The Surgeon’s Knot

About the Book

This is a heartwarming story of a young doctor training to be a surgeon. Forty years ago, despite overcrowded hospitals and a chronic shortage of supplies, young doctors struggled to provide succor to poor patients in large government hospitals as residents still do. A young resident finds himself in situations that test his humanity and ingenuity. Textbooks had exhorted him to try his hardest and that no patient is beyond care. But he realizes that the practice of surgery is vastly different from what the textbooks tell you to do. He understands that patients with incurable diseases in their last moments deserve death with dignity. During his residency, he encounters a young boy with an incurable cancer, a hemophilic, and a child with opium addiction. Some of the “frequent fliers” teach valuable lessons in empathy and the need to be nonjudgmental. He meets with a suspected child rapist, a powerful don, and a transgender who willingly donates blood to save a child. Professor Joshi, Sister Thomas, and Professor Vilas all contribute to his maturing as a surgeon. He is witness to the honesty of nurses and attendants who return a pouch full of uncut diamonds to the owner. The tragic end of Professor Joshi and Sister Thomas is narrated simply without any histrionics. These stories will touch your heart and make you smile. Many of the experiences narrated in the book will bring a sense of déjà vu to senior doctors. The aspiring surgeons will find it interesting and, hopefully, inspiring.

About the Author

Dr Shirahatti is a graduate from the Armed Forces Medical College. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He was a Commonwealth Fellow. Dr Shirahatti is a successful Surgeon who has worn several hats. He has been the Professor and Head of the GI Surgery at BYL Nair Hospital, Dean of The Lokmanya Tilak Medical College and hospital and Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital. His journey takes you through the time when he joined the Armed Forces Medical College as an immature callow youth to becoming a Resident, Consultant, Professor and Dean. His encounters with interesting people and patients with unique problems have been narrated with engaging humor.