I watched an utterly amazing documentary this evening borrowed from the local library. It is called "The English Surgeon" which seems like a rather humble title, in my opinion, for an extremely remarkable man.

Dr. Henry Marsh is a renown neurosurgeon at one of London's top hospitals, yet since 1992 he has spent much of his free time helping, operating, and trying to improve medical conditions in the Ukraine. The film follows him on one of his trips to a Ukrainian hospital which we see is full of desperate patients and makeshift equipment. In his suitcase is 'old' equipment which has been discarded by his British hospital, yet is received with joy by his Ukrainian counterpart. Drill bits which are used once in London then discarded, are made to be used for 10 years in the Ukrainian hospital.

Indeed this film is not for the squeamish. In one part it shows Dr. Marsh operating on a patients' brain using only a local anesthetic (I had to look away during parts of that) the patient is alert and talking throughout, and the doctors use a handyman's Bosch cordless drill to gain access into the brain. The operation was a success despite the drill running rather low on power in the middle!

This is an intimate portrait of a true humanitarian.