The Doctor Who Operated on Himself — And Lived episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 20, 2025 · 10 MIN

The Doctor Who Operated on Himself — And Lived

from Outlandish Medical Stories · host Outlandish Medicine

In 1961, a young Soviet doctor stationed in Antarctica faced an impossible decision.He had acute appendicitis — a condition that would kill him within days.There was no hospital. No rescue plane. No surgeon.And he was the only doctor on the entire continent.With blizzards grounding all flights and death closing in, Dr. Leonid Rogozov made a decision no one should ever have to make: he would perform his own appendectomy.Using only local anesthesia, a mirror, and two untrained assistants, Rogozov cut into his own abdomen in one of the most extreme medical survival stories ever recorded.This podcast breaks down:How the operation was performedWhy evacuation was impossibleWhat went wrong during the surgeryHow he survived against all oddsWhy this case is still studied in medical schools todayThis is not fiction.This is not exaggeration.This is one of the most unbelievable true stories in medical history.If you’re fascinated by real-life survival stories, extreme medicine, and the limits of the human body, you’re in the right place.🧠 Subscribe for more true medical mysteries, impossible survivals, and real stories that sound fake — but aren’t.

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The Doctor Who Operated on Himself — And Lived

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How long is this episode of Outlandish Medical Stories?

This episode is 10 minutes long.

When was this Outlandish Medical Stories episode published?

This episode was published on December 20, 2025.

What is this episode about?

In 1961, a young Soviet doctor stationed in Antarctica faced an impossible decision.He had acute appendicitis — a condition that would kill him within days.There was no hospital. No rescue plane. No surgeon.And he was the only doctor on the entire...

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