“It is good to do uncomfortable things. It is weight training for life…”
Andre Lorde
In the late 1990s, I was approached by a GP referrer with an unexpected request. Could I take his appendix out next week? Why? He was off to over winter in Antarctica as a base medical officer. It turns out that not everyone heading south needs their appendix out, but the doctor does. The logic behind this precaution dates back to 1961. Dr Leonid Rogozov was part of that year’s Soviet Polar Expedition. In the midst of the winter isolation period, he developed appendicitis. With no other option, he performed his own appendicectomy under local anaesthesia. It was risky, harrowing, bloody and potentially catastrophic. Polar exploration programs now ensure their doctors are appendex free before leaving the relative safety of home.. #hopeitwasntlillywhite #letsmakelemonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 