Assoc. Dr. Dimitar Sivrev is a doctor of medicine. He is one of the people who train future doctors, he is the head of the Department of Anatomy at the Faculty of Medicine of the Thrace University - Stara Zagora. Students love him, like his lectures, although the exams are quite difficult and require a lot of reading and solid preparation. He is one of those people for whom the car and public transport are completely unnecessary. He covers the distances on foot and is not bothered by the fact that the Faculty of Medicine is located quite far from the center of Stara Zagora. He estimates how much time he needs and is always accurate. He likes jokes and always has someone in reserve for his friends. Today we are looking for him on the occasion of his latest textbook - "Anatomy of the person with age problems".
Prof. Sivrev, let's start from your genealogy, do you know your ancestors well and does modern man need to know where his roots are?
- Of course I know my genealogy, but I don't know it by heart because it's very long. My father, having retired, put a lot of effort into shaping the genealogy. It is one of the oldest in our country. Unfortunately, due to relocation and due to documents destroyed in a fire, he could not return before 1730, when grandfather Radko, who was traveling with his father and uncle in a trading caravan, was orphaned in a matter of minutes due to an attack by Turkish robbers. They were all killed, and little Rad hid in the bushes and survived. According to family traditions, these grandfathers of mine were from the Balkans - probably from Kotel. Not only the individual, but also every society must know its history. Anyone who does not know his past has no future. It is doomed to extinction and oblivion.
When did you decide to become a doctor?
- Until the age of 17, I thought of studying an electronic speci alty - radio engineering. No one directed me specifically to the medical profession. Perhaps my pursuit of humanity, nurtured by literature,
change my life
and directed me to this noble profession, which is unfortunately too undervalued in our country.
Now you are a dentist, assistant professor of anatomy, head of the "Anatomy" department, how do you reconcile all these duties?
- My interests are diverse - starting from alternative medicine, through construction and agriculture, to computers. Of course, in no area can I compare with the professionals, but I still manage. I also enjoy carpentry, literature, metalworking, and anything else you can think of. I guess the time has passed when I was interested in astronomy and electronics, and modern technologies are developing at such a speed that even professionals have a hard time keeping up with all the new developments.
Prof. Sivrev, as a specialist you know the possibilities of the human organism. Is it possible for man to sustain himself with the so-called "elixirs of youth"?
- There are many new reports about "elixir of eternal youth", but so far there is no evidence of 100% effectiveness for any remedy. Heredity plays an important role in both longevity and youth, but the way of life also has a strong impact - nutrition, water quality, air cleanliness. While
99% of the world's funds are invested in wars and
the production of weapons, neither a cure for cancer nor a means of eternal life and youth will be discovered. Now the principle is "save yourself individually" or "the salvation of the drowning is in the hands of the drowning themselves".
Therefore - live he althy and do not repeat the mistakes of your ancestors, which became the cause of illness and early death for them. When a man has worked for many years, he should not suddenly stop his work, or if he does, he should replace it with another that is lighter, but which he likes and attracts. Of course, such people should not overwork themselves, nor overload themselves with work. Work should be as much as we enjoy doing it.
And what are your interests?
- My interests are very wide, but unfortunately for the last 5-6 years I have not had time for anything other than my direct work in the Department of Anatomy. A few years ago, in a conversation on Radio Stara Zagora, I explained that I manage to cope with all my duties by working 16 hours a day. Now the work has increased and I can't do everything even in 18 hours, so I have stopped doing many of my favorite activities. For now, I can't part with just the computer…
