The doctor who removed the appendix for himself between Antarctica made the world admire

Having appendicitis on an expedition to Antarctica 57 years ago, Dr. Leonid Ivanovich Rogozov performed on his own.

On November 5, 1960, on the Ob, the young doctor Leonid Ivanovich Rogozov left the port of Leningrad (the former Soviet Union) to Antarctica and 12 explorers. Accepting to cut off his promising career to go on an adventure, Rogozov did not know that he would conduct a historic operation that made the whole world admire.

According to BMJ, after arriving in Antarctica for a few weeks, Rogozov began to fall ill. Having a high fever, vomiting with severe pain in the lower right corner of the abdomen, the doctor knows he has appendicitis . "I can die ," 27-year-old doctor wrote in his diary. "A snowstorm is devastating my soul."

Dr. Rogozov.(Photo: Vladislav Rogozov).

Under normal conditions, appendicitis is not life-threatening. However, at that time, Rogozov was in the distant South Pole, surrounded by nothing but thousands of square miles of snow and ice. No one can support because he is the only doctor in the group. There is a research station near where Rogozov is staying, but the weather is too bad to allow people to move. Moreover, it will be more than a year before the deadline comes back to Russia.

Lam was in a dangerous situation, Rogozov initially intended to give up. " I'm silent, even smiling. Why should I be scared of my friends?" , he confided. However, the pain intensified, forcing Rogozov to make the only idea he could think of: self-surgery for himself . "It is almost impossible. But I cannot cross my arms and surrender," said the doctor.

On the night of April 30, 1961, Rogozov planned to carry out the operation. Thanks to the members of the expedition, he arranged the operating room, removed all the furniture except the bed, two tables, a lamp. The young doctor instructs people how to transfer tools, place lamps, keep mirrors so he can see what he is doing. Besides, Rogozov also showed them how to inject drugs and artificial respiration in case he lost consciousness. Finally, Rogozov wore gloves for his colleagues.

2:00 am May 1, 1961, the surgery began. Rogozov injected himself into the abdominal area for local anesthesia. In the diary, he described: "I'm also afraid. But when I hold a novocaine needle and inject myself, I somehow switch to working mode and don't notice anything." After 15 minutes, Rogozov slashed a 10-12cm line on his abdomen in the appendix.

Dr. Rogozov performed an appendix on his own.(Photo: Vladislav Rogozov).

Describing in the diary, the doctor tried to keep calm but still sweating profusely, so that others had to clean the household. Every 4-5 minutes, he rested for 20-25 seconds. Despite the mirror, Rogozov still primarily handled with feeling . 45 minutes passed, he was exhausted and dizzy, so he stopped the surgery. The spectacle of Rogozov now makes the entire team members " extremely uncomfortable" and "just want to run away".

Rest a few minutes, Rogozov continued. As a result, after an hour and 45 minutes of self-surgery, he successfully cut the " cursed bowel" and sewed his stomach. Before taking sleeping pills, Rogozov instructed his partner to help him clean and dispose of surgical equipment. "I thought it would end badly," the doctor said. "Then I realized, basically, I was saved."

Taking medicine for 4 days, health Rogozov gradually recovered. On the fifth day, his body temperature returned to normal and then a week of removing the incision. Within 2 weeks, the 27-year-old physician returned to the task at the research station.

More than a year after the autopsy, Dr. Rogosov returned home.(Photo: Vladislav Rogozov).

More than a year after the historic operation, a team of Soviet experts left Antarctica. On May 29, 1962, they arrived at Leningrad harbor. Without waiting, Rogozov immediately worked. Towards the end of his life, he worked and taught at the Leningrad Medical Institute's Surgery Department.

Considered the first case of successful self-surgery in harsh environments, Rogozov became a symbol of determination and vital will. In particular, he resolutely refused to honor any award that was honored with the excuse: "It is just as normal as any other thing".

On September 21, 2000, Dr. Rogozov died at the age of 66.