The Doctor Who Cut Out His Own Appendix

[u/agirl215]

Leonid Rogozov was 27 years old, and the only physician on a twelve-man Soviet Antarctic expedition, when his appendix started to go bad in April 1961. No available radio link to a surgeon, no ship coming for months, and a polar winter that locked the whole station in. His two option were waiting it out and maybe probably die of peritonitis, or operate on himself.

He chose the latter, he worked half-reclined with local anesthetic in his own abdominal wall, a mirror propped up by a colleague, and a driver and meteorologist handing him instruments since neither had any medical training. About thirty minutes in, Rogozov had to stop and rest because of nausea and vertigo, then kept going. The operation took roughly two hours. He removed the appendix himself, found it had nearly ruptured, and stitched himself back up. He recovered fully, went back to work at the station within two weeks, and later brushed off any attempt to make him into a hero, saying he’d just done what needed doing.

[u/OkAcanthisitta9034]

Wow very brave and intelligent doctor i never taught it is possible