No 13083, Tuesday 03 Nov 2020, Neyartha

Solution to 2D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance. 

ACROSS
1   Material relating to the sides of the skull (8) TEMPORAL [DD]
5   Fan making one replace old cassava root (6) MANIOC MANI(-a+o)OC (Correction - MANIAC MANI(+a-o)AC - See comments)
9   Job that may not be fully satisfying? (4-4) PART-TIME [C&DD]
10 Match venues specified in the Podesta diaries (6) STADIA [T]
11 Copy shy caliph’s broadcast pertaining to the field of some doctors’ studies (14) PSYCHOPHYSICAL*
14 Boot out the leaders of the extremely xenophobic party espousing lawlessness (5) EXPEL Acrostic
16 Affectations evident in the adjustment of the pope’s fire (9) FOPPERIES*
17 Former agent with a circular letter gets rid of the gangster by virtue of position (2,7) EX OFFICIO {EX}{OFFICIal}{O}
19 Mental ability to understand, say, a multi-dimensional surface (5) BRAIN [DD]
20 Seizures in ox? Open airstrip gets disturbed (14) EXPROPRIATIONS*
23 Vocal pair behind the auditor’s payment guarantee gets a rough shed (4-2) LEAN-TO (~lien two)
24 Jittery accompanist abandons man’s style of playing a stringed instrument (8) SPICCATO {ACCOmPanIST}*
25 Part of the small intestine upset after ingesting sulphur in the breakfast mixture (6) MUESLI {MUE{S}LI<=}
26 Tax payer with hardy animals spotted briefly (8) ASSESSEE {ASSES}{SEEn}

DOWN
1   Place in retreat to find covers (4) TOPS<=
2   Practices making an American snack to get the son to come down (5) M?R?S (Addendum - MORES (-s)MORE(+s)S - See comments)
3   Illusion preventing folks from trusting their own eyes? (7) OPTICAL [CD]
4   Major, for one, to marry at sea, skirting duty (4,7) ARMY OFFICER {ARMY{OFFICE}R*}
6   Stir erratically after finding returned Greek letter outside with the entertainer (7) ARTISTE {A{STIR*}TE<}{
7   Maiden carrying neodymium and porcelain to an Asian peninsula (4-5) INDO-CHINA {I{ND}O}{CHINA}
8   Cook recalled the departure of the French with the tune for a lullaby (6,4) CRADLE SONG {RECALleD}*{SONG}
12 A complex neural structure in seahorses (11) HIPPOCAMPUS [DD]
13 Neural structure in an animal sent up for dissection by an insurgent under Charlie (10) CEREBELLUM {E{REBEL}LUM<=}<=>{C}
15 Carbonated drink with a fertilizer component (9) PHOSPHATE [DD]
18 Altar covering in the flat’s modified to hide a raised gate (7) FRONTAL {F{NOR<=}TAL*}
19 Sweet roll made with gusto by a professional cook lacks finish (7) BRIOCHE {BRIO}{CHEf}

21 Rockets left out for the navy in some tides (5) NEAPS (-l+n)NEAPS

22 Place for a stud amongst some polo beginners (4) LOBE [T]

Reference List

One = A, Old = O, Gangster = AL, Maiden = IO, Son = S, The in French = LE, Charlie = C, Gate = NOR, Left = L, Navy = N

Dr RKE's TalePiece

The call came as Dr.RKE was finishing his breakfast of zero-added sugar wholegrain MUESLI. Sarada, the budding violin ARTISTE, admitted for epilepsy evaluation, was throwing a SEIZURE. This charming woman would suddenly turn MANIAC and violent during the seizure. The electrical storm in her BRAIN would last for 5 or 6 minutes, TOPS and after an injection of lorazepam, she would be sleeping like a baby causing one to wonder how such an angel had been a raving demon just a few moments ago. Her doting father, Krishnaswamy Menon, an ex-ARMY OFFICER, now working as a PART-TIME consultant in the hospital, used as he was to the strict MORES of military life, could not imagine that his daughter could behave so unruly. In his desperation, he had even tried to EXPEL the evil spirits that besieged his daughter’s mind by taking her to Chottanikkara Bhagavati temple.

 Dr.RKE, put aside his half-eaten bowl and left in a hurry. As he drove to the hospital, he was turning over in his mind his plan for operating on Sarada. Usually, seizures causing violent behaviour arise in the HIPPOCAMPUS, a seahorse shaped nucleus, residing deep within the TEMPORAL LOBE. In Sarada’s case, however, the problem was due to a benign tumor in her right FRONTAL lobe, close to the area that controlled her left fingers, so vital for her violin skills. The electrical overactivity that arose in the frontal lobe, spread to her medial temporal lobe causing her to switch to an aggression mode. The PSYCHOPHYSICAL tests done when she was quiet, indicated no dysfunction at all.  How can one operate on this vital area of the brain and ensure that no damage is done? The answer is awake surgery. The patient is rendered pain-free but remains conscious during the brain surgery, allowing the ‘live’ checking of the brain faculties as the surgeon enters the brain and removes the tumor.

In Sarada’s case, Dr.RKE decided to test her violin playing skill during the surgery. Her father had procured a 1/10 violin, the smallest available size, for her to play during the operation. She had been briefed about the procedure thoroughly and the brave young girl appeared calm, maybe because of the codeine PHOSPHATE premedication. Sarada is placed semi-sitting to enable her to hold the violin and play it as the surgery proceeds. The painkillers used are those that spare the function of the CEREBELLUM, so important for the motor coordination needed to test her hand dexterity. Local anaesthetic is injected to numb the scalp as Dr.RKE cuts through the scalp and trepans the skull. The brain itself does not feel any pain. Viewing under the fluorescence OPTICAL fittings of the operating microscope, the tumor appears a distinct yellow as compared to the paler brain all around. Sarada keeps asking “doctor, is it over”, right from 5 minutes of starting the procedure! The sweet notes of Sankarabharanam are flowing from her violin as Dr.RKE has asked her to play. Suddenly, she switches to the SPICCATO mode of playing. Dr.RKE’s assistant, who has no ear for music, says “Sir, something is wrong, it does not sound usual”. “Don’t you worry, she is fine. She is just playing an English note of Muthuswami Dikshithar. Before the entire song is over, the villain of the tumor is removed and the path connecting it to her hippocampus is ablated. She now switches to a melodious CRADLE SONG, a Meenakshi Thalattu, composed by Dr.RKE, as his assistant sews her up.  He gives a thumbs-up sign to Menon and says, “she will play in this December season”.