Russian Roulette, 1961

“I did not sleep at all last night. It hurts like the devil! A snowstorm whipping through my soul, wailing like a hundred jackals. Still no obvious symptoms that perforation is imminent, but an oppressive feeling of foreboding hangs over me… This is it… I have to think through the only possible way out: to operate on myself…It’s almost impossible…but I can’t just fold my arms and give up”

-Leonid Rogozov journal entry

Leonid Rogozov (R) playing with penguins in Antarctica 1961

Russian Roulette

In the most remote outpost in the world, Novolazarevskaya Station in Antarctica, A Russian team is on a 2 year Antarctic Expedition in 1961.

The teams only doctor, Leonid Rogozov, discovers a life threatening problem with a team member that will need immediate surgery to save their life. Problem is he is the one needing the surgery…

“It seems that I have appendicitis. I am keeping quiet about it, even smiling. Why frighten my friends? Who could be of help? A polar explorer’s only encounter with medicine is likely to have been in a dentist’s chair”.

– Leonid Rogozov journal entry

Knowing no other alternative exist for survival, at 2am Rogozov started his own surgery by making the first incision into his own flesh…

“When Rogozov had made the incision and was manipulating his own innards as he removed the appendix, his intestine gurgled, which was highly unpleasant for us; it made one want to turn away, flee, not look—but I kept my head and stayed. Artemev and Teplinsky also held their places, although it later turned out they had both gone quite dizzy and were close to fainting… Rogozov himself was calm and focused on his work, but sweat was running down his face and he frequently asked Teplinsky to wipe his forehead… The operation ended at 4 am local time. By the end, Rogozov was very pale and obviously tired, but he finished everything off.”

– Team members and impromptu surgery staff, a driver and meteorologist, who were providing instruments and holding a mirror to observe areas not directly visible

Dr. Leonid Rogozov operating on himself to remove his appendix in Antarctica, 1961

After 30-40 minutes of surgery Dr. Rogozov started taking breaks for “general weakness and vertigo”… A hour and 45 minutes later exhausted, weakened and pale, a success…

“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 realized that, basically, I was already saved”.

– Leonid Rogozov journal entry

Leonid Rogozov lying down talking to his friend Yuri Vereschagin days after his self surgery