2oceansvibe News | South African and international news

Sponsored by RSAWeb rss
2ov Radio
  • Home
  • About
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Seth Rotherham
  • du Cap Collection
  • Café du Cap
  • Cabine du Cap
  • Media Packs / Advertising
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Anonymous Tips
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
Seth Rotherham
  • Antarctica, 1961: Man Removes His Own Appendix

    18 Mar 2011 by Jasmine Stone in Very Cool, World
    Related Posts
    • Thursday Morning Spice
    • Crazy Video Of Researcher Trying To Close Door In Freezing Antarctic Winds [Video]
    • Meet The Mariner Who Was On A Mission To Transport An Iceberg From Antarctica To Cape Town
    • We're Jealous Of The Celebs Rich Enough To Cruise The Luxury 'Octopus' Superyacht In Antarctica, Pose With Penguins, And Snowboard
    • Cape Town Added As The New Gateway Destination For Travels To Antarctica

    In 1961 permanent stations in the Antarctic had only just been built. It was quite literally a new frontier. So when Leonid Rogozov found himself with an acute case of appendicitis, the offending organ had to be removed at the station. The only problem: He was the only man who could perform the operation.

    According the British Medical Journal:

    He knew that if he was to survive he had to undergo an operation… But he was in the frontier conditions of a newly founded Antarctic colony on the brink of the polar night. Transportation was impossible. Flying was out of the question, because of the snowstorms. And there was one further problem: he was the only physician on the base.

    So in the style of the Aaron Ralston of “127 Hours” fame, he decided to operate on himself. In his journal he recounts:

    I worked without gloves. It was hard to see. The mirror helps, but it also hinders — after all, it’s showing things backwards. I work mainly by touch. The bleeding is quite heavy, but I take my time — I try to work surely. Opening the peritoneum, I injured the blind gut and had to sew it up. Suddenly it flashed through my mind: there are more injuries here and I didn’t notice them … I grow weaker and weaker, my head starts to spin. Every 4-5 minutes I rest for 20-25 seconds. Finally, here it is, the cursed appendage! With horror I notice the dark stain at its base. That means just a day longer and it would have burst and …

    At the worst moment of removing the appendix I flagged: my heart seized up and noticeably slowed; my hands felt like rubber. Well, I thought, it’s going to end badly. And all that was left was removing the appendix … And then I realised that, basically, I was already saved.

    And only two weeks later he was working again.

    I think we all need a bit of inspiration now and then, don’t you?

    [Source : The Atlantic]

    • ← The Libyan No-Fly Zone – What It Means
    • Simon Pegg & Nick Frost Play Star Wars →
    • Tweet
    • Tags:
    • 127 hours
    • Antarctica
    • appendix
    • Leonid Rogozov

    Latest News

    • Seventeen Antonij Rupert Wines Feature In New Tim Atkin’s 2023 Special Report

      [imagesource:facebook/anthonijrupertwyne] Master of Wine, Tim Atkin, has just released ...

    • New Research Shows That Stress Is Behind South Africa’s Richest High Schoolers’ Increased Vaping

      [imagesource:pexels] We've all seen the worrying amount of high schoolers waltzing by i...

    • Take A Look Inside The World’s Largest Ever Movie Screen [Video]

      [imagesource:x/spherelasvegas] We've previously marvelled over the new mind-boggling 'f...

    • The First Female Crash Test Dummy Is Helping Prevent Accident Risks For Women

      [imagesource:freepik] In the realm of automotive safety testing, a pioneering breakthro...

    • Thrilling Trailer For The Hunger Games Prequel Drops – The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

      [imagesource:x/hungergames] After taking the world by storm and making Jennifer Lawrenc...


    • 2oceansvibe Partners

    • CONTACT US
    • GOT A HOT STORY?
    • 2oceansvibe Radio
    • 2oceansvibe Media
    • Media Pack
    • Seth Rotherham
    • Café du Cap
    • Cabine du Cap
    • Cape Town City Accommodation
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Business
    • Media
    • Entertainment
    • Tech/Sci
    • World
    • Travel
    • Lifestyle
    • Sport
    • Politics
  • Follow

    2oceansvibe.com is part of the 2oceansVibe Media Group

    DMMA Logo