The Arrogance of the Scalpel: Confessions of an Unmasked Surgeon

“The scalpel allows us to act quickly and directly. It gives the illusion – and the pleasure – of fighting against the inevitability of death.” Éric Cheysson

A surgeon for over 30 years, Éric Cheysson takes a critical look at his profession through the eyes of a patient, from the first consultations to the operating room: the decisions to be made, the anguish of patients, the lives saved, the internal dysfunctions, the strange relationship between doctor and patient…. And then, in his lifelong reflection, he prompts the reader to ask the essential question: is the hospital sick?

No one ever asked Eric Cheysson if he still had good eyesight, or if he was still in control of his movements. And if the surgeon was less efficient… Who would tell him? Whereas an airplane pilot is obliged to undergo an annual medical check-up, is constantly monitored and can have his license withdrawn at any time, the surgeon has only his conscience to challenge himself. Sometimes that’s not enough.

Along with other practitioners, the author is fighting for the scalpel to be less arrogant: for evaluations to be carried out regularly to ensure the effectiveness of those who hold the life-saving scalpel in their hands!

This story, told across continents, gives us an insider’s view of the daily life of a surgeon who, through his many surgical missions for La Chaîne de l’Espoir in countries where everything is lacking and where security problems are compounded by the difficulties of intervening, can only observe the gulf that separates our healthcare systems.

About the author

Éric Cheysson divides his time between the hospital in Pontoise, where he practises, and the rest of the world, where he works for La Chaîne de l’Espoir, a French NGO he directs, whose mission is to save children condemned by disease and poverty.