DO NO HARM by Dr. Henry Marsh (Book 1 Post 1)

 Life. Paralysis. Full Recovery. What is Your Price for Brain Surgery?

Stories of Life, Death, and the Corruption of the British Healthcare System

Dr. Henry Marsh-- Head Neurosurgeon at St. George's Hospital in London for 30 years-- recollects stories of brain surgery and his own health in his memoir Do No Harm. As an aspiring physician myself, I was drawn to how Dr. Marsh addresses the role of a doctor in a terminally ill patient's life.

Typically, people look at a surgeon (especially neurosurgeon) as a superhero that will magically cure them of a serious problem. However, Dr. Marsh challenges the reader to think of a doctor as another human, and to remember that most of the mistakes surgeons make are ones of human nature, not technical error. 

  

Arteriovenous Malformations

Dr. Marsh begins each of his chapters with a medical term and tells a story of a patient and the surgery he performed. Thus far, the most interesting chapter to me has been on arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).  

  • AVMs are extra arterial masses that develop in a person's brain, lungs, and heart. They disrupt our natural blood flow in our body and can be deadly. 
  • Dr. Marsh performed a risky surgery under general anesthesia in which the AVM ruptured and the patient died. He had monitored the patient for years and it was one of the greatest losses of his career.

This chapter meant so much to me because I have AVMs myself. It is one of the reasons that I am so inspired to go into the medical field. Currently, I have a benign AVM in my brain and have had surgery to coil--close with a metal rod-- an AVM in my lung. I've been fine for nearly 10 years now, but I could relate to the patient's uncertainty and Dr. Marsh's nervousness because I live with this every day. From a patient perspective, I can confirm that I think Dr. Marsh is an amazing surgeon. Not only is he technically skilled, he demonstrates

  • empathy
  • genuine concern for the patient as a human being
  • grief and remorse when something goes wrong

 

So far, Do No Harm, has emphasized the risk of any surgery, the possibility of death in any situation, and that humanity always prevails. My main takeaway is to be kind and express your humanity to everyone you meet because you never know what a patient, physician, or just anyone is dealing with beneath the surface. I can't wait to continue reading.

  

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