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Memoirs of a Surgeon

Preprint in Current Medicine Research and Practice · November 2020

DOI: 10.4103/cmrp.cmrp_30_20

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VOLUME
10

•

ISSUE
5

•

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
2020 ISSN

2352-0817

Current Medicine
Research and Practice
www.cmrpjournal.org

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An
Official
Publication
of
Sir
Ganga
Ram
Hospital
 Book Review
A journey of a successful surgeon
Vinod K. Malik*
Department of General Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India
Title: Memoirs of a Surgeon beyond Incisions, Blood and Sweat
Author: S. M. Bose
Publisher: Ezee Print
Place of Publication: Delhi
Edition: 1st Edition
Year of Publication: July, 2020
Page: 282
Price INR: 600
It is not every day that an eminent man of medicine writes a
book, when such a person happens to be a former Head of
Department of Surgery at the prestigious PGI Chandigarh,
President of many professional bodies including the iconic
Association of Surgeons of India least we are expected is to
take note and try to decipher how he achieved so much?
How he prepared himself for a successful career, or what
contributed to the success that he had in his career? Can
younger colleagues take a leaf out of his life’s journey and
make their lives satisfying?
The book traces the journey of Prof SM Bose from high school
in Indore all the way to his occupying the exalted Chair of the
Department of Surgery at Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research, Chandigarh.
Dr. Bose recounts the events in his personal and professional
journey with effortless ease while making readers ringside
spectators to the going ons. Written in simple English, the
Memoirs make for absorbing reading. The book has many
Submitted: 01‑Sep‑2020   Accepted: 05‑Sep‑2020   Available Online: 29-Oct-2020
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DOI:
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vintage pictures pulled out of family albums, these pictures
add value to the book giving a visual dimension to the
times that book aims to capture. Part autobiographical, part
contextual: The book offers a peep into the life and times of
Dr. Bose. Memoirs shed light on the surgical practices of the
time and the writer’s penchant for sensing changing trends in
his specialty and be an agent of change himself. Noteworthy is
his role in testing and popularising newer thought processes
in many areas of surgery, like breast conserervation for
cancer breast, minimally access surgery for gall bladder
and non‑operative treatment for abdominal trauma. Dr.
Bose would had the satisfaction of seeing these approaches
becoming acceptable treatment options in his lifetime.
The book is enhanced by the reminiscences, anecdotes and
tributes penned by friends, colleagues and residents of Dr.
Bose. These anecdotes offer insight on events and happenings
that take place all around in a busy hospital, e.g., violence
against junior doctors, violent patient slapping a doctor
*Address for correspondence: Prof. Vinod K. Malik,
Department of General Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,
New Delhi ‑ 110 060, India.
E‑mail: vinod.k.malik@gmail.com
This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix,
tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and
the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
How to cite this article: Malik VK. A journey of a successful surgeon.
Curr Med Res Pract 2020;10:251-2.
251
 Book Review
or overbearing politicians and bureaucrats trying to break
the rules. The way the author handled such situations can
offer a useful roadmap for trainees to respond under similar
circumstances. The reminiscences of seniors, colleagues,
trainees and friends bring in sharper focus the qualities of the
author that in their views contributed to the making of the
legend. His capacity to work hard, being cool under pressure,
ready to try new things, exceptional organising skills, keen
interest in fine arts, taking an avid interest in mentoring and
training the trainees and being helpful in general to people
needing help are qualities of head and heart that come as a
recurring theme in the memories shared by these worthies.
The family is a great anchor for all successful people and
plays a central role in work‑life balance. The tribute to their
Dad penned by the Bose daughters shows this side of the person
only known to kids. The girls have captured a very endearing
view of their Dad who multi‑tasked from OR to tuition to dance
classes to provide a wholesome upbringing.
His conviction for justice comes out loud and clear when he
narrates his fight for securing justice for himself in a botched
selection process for the post of professor of surgery at
252 Current Medicine Research and Practice / Volume 10 / Issue 5 / September-October 2020
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AIIMS from the Supreme Court. The story narrated in greater
length in the book shows how politicised were the selection
processes in the country then, and whether they have become
fairer now, is anyone’s guess?
Though trivial, I must mention a few deficiencies or
inaccuracies: On page 6 caption of the photo says that he
is receiving Dr. BC Roy award from President Venkatraman,
though it is Dr. K. R. Narayanan who is doing the honours,
and on page 155 author mistakenly confuses Dr. Tehmeton
Udwadia with some Dr. Thempton DeSuoza for performing
the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in India. The pictures
especially the older ones could have been sharper. These are
minor distractions, but overall the book is an enjoyable read
that gives a deep insight into the personality of the author.
The life of successful people can provide a template for success
to young people, the autobiography penned by Dr. Bose can
be that template to the young surgeons in their journey. As
Nepolean Hill writes, ‘Successful people move on their own
initiative, but they know where they are going before they
start…’ It is in telling where they are headed that the book
might find relevance in the lives of future leaders in the field.