Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery
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- Create Date：2021-08-15 09:55:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Henry Marsh
- ISBN：178022592X
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Summary
What is it like to be a brain surgeon？ How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands， to cut into the stuff that creates thought， feeling， and reason？ How do you live with the consequences of performing a potentially lifesaving operation when it all goes wrong？
In neurosurgery， more than in any other branch of medicine， the doctor's oath to "do no harm" holds a bitter irony。 Operations on the brain carry grave risks。 Every day， leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh must make agonizing decisions， often in the face of great urgency and uncertainty。
In neurosurgery， more than in any other branch of medicine， the doctor's oath to "do no harm" holds a bitter irony。 Operations on the brain carry grave risks。 Every day， leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh must make agonizing decisions， often in the face of great urgency and uncertainty。
Reviews
Rossella Rizzo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 bellissimo libro， da una visione del lato medico e dell'introspezione personale di un medico affermato che non smette mai di mettersi in discussione bellissimo libro， da una visione del lato medico e dell'introspezione personale di un medico affermato che non smette mai di mettersi in discussione 。。。more
Meryl Lam
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henry marsh manages to remain humble in his storytelling even though he is such a well respected and renowned neurosurgeon。 he is very aware of his own failures and shortcomings and still notices the great feat of his achievements。 this book details the frightening and depressing realities of being a doctor and highlights the ethical dilemmas a neurosurgeon has to face on a daily basis。
Sharla Courtenay
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Loved this book！！！ I want to read his follow up book as well。
Caroline
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so so so good and so moving and felt like home in a way？ i know i'm on the right path。"but i then thought of how the value of my work as a doctor is measured solely in the value of other people's lives。。。" && "hope is beyond price and the pharmaceutical companies， which are run by businessmen not altruists， price their products accordingly。" so so so good and so moving and felt like home in a way？ i know i'm on the right path。"but i then thought of how the value of my work as a doctor is measured solely in the value of other people's lives。。。" && "hope is beyond price and the pharmaceutical companies， which are run by businessmen not altruists， price their products accordingly。" 。。。more
Megan Lord
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really great read though I get massive “superiority complex” vibes （not surprising considering he’s a neurosurgeon）
Sarah de Tollenaere
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So it took me 6 years to finally comple it but wauw！ I loved this so much。
Falzl
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I think Mr Marsh did an awesome job turning a rather grim and scientific （yet incredibly interesting） topic into such a pageturner。 I literally could not stop reading。
Faris
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Bogato kliničko iskustvo neurohirurg Henri Marš uspio je prenijeti čitaocima na jednostavan način， razumljivim jezikom i dovoljno široko da se laiku ne čini neshvatljivim ono što čita， a s druge strane pružio je mogućnost da se čitalac kroz 300 stranica knjige uživi u bolničko okruženje， moralna， etička i previranja savjesti jednog ljekara。 Sve preporuke， posebno za one koji interes vide u medicini bavili se ovom poslom ili ne。
Amal Alwadi
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This gotta sound quite weird but regardless of it being a medical journal yet I felt the need to know what's gonna happen next。 Dr。 Marsh's ability to deliver such stories about life and death is remarkable， especially that these stories have led him to misery all the way through his medical career。 Four decades of medical experience and he is yet in full reconciliation with failure。 Reading through this beautifully written journal made me come to terms with my failures， made me love and embrace This gotta sound quite weird but regardless of it being a medical journal yet I felt the need to know what's gonna happen next。 Dr。 Marsh's ability to deliver such stories about life and death is remarkable， especially that these stories have led him to misery all the way through his medical career。 Four decades of medical experience and he is yet in full reconciliation with failure。 Reading through this beautifully written journal made me come to terms with my failures， made me love and embrace them as they make me who really am and will be。 I loved how he talked with relief about his fears， as if he's still living them which as matter of fact he still is， and you can sense it throughout the whole reading journey。 What caught my attention the most is how transparent he was with all his feelings in every story he had narrated， as if the surgeon cap was discarded allowing him to speak humanely about his fears， thoughts and emotions。 One of the books I don't mind reading again twice and thrice。 Super inspiring， sentimental， educative and enjoyable。 Heads up to this amazing work！ 。。。more
Faye M
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Very informative， and a nice window into life as a neurosurgeon。 I particularly like how medical terms are used， and explained so its available to non-medics
Mary Thompson
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Great perspective from a brain surgeon。 Really made me think and made me more sympathetic to what doctors have to go through。
Neel Lohit
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I loved and hated this book in equal measure。 Loved because the stories are absolutely riveting and showed not only the complexities of neurosurgery but also exposed the neurosurgeon as a fallible， bone-and-flesh human with the same sort of emotions and indecisiveness as plagues the patients。 Hated it because it showed how fragile human life is and it's nothing short of a miracle that things don't go wrong。 I projected myself as the patient and went through the emotions of ending up paralysed or I loved and hated this book in equal measure。 Loved because the stories are absolutely riveting and showed not only the complexities of neurosurgery but also exposed the neurosurgeon as a fallible， bone-and-flesh human with the same sort of emotions and indecisiveness as plagues the patients。 Hated it because it showed how fragile human life is and it's nothing short of a miracle that things don't go wrong。 I projected myself as the patient and went through the emotions of ending up paralysed or dead or in a vegetative state and sometimes recovered for a while。 This is a very candid book about Henry Marsh's very， many failures that eventually made him the expert surgeon that he is today。 It showed him living with guilt， remorse and passionately caring for his patients， while at the same time riling against the bureaucracy and the management aspects of the NHS。Highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Ali M
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A fascinating look at the career of British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh。 It made me glad I don’t have to live in a country with the NHS （but I suppose it’s all relative and if I lived in Ukraine I would probably think it would be amazing）。 I appreciated Marsh’s very mature view of life， death and treatment。 Just because we can treat something doesn’t mean we should。 He seems to be the rare surgeon who counsels against treatment when the possible down sides outweigh the benefits。As much as I enjoyed A fascinating look at the career of British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh。 It made me glad I don’t have to live in a country with the NHS （but I suppose it’s all relative and if I lived in Ukraine I would probably think it would be amazing）。 I appreciated Marsh’s very mature view of life， death and treatment。 Just because we can treat something doesn’t mean we should。 He seems to be the rare surgeon who counsels against treatment when the possible down sides outweigh the benefits。As much as I enjoyed Marsh’s perspective I found the book repetitive in parts。 。。。more
Robyn
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I have just been diagnosed with a somewhat rare condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and it mimics the symptoms of a brain tumor， so it involves a lot of diagnostics with neurology to get all the needed information。 I morbidly decided now was the time to read this book。 I liked it。 I am a very curious person and I get a thrill from nonfiction and learning about medical procedures and facts。 This book discusses a different neurological condition and resulting surgery for each cha I have just been diagnosed with a somewhat rare condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension and it mimics the symptoms of a brain tumor， so it involves a lot of diagnostics with neurology to get all the needed information。 I morbidly decided now was the time to read this book。 I liked it。 I am a very curious person and I get a thrill from nonfiction and learning about medical procedures and facts。 This book discusses a different neurological condition and resulting surgery for each chapter and I was so fascinated by it！ One of the tumors was even exactly the symptoms I have been experiencing and that was pretty interesting to read through。I also liked Henry's candor， stories about the personal exchanges with patients and their families， and how his life outside of the hospital was affected by it。 His charity work was also impressive。The drawback is that he is brilliant and in order to be that brilliant， you have to be kind of a pompous asshole。 He was astonished and offended when people didn't treat him like royalty where ever he went。 He was a dick to people he worked with directly and had no respect for folks in a lesser paygrade。 He had tantrums。 He acted unprofessionally with patients and their families - granted， this is okay sometimes when it is in a sympathetic way， but I am speaking to when he was just frustrated and unloading things that these folks don't need to have on their plates。 He hates the medical system and the new technologies he has to work with and he very clearly thinks he is being limited by all of it。 Less ranting about this would have made the book more enjoyable for me， but I skimmed through those parts， so no big deal。Overall， if you are squeamish about detailed descriptions of medical stuff， or can't get past Dr。 Marsh's ego， you probably you won't like it。 I am glad to have read this， it was mostly good， just not 5 stars good。 。。。more
Bookishclassic
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Although sounding promising and very interesting， this book proved to be very repetitive， putting emphasis on day to day hospital management problems （lack of beds， new admission rules etc。） Rather than full of moral take outs from the doctor's experience。Most stories sounded the same and unfortunately I felt like this book was a waste of my time。 Although sounding promising and very interesting， this book proved to be very repetitive， putting emphasis on day to day hospital management problems （lack of beds， new admission rules etc。） Rather than full of moral take outs from the doctor's experience。Most stories sounded the same and unfortunately I felt like this book was a waste of my time。 。。。more
Buo
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This is a spectacular read， albeit scary。 Marsh is humble in the way that he only talks about his mistakes and regrets， yet he's actually a renowned and excellent doctor。 And yet he's still arrogant in the way neurosurgeons tend to be。 I balked at how openly he talked about misdiagnosis and surgical errors that he made， it's amazing that he can own up to them。 Each chapter is named after a medical condition which one of his patients had， and he talks about what's special about that particular ca This is a spectacular read， albeit scary。 Marsh is humble in the way that he only talks about his mistakes and regrets， yet he's actually a renowned and excellent doctor。 And yet he's still arrogant in the way neurosurgeons tend to be。 I balked at how openly he talked about misdiagnosis and surgical errors that he made， it's amazing that he can own up to them。 Each chapter is named after a medical condition which one of his patients had， and he talks about what's special about that particular case and person， linking it to his own personal life， and complaining a shit ton about the NHS。 。。。more
Shelby
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3 stars。 The patient stories are very interesting。 But you can tell it was written by an old white guy in a position of power。 The tone is very anti-administration。 It looks down on bureaucratic necessities。 Like trust workers are there to annoy him， not protect him and the hospital from getting sued， etc。 Also， he references shouting in anger and throwing things across a room in frustration several times。 Something only an old white guy in power could get away with admitting and even somewhat j 3 stars。 The patient stories are very interesting。 But you can tell it was written by an old white guy in a position of power。 The tone is very anti-administration。 It looks down on bureaucratic necessities。 Like trust workers are there to annoy him， not protect him and the hospital from getting sued， etc。 Also， he references shouting in anger and throwing things across a room in frustration several times。 Something only an old white guy in power could get away with admitting and even somewhat joking about and not be self aware about how it would come across。 I've no doubt he was a very good surgeon and cared very much about his patients but like， get a grip lol 。。。more
Sarah Gregory
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I could not put this book down - partly helped by the extremely hot weather which meant sitting in the shade with a cool drink！ The subject matter is fascinating， full of case studies and drama but it is the quality of the writing that I so appreciated。 Each chapter is beautifully planned as a series of short stories which carry the reader with them。 I shall definitely try to get his other book ，"Admissions" and see the films made about his work in the Ukraine。 I remember travelling in the Ukrai I could not put this book down - partly helped by the extremely hot weather which meant sitting in the shade with a cool drink！ The subject matter is fascinating， full of case studies and drama but it is the quality of the writing that I so appreciated。 Each chapter is beautifully planned as a series of short stories which carry the reader with them。 I shall definitely try to get his other book ，"Admissions" and see the films made about his work in the Ukraine。 I remember travelling in the Ukraine to see the birds of the Pripiat Marshes and this book brought those memories right back。 。。。more
Judy Li
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3。5
Ashank Shreyash
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Just Awesome。 Loved The Grip In The Story And Truthfulness That They Are Being Served With！ Loved It。 A Must Read。
Joice
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Ця книга про амбіції та поразки лікаря нейрохірурга， про недосконалість англійської медицини， про термінальних хворих， про тягар вибору оперувати деяких пацієнтів або ні （більш не боротися за їхнє життя）， про те як лікар може в свою чергу стати пацієнтом і як себе почуває в цій незвичний для нього ролі， про плачевний стан української нейрохірургії （автор книги оперував українських пацієнтів теж）
Ioana Chiriac-Moruzzi
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"E greu să nu faci nimic。。。 Dar moartea nu este întotdeauna un rezultat rău， știi， iar o moarte rapidă poate fi mai bună decât una lentă。" "E greu să nu faci nimic。。。 Dar moartea nu este întotdeauna un rezultat rău， știi， iar o moarte rapidă poate fi mai bună decât una lentă。" 。。。more
Ash’s Books
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Do No Harm was very intense。 A book about neurosurgery that I definitely wouldn’t normally read！ There were a lot of sad stories so it’s not a book you can binge read。 It’s more about the emotional side of being a surgeon and the decisions and consequences。 I learnt a lot about the profession and it makes me think about all of the things neurosurgeons have to deal with on a daily basis。 I certainly couldn’t do it！ As it says on the cover， it was painfully honest。
Jessica Hughes
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This was beautiful， sensitive， yet informative and engaging。 I laughed and I sniffled， I cursed and I cheered。Dr。 Marsh takes dealing wirh the brain and explains things in a way that is all very human and undeniably British -- not overwhelmingly technological。
Patty Simpson
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This book affected me more than anything I've read for some time。 I have a "manageable" but incurable cancer and while I'm currently 5 years into remission， I know that my cancer will recur and eventually kill me， unless a cure is found in the not too distant future。Henry Marsh's book is about neurology and the horrors of brain tumours， not about my kind of cancer。 But much of what he discusses is universal - it's about how people face a terminal prognosis; it's about how hospitals treat patient This book affected me more than anything I've read for some time。 I have a "manageable" but incurable cancer and while I'm currently 5 years into remission， I know that my cancer will recur and eventually kill me， unless a cure is found in the not too distant future。Henry Marsh's book is about neurology and the horrors of brain tumours， not about my kind of cancer。 But much of what he discusses is universal - it's about how people face a terminal prognosis; it's about how hospitals treat patients; it's about how doctors interact with， and feel about， their patients。 it has made me think about my prognosis again， from a new perspective。 It's not entirely positive or entirely negative but it feels profound。It's a very honest book。 Dr。 Marsh admits that he's arrogant， short tempered， and often unlikeable。 At the same time， it's clear that he establishes bonds with his patients， castigates himself for his failures more than anyone else ever could， and has learned some wisdom with his years of experience。 He continues to have no patience or even tolerance for beaurocracy and middle-managers， to the point that he's horribly rude。 But it's clear that he is a patient advocate， who resents changes and requirements that he feels are pointless and/or damage the patients' experience。 While he suffers some from remembering the past too fondly， he does at least occasionally recognize that there have been some improvements in health and safety that make sense and improve things overall。It's an excellent book， regardless of whether or not the author is likeable。 。。。more
Diane
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4。5！ Amazing stories from a neurologist who has had many years of experience。 His job sounds rather thankless， as there are so many failures （some long-term） due to the nature of cancer and blood vessel deformities。 I was completely unaware of neurology as a whole and learned a great amount。
Jannette Tacka
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Entertaining must read to understand the nuisances associated with brain surgery。 Covers a multitude of tumors。 Questions you should ask your surgeon。 Feelings you may encounter as a patient and family。 Documentary: The English Surgeon - watch next list。 Details his trips to Ukraine to perform difficult brain surgeries。He comes across pompous but I feel his strong personality is part of what makes him such a capable surgeon。 Appreciated his distain for bureaucracy。 👏
Z
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Read more reviews at https://keepthatpageturning。wordpress。。。To me， this book is the child of The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat and This Is Going To Hurt。 Having read all three back-to-back， I can confidently say that Do No Harm takes Oliver Sacks' charming and technical prose and adds a healthy dose of the honesty and humour in Adam Kay's This Is Going To Hurt。 Not overly technical yet not assuming I'm a dunce either， Marsh succeeded in creating quite an enjoyable read that I genuinely wan Read more reviews at https://keepthatpageturning。wordpress。。。To me， this book is the child of The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat and This Is Going To Hurt。 Having read all three back-to-back， I can confidently say that Do No Harm takes Oliver Sacks' charming and technical prose and adds a healthy dose of the honesty and humour in Adam Kay's This Is Going To Hurt。 Not overly technical yet not assuming I'm a dunce either， Marsh succeeded in creating quite an enjoyable read that I genuinely wanted to pick up。 （Sorry about that， Dr Sacks！） 。。。more
Rita Simon
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Bonnie_blu
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