In 1961, Leonid Rogozov’s appendix needed to be removed.
The interesting thing about this is that he performed the surgery himself.
The very interesting thing about this is where he did it.
Where was he when he removed is own appendix?
The first new player to comment on the website with the correct answer wins a free drink at their next iQ Trivia show.
Antarcica
That’s where he was.
South Pole
Not EXACTLY, but that certainly gets the gist of the question.
Antarctica
He was at a Soviet Antarctic research station and was the only medical doctor at the site. He had non medical assistants who handed him the instruments but did all the surgical work himself. He used a local anaesthetic.
I am probably the only person in your audience who recalls it being in the news at the time. I admit to cheating a little as although I correctly thought it was the Antarctic, I checked to be sure it wasn’t in a space capsule.
Yes he couldn’t take too much to dull the pain without dulling his surgical skills.
And yes, it would have been news at the time.
Finally, it would be interesting to know how an appendectomy (or really any invasive surgical procedure) would work in the microgravity of space.