When a surgeon errs in a procedure, the doctor becomes “villain and perpetrator, or at best incompetent, no longer heroic and all powerful.” So writes Dr. Henry Marsh in “Do No Harm,” a meditation on his decades-long career as one of Britain’s foremost brain surgeons. Marsh is a pioneer of “awake” brain cancer surgery, a procedure that helps limit damage to a patient’s speech and motor functions. He’ll talk about the art and science of neurosurgery and the fallibility of those who practice it.
Mentioned on air:
The Terrible Beauty of Brain Surgery (The New York Times Magazine)