In 'And Finally,' a neurosurgeon comes to terms with his own cancer diagnosis

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 8 February 2023

⏱️ 8 minutes

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Summary

Early on in today's episode, NPR's Scott Simon asks Dr. Henry Marsh a question – how could a medical professional miss the signs that they themselves are ill? Marsh, the neurosurgeon behind the new book, And Finally, answers quite simply. He tells Simon that it's common for doctors to feel consciously detached from what it's like to be on the other side of the examination table and, on a more subconscious level, to be in denial about their own ailments. That's what happened to him with his advanced prostate cancer diagnosis – and he explains it's not easy to go from surgeon to patient.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Linda Holmes. When you think about a positive attitude,
0:07.7	maybe it sounds like it's about the promise of the future. But what if a positive attitude is about
0:13.3	making it so that the future doesn't even matter at all? Dr. Henry Marsh is a celebrated
0:19.0	British neurosurgeon. He's written books already about his experiences
0:22.8	working with the brain, but his life took a turn a couple of years ago when he was told he had
0:28.0	advanced prostate cancer. He writes about it in his new book, and finally. By the way, if you're
0:34.0	surprised that a doctor's cancer might be found when it's already advanced, he talks to NPR's Scott Simon about that.
0:40.0	It's not as unusual as you might think.
0:42.4	But he also talks about how, with his cancer in remission, he's at peace because he doesn't think about the future.
0:49.0	He says it for him.
0:50.3	It just doesn't exist.
0:52.6	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:57.3	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
1:01.8	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
1:03.9	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people
1:07.1	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
1:11.1	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:17.3	Henry Marsh had spent four decades in neurosurgery, trying to find a balance, as he puts
1:22.8	it between detachment and compassion. The name became a patient himself, diagnosed with an incurable form of
1:29.0	prostate cancer. Looking over the cliff of life into his own mortality inspired his latest book
1:34.9	about the race between life and death the way we will all, God willing, phrase I don't think Dr. Marsh
1:41.1	would use, one day just fall apart. His book, and finally, Matters of
	...

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