Uskudar University Founding Rector and Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, was a guest at the program “OCD and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation” organized by the Aksaray Medical Students Association. In his speech, Tarhan emphasized that the medical profession is one that tolerates no errors; “Parsley covers the chef's mistake, the iron covers the tailor's mistake, but soil covers the doctor's mistake.” He said.
“Human beings are biopsychosocialspiritual entities”
Tarhan delivered his speech under the title "Humans in a Changing World"; “We all see that the world is changing. In this changing world, medicine has changed, and psychiatry has changed. Where does psychiatry fit in? Where does the brain fit in? Where does our spiritual structure fit in? As psychiatrists, we have to answer these questions. The field of medicine is not limited to the medical domain alone. Human beings are biopsychosocialspiritual entities. This means humans are not just medical, social, or biological beings. In this situation, our brain is the key organ. The human brain has 140 billion cells. In a bird's brain, the connection from one cell to another is one. But in humans, there are over 10,000 connections. The saying 'bird brain' in our society is not unfair. In other words, what truly makes the brain a brain, turning it into a mental apparatus, is the richness of its synaptic connections. Those with many synaptic connections don't have Alzheimer's, or rather, Alzheimer's does not develop in those who actively use them. Those with few synaptic connections in the brain are individuals with an IQ of 50-60.” he stated.
“The brain is a sagacious organ”
Tarhan, speaking about the right and left brain; “The brain is a sagacious organ. The left brain is concerned with logic, reasoning, analysis, speech, and calculation. The right brain, on the other hand, is concerned with emotions and excitement. There's no need to say which is male and which is female here; you've understood. Regarding this, the left brain says, "I am a scientist, I am a mathematician, I think analytically, I think strategically, I like similarities, I categorize everything, I am realistic, I count everything, I value logic and reasoning." The left brain is the male brain. That's why men follow their noses. The right brain says, "I am creative, free-spirited, ambitious, I express my emotions very intensely, I am in motion, I love colors, I care about how everything will be." The right brain is the female brain. The left brain cares about what will happen, the right brain cares about how it will happen. But from birth, the left brain is the logical brain. The right brain, on the other hand, is the emotional brain.” He said.
“The human brain operates with mathematics and geometry”
Tarhan, speaking about the brain and its computational function; “Our brain performs computational functions. We had prepared a presentation called computational psychiatry. That presentation was selected as one of 12 presentations to be given each month by the American Psychiatric Association. We explain computational psychiatry to them. The human brain is a computational organ. Mathematics is needed for calculation. The human brain operates with mathematics and geometry. It calculates with mathematics, designs with geometry, loads energy with physics, turns it into matter with chemistry, and brings it to life with biology. That is why the human body has a biological component.” He explained.
“Soil covers the doctor's mistake”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, who also gave important advice to future physicians, stated that the medical profession is one that tolerates no errors; “Parsley covers the chef's mistake, the iron covers the tailor's mistake, but soil covers the doctor's mistake.” He said.