Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon - A Profound Medical Memoir
The 2017 National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Finalist, International Bestseller, and a Kirkus Best Nonfiction Book of 2017!
"Marsh has retired, which means he's taking a thorough inventory of his life. His reflections and recollections make Admissions an even more introspective memoir than his first, if such a thing is possible." --The New York Times
"Disarmingly frank storytelling...his reflections on death and dying equal those in Atul Gawande's excellent Being Mortal." --The Economist
A Neurosurgeon's Introspective Journey
Henry Marsh has spent forty years operating on the surgical frontline as a consultant neurosurgeon. This compelling memoir follows the New York Times bestseller Do No Harm, documenting Marsh's transition from full-time practice in England to pro bono work in Ukraine and Nepal. His experiences in these impoverished countries provide profound insights into medical practice under challenging conditions.
Admissions confronts the burden of responsibility inherent in reducing human suffering. Marsh unearthing memories from his early days as a medical student and the formative experiences that shaped his surgical career. He examines the fundamental difficulties of a profession dealing in probabilities rather than certainties, where the instinct to prolong life can sometimes result in tragic consequences for patients and their families.
Reflections on Medicine, Mortality, and Meaning
This introspective work explores what four decades of handling the human brain has taught one of Britain's most celebrated neurosurgeons. As Marsh approaches the end of his professional career, he discovers a different purpose in life and gains fresh understanding of what ultimately matters. His frank storytelling addresses death and dying with the same depth found in Atul Gawande's Being Mortal, offering readers an unflinching look at medical decision-making and human vulnerability.
About Henry Marsh
Henry Marsh studied medicine at the Royal Free Hospital in London, became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1984, and was appointed Consultant Neurosurgeon at Atkinson Morley's/St George's Hospital in London in 1987. He has been the subject of two documentary films: Your Life in Their Hands, which won the Royal Television Society Gold Medal, and The English Surgeon, which won an Emmy. He was made a CBE in 2010. His previous memoir Do No Harm became a New York Times bestseller, establishing him as a masterful medical writer.
