svrhu medicinu.

The goal wasn't to make patients better;

Cilj nije bio da pacijentima bude bolje;

it was to make patients feel better.

nego da se pacijenti osjećaju bolje.

He pushed his pain agenda for decades,

Gurao je svoj plan desetljećima,

before it finally took hold in the mid-'70s.

dok se napokon nije primio sredinom '70-tih godina.

Hundreds of pain clinics sprung up all over the world.

Stotine klinika za bol su iznikle diljem svijeta.

But as they did -- a tragic twist.

No, kako se to dogodilo -- tragični preokret.

Bonica's years of wrestling caught up to him.

Godine hrvanja su sustigle Bonicu.

He had been out of the ring for over 20 years,

Bio je izvan ringa preko 20 godina,

but those 1,500 professional bouts had left a mark on his body.

ali je tih 1500 profesionalnih nastupa ostavilo traga na njegovom tijelu.

Still in his mid-50s, he suffered severe osteoarthritis.

U srednjim 50-tima, obolio je od osteoartritisa.

Over the next 20 years he'd have 22 surgeries,

Tijekom sljedećih 20 godina imao je 22 operacije,

including four spine operations,

uključujući četiri operacije kralješnice,

and hip replacement after hip replacement.

i zamjenu kuka za zamjenom kuka.

He could barely raise his arm, turn his neck.

Jedva je mogao podići ruku, okrenuti vrat.

He needed aluminum crutches to walk.

Hodao je pomoću aluminijskih štaka.

His friends and former students became his doctors.

Prijatelji i bivši studenti su postali njegovi liječnici.

One recalled that he probably had more nerve-block injections

Jedan se sjeća da je Bonica primio vjerojatno više injekcija za blokadu živaca

than anyone else on the planet.

nego itko drugi na planeti.

Already a workaholic, he worked even more --

Iako je već bio radoholičar, radio je još više --

15- to 18-hour days.

15 do 18 sati dnevno.

Healing others became more than just his job,

Liječenje drugih je postalo više od samog posla za njega,

it was his own most effective form of relief.

postalo je najučinkovitiji oblik olakšanja.

"If I wasn't as busy as I am," he told a reporter at the time,

"Da nisam toliko zaposlen," jednom je rekao novinaru,

"I would be a completely disabled guy."

"bio bih potpuno onesposobljen čovjek."

On a business trip to Florida in the early 1980s,

Na poslovnom putu u Floridu na početku 1980-tih,

Bonica got a former student to drive him to the Hyde Park area in Tampa.

bivši student je vozio Bonicu u Hyde park u Tampi.

They drove past palm trees and pulled up to an old mansion,

Prolazili su pored palmi i stali ispred stare palače,

with giant silver howitzer cannons hidden in the garage.

sa ogromnim srebrnim topovima sakrivenim u garaži.

The house belonged to the Zacchini family,

Kuća je pripadala Zacchini obitelji,

who were something like American circus royalty.

koji su predstavljali nešto kao američko cirkusko plemstvo.

Decades earlier, Bonica had watched them,

Desetljećima ranije, Bonica ih je gledao,

clad in silver jumpsuits and goggles,

odjevene u srebrne kombinezone i zaštitne naočale,

doing the act they pioneered -- the Human Cannonball.

kako izvode točku koju su izmislili -- Ljudsku topovsku kuglu.

But now they were like him: retired.

No, sada su bili kao i on: u mirovini.

That generation is all dead now, including Bonica,

Ta generacija je danas mrtva, uključujući Bonicu,

so there's no way to know exactly what they said that day.

tako da ne znamo točno o čemu su pričali taj dan.

But still, I love imagining it.

No ipak, volim zamišljati.

The strongman and the human cannonballs reunited,

Snažni čovjek i ljudske topovske kugle ponovno na okupu,

showing off old scars, and new ones.

uspoređuju stare ožiljke, i nove.

Maybe Bonica gave them medical advice.

Možda im je Bonica dao koji liječnički savjet.

Maybe he told them what he later said in an oral history,

Možda im je ispričao ono što je kasnije rekao usmenom predajom,

which is that his time in the circus and wrestling deeply molded his life.

kako mu je vrijeme u cirkusu i hrvanju duboko oblikovalo život.

Bonica saw pain close up.

Bonica je iskusio bol iz prve ruke.

He felt it. He lived it.

Osjetio ju je. Živio ju je.

And it made it impossible for him to ignore in others.

A to je onemogućilo da ju zanemari kod drugih ljudi.

Out of that empathy, he spun a whole new field,

Iz empatije, razvio je cijelo novo polje,

played a major role in getting medicine to acknowledge pain

igrao veliku ulogu da medicinska struka prizna bol

in and of itself.

samu po sebi.

In that same oral history,

U toj istoj usmenoj predaji,

Bonica claimed that pain

Bonica je tvrdio da je bol

is the most complex human experience.

najsloženije ljudsko iskustvo.

That it involves your past life, your current life,

To uključuje tvoj bivši život, tvoj trenutni život,

your interactions, your family.

tvoje interakcije, tvoju obitelj.

That was definitely true for Bonica.

To je definitivno bilo istinito za Bonicu.

But it was also true for my mom.

Ali je bilo istinito i za moju majku.

It's easy for doctors to see my mom

Lako je doktorima da vide moju majku

as a kind of professional patient,

kao neku vrstu profesionalnog pacijenta,

a woman who just spends her days in waiting rooms.

ženu koja svoje dane provodi po čekaonicama.

Sometimes I get stuck seeing her that same way.

Ponekad ju i ja vidim na taj način.

But as I saw Bonica's pain --

No, kako sam vidio Bonicinu bol --

a testament to his fully lived life --

ostavštinu njegovog ispunjenog života --

I started to remember all the things that my mom's pain holds.

počeo sam se prisjećati svih stvari koje bol moje majke obuhvaća.

Before they got swollen and arthritic,

Prije nego su natekli i postali artritični,

my mom's fingers clacked away

prsti moje majke su tipkali

in the hospital H.R. department where she worked.

u bolnici na odjelu za ljudske resurse gdje je radila.

They folded samosas for our entire mosque.

Savijali su samosu za cijelu džamiju.

When I was a kid, they cut my hair,

Kada sam bio dijete, šišali su mi kosu,

wiped my nose,

brisali nos,

tied my shoes.

vezali vezice na cipelama.

Thank you.

Hvala vam!

(Applause)

(Pljesak)