ESCAPE BY THE SKIN OF TEETH !!

My brother-in-law was a disciplined Air-Force officer, serving the Zambian Air-Force, based in Lusaka. He had a perennial problem of knee joint pain in both legs and it aggravated during winter seasons. Unable to endure it any longer, he consulted a doctor in Lusaka. After series of medical examinations and x-rays, the doctor finally concluded that the pain in the knee joints was connected to his teeth, and once he removed all his teeth, his knee pain would be cured ! However much my brother-in-law respected the noble medical profession, he could not appreciate this noble advice, and he came back, totally disappointed. He informed his wife that he was ordained to suffer the knee joint pain in addition to other pains, which his wife interpreted as a symbolic reference to her continued tantrums. My brother-in-law continued to serve Zambian Air-Force for another two years, before he returned back to our country.

Even after retirement, his pain in the knee joint continued to torment him and he finally decided to remove all his teeth to put an end to his knee pain, as advised by his doctor in Zambia.

He was not familiar with the locality where we lived and I volunteered to take him to the nearby dentist, who was famous, as per his teethless clients.

We were given appointment to meet the doctor on a particular day, and I took him there, as per schedule. There were other clients, waiting there, and the attendant gave us a card with our number in sequence, in the queue.

The doctor came after 1/2 hr or so, and disappeared inside. After a brief interval, there was a calling bell sound and the attendant called out the number 325 ! One of the clients got up and went inside. After a few minutes, I heard a scream from inside his consulting room. Me and my brother-in-law looked at each other in trepidation ! What is happening ? After a few seconds, the patient came out , supporting his jaw with one hand and slowly went out. Number 326! with a calling bell sound, and an old lady went inside. After a few seconds, a scream from inside and the lady came out, holding her jaw, (With cotton wool stuffed inside her mouth). Without even a minor change, this ritual went on for another few clients.

My brother-in-law looked at me. ' Do you have cutting pliers in the house ?"was what he asked me. I understood. Both of us quietly stood up and went out, as we heard the calling bell and our number being called !