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 vanish ! However much my brother-in-law respected the noble medical profession, he could not yet appreciate this noble advise and came back, totally disappointed. He informed his wife that he had been ordained to suffer his knee-joint pain in addition to other pains, which his wife mistook for a symbolic reference to her continued tantrums . My brother-in-law continued to serve the Zambian Air-force for another two years, before he returned back to our country.

Even after retirement, his pains continued to torment him and he finally decided to remove all his teeth, to put an end to his knee pain, as advised by the Zambian Doctor.

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

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

The doctor came after hour, or so ,and disappeared inside. After a brief interval, there was a calling bell sound and calling out of a number. Number 325 ! One of the clients got up, went inside. After a few minutes, I heard a scream from inside the 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 a hand and went out. Number 326 ! with a calling bell sound. Another lady went inside and after a few seconds a loud scream and the lady came outside catching her jaw ! ( with cotton wool inside her mouth). Without even a minor change, the same ritual continued for another few patients.

My brother in law looked at me. Do you have a cutting-pliers in the house ? was what he asked me. I understood. Both of us got up and silently went out, as we heard our number being called, followed by a calling bell sound.