I saw a fantastic documentary last night: The English Surgeon. It follows a British neurosurgeon as he and an Ukrainian surgeon work to diagnose and treat patients in a make-shift clinic set up in a KGB hospital. The film is a fascinating look into neurosurgery, life in Ukraine, and the disparity in the level of care available in the two countries.
The film focuses on the treatment of a man suffering epilepsy brought on by a brain tumour, and shows (in graphic-but-fascinating detail) the surgery to remove it. The staff can’t perform the usual protocol where the patient is put to sleep while the skull is opened, then woken for the tumour removal (so that critical areas of the brain can be mapped and avoided), so he remains awake for the entire procedure. Amazing to watch.
Highly recommended if you’re interested in healthcare, neurology, life in Ukraine or just good documentaries in general.
The trailer (warning, a few medically graphic moments):
Where/how to see it:
- San Francisco: Catch it at the Red Vic tonight or tomorrow.
- New York: A run starts at Cinema Village on July 24th
- The DVD is available in the UK now, and comes out in the US (and Canada?) September 8th. (It’s available for queuing on Netflix and pre-order on Amazon now.)
