Admissions

Life as a Brain Surgeon

By: Henry Marsh

Narrated by: Henry Marsh

This program is read by the author

An International Bestseller

"Consistently entertaining...Honesty is abundantly apparent here--a quality as rare and commendable in elite surgeons as one suspects it is in memoirists." —The Guardian

"Disarmingly frank storytelling...his reflections on death and dying equal those in Atul Gawande's excellent Being Mortal." —The Economist

Henry Marsh has spent a lifetime operating on the surgical frontline. There have been exhilarating highs and devastating lows, but his love for the practice of neurosurgery has never wavered.

Following the publication of his celebrated New York Times bestseller Do No Harm, Marsh retired from his full-time job in England to work pro bono in Ukraine and Nepal. In Admissions he describes the difficulties of working in these troubled, impoverished countries and the further insights it has given him into the practice of medicine.

Marsh also faces up to the burden of responsibility that can come with trying to reduce human suffering. Unearthing memories of his early days as a medical student, and the experiences that shaped him as a young surgeon, he explores the difficulties of a profession that deals in probabilities rather than certainties, and where the overwhelming urge to prolong life can come at a tragic cost for patients and those who love them.

Reflecting on what forty years of handling the human brain has taught him, Marsh finds a different purpose in life as he approaches the end of his professional career and a fresh understanding of what matters to us all in the end.

My Favorite of 2017!

Thoughtful and honest about his failures and successes as a surgeon and unfailingly compassionate toward his patients. Narration by the author is a plus. Enjoyed all the idiosyncrasies of British pronunciation!

Great content, narration difficult

This was fascinating neurosurgery insight! The look into Nepal and Ukraine, as well as the cautionary tale of the NHS were eye opening. The arrangement of the book skipped around so much in place and time it was confusing, and the narrator/author spoke very quickly in that doctors rushed style, which required me to repeat often. Great overall, though!

Soul searching and searingly honest reflection of an English neurosurgeon

Having read it himself, Dr. Marsh adds power,depth and texture to a story that is at once fantastic and charmed and at the same time approachable and flawed. I've probably listened to this book 3-4 times and hear something new with each chapter I revisit. the only chapter I find myself uncomfortable with is his thoughts on assisted suicide that seem an odd bookend to a life spent in sacrifice and service of healing.

honest and sad

Somewhat haunting as Dr. Marsh recounts his many missteps, but his honesty and delivery are extraordinary.

Very special!

Somewhat unusually introspective narrative written and voiced by the author. I would love to meet this gentleman, who has achieved an evidently satisfactory amount of professional and personal success. His work in the U.K., as well as overseas in Nepal and other areas, has brought him the deep understanding of other customs and moralities, and the attendant treatment of patients.
Moving into retirement somewhat unhappily, having started the process in a fit of pique, he tells the story of the cottage that will be his last retirement project, and the talents he will need to
revive it. I would love to see the results of his labors!
As a medical retiree, I can relate to his stories and understand most of his frustrations; he is a very good narrator, and does a wonderful job.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, and will reccommend it to everyone!