The doctor who operated on himself: How Soviet surgeon Leonid Rogozov removed his own appendix in Antarctica

Leonid Rogozov was not simply stranded in Antarctica when appendicitis struck in April 1961. He was the only doctor at a remote Soviet research station, cut off by winter weather and frozen seas. With evacuation impossible and his condition worsening, the 27-year-old surgeon prepared an operating room, recruited colleagues to assist and made the extraordinary decision to remove his own appendix.

The account was later documented in a 2009 British Medical Journal case report co-written by his son, Vladislav Rogozov.Rogozov was part of the sixth Soviet Antarctic expedition, which had sailed from Leningrad aboard the ship 'Ob' on November 5, 1960. After a 36-day journey, the team reached Antarctica and began constructing a new base at Schirmacher Oasis. The station, named Novolazarevskaya, officially opened on February 18, 1961.

Twelve people would spend the long winter there, with Rogozov serving as their sole doctor. He also worked as a meteorologist and drove the station's terrain vehicle.The expedition had arrived just before the Antarctic winter set in.