A really interesting read

The powerful message delivered by Marsh in this compelling book is that doctors do not possess miraculous powers or abilities- they are like the rest of us in our daily work - merely human, striving for the best outcomes often under difficult circumstances. Like the most conscientious public service professionals, Marsh is often wracked with self doubt, guilt, frustration and is prone to self flagellation. Whilst you are left in no doubt of his outstanding technical abilities as a surgeon what most impresses itself upon the reader is his humility, compassion and humanity- qualities of equal importance. His early experiences in caring for geriatric patients and time as a junior doctor give a valuable insight into the development of the man and his progression from naïve medical student to eminent consultant. This is a journey of success, failure, arrogance and hubris that will be familiar to many professionals though fortunately for most, without the potential life changing implications for others that neurosurgeons are faced with on a daily basis. Also familiar to many readers will be the recurrent theme of political intervention into the professional world- be it Working time Directives, Health Trusts and their minions of managers, Private Finance Initiatives or government targets. In discussing his work with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence,Marsh chillingly contrasts the compassion of the medical world with that of business and government which seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatment in terms of game theory and utilities which calculate ‘Quality Adjusted Life Years.’ This brilliant book has as much to say about our humanity as it has about brain surgery.

I first read an abstract of the book in the 'Last Word' section of The Week, which was so captivating and thrilling that I bought the book almost immediately. Henry Marsh is one of the best known neurosurgeons in Britain and now close to retirement. In this book, he reflects on his career, on his successful and not so successful cases operating in people's brains. The book starts with the gory details of operating in brains and is really intense and reads like a thriller. It then changes a bit, becomes more philosophical (about life and death, patients and doctors, guilt and mistakes) and critical of the NHS. You want to get to know Henry Marsh after reading this book, and you definitely want him to be your doctor. He's funny and angry and critical and extremely competent and honest-he's the first to list all his mistakes and that he's forgotten the many patients' names who he's permanently damaged. The book is sad and moving and happy and very humane and I loved it.

I loved this. Humbling, magical, terrifying, beautifully written. We share the wonder of what our brains do for us, the fragility of the structures they depend on, the courage needed to venture into these amazing inner spaces. I couldn't put it down.

I haven't read this book yet, and I will, this is going to be a great read because Henry Marsh is a great man. I was supremely fortunate to be operated on by him some years ago, the consequence of which was a life which had become wracked with pain and wretched was transformed into one almost free from pain and worth living once again. Meeting Henry was a life affirming experience, he was breathtaking in his candour, humility and humanity. Read the book and you, too, will experience his qualities and be transfixed.