Antarctic Appendectomy - 1966
Robert Burton - Antarcticans Database Project -
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The near legendary Signy appendectomy, aren't you glad this wasn't you?!
An appendectomy performed on a Kista
steward in the bio lab on the day I landed on Signy. It
shows John Baker assisting the surgeon Ron Lloyd. We had
only one pair of surgical gloves so JB is wearing an
enormous pair of gardening gauntlets.
- John Brotherhood
I had forgotten it was your first day on site, but I certainly remember the rest of the day very well. It was a huge job getting all the sheets, gowns, gloves, etc. sterilized and the only instruments we had were my old school dissection kit last used on a dogfish, but they worked. Wasn't it hard keeping our concentration in the face of all that ether (the anaesthetic)
you were dripping on the poor chap's mask. I was even more
worried that some electrical connection would create a spark
and the ether would explode, but all was well.
- John Baker
Photo; © Robert Burton