The impressive story of Leonid Rogozov, the man who operated on himself
Appendicitis is one of those conditions that gives little warning and once it appears, it only gets worse until two things happen: it is either removed by surgery or it bursts causing peritonitis and possibly death.
Leonid Rogozov, a then 27-year-old Russian surgeon, was part of a team of Russian explorers in Antarctica and, much to his regret, the only doctor. So when he self-diagnosed appendicitis, he knew that his life depended on him alone.
In 1961, the first explorations in Antarctica were just being carried out and the somewhat more advanced bases we know today simply did not exist, so conditions were adverse.
Rogozov, whom we could put in the same category as Chuck Norris, opted to use the scalpel himself.
While he had assistance from his escorts, they had no medical training.
Imagine cutting your abdomen with a scalpel and using your hands to explore the abdominal cavity without anesthesia. That’s what Leonid Rogozov had to do in his self-surgery, an experience you wouldn’t wish on anyone.
With two assistants playing the role of arsenal workers, he used what little local anesthetic he had and in a precariously lit room, proceeded to make the incision in his abdomen while enduring the pain.
The local anesthetic was only useful in the first cut, but Leonid Rogozov was focused and determined to save his life and not end up as a frozen corpse. While he tried using a mirror to visualize his insides, it complicated him by giving him an upside-down image.
Using his knowledge of anatomy, he took off his gloves and, opening the peritoneum, began to check his internal organs until he found his appendix, which was infected and ready to explode.
After removing it, he closed the wounds himself, and after the operation, he took antibiotics and sleeping pills. After two weeks, he resumed his normal duties on the Antarctic expedition for another year.
When he returned to Russia, he was considered a hero for his courage, but I think it was enough for Leonid Rogozov to know that he saved his life thanks to his concentration and surgical skills.
The story of Leonid Rogozov cannot be repeated, at least in expeditions to remote and difficult to access places, since those who participate in them undergo surgery to remove their appendages, thus avoiding what this brave man with nerves of steel suffered.
