Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon by Henry Marsh [rare book]

Book Summary:

Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon by Henry Marsh is a deeply reflective memoir—part medical narrative, part philosophical introspection—written in the final chapters of a distinguished neurosurgical career. As Marsh approaches retirement, he grapples with the fragility of life, the weight of years spent performing high-stakes brain surgeries, and the emotional toll of decisions that sometimes save lives, and at other times fail. In candid prose, he recounts life-changing cases both in NHS hospitals in London and in resource-limited settings across Nepal and Ukraine, where he continued pro bono work. Marsh examines systemic failures in healthcare, especially the bureaucratic decline of the NHS, and contrasts this with the stark realities of working in understaffed clinics abroad. Interwoven throughout are personal reflections on aging, regret, parenthood, mental health, and his evolving identity beyond medicine—symbolized by his project to restore a lock‑keeper’s cottage near Oxford. The narrative is nuanced, somber yet hopeful, marked by humility, moral clarity, and an unflinching willingness to confront professional errors and mortality with honesty and grace.

About The Author:

Henry Marsh is a distinguished British neurosurgeon turned memoirist, widely recognized for his candid, introspective reflections on life, surgery, and mortality. Born in Oxford on 5 March 1950, he initially studied PPE at University College, Oxford, before pursuing medicine at the Royal Free Medical School in London. After qualifying, he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1984 and served as Consultant Neurosurgeon at St George’s Hospital until his retirement in 2015.

Marsh pioneered awake craniotomy techniques and spent decades performing life-saving brain surgeries—including pro bono work in Nepal and Ukraine—often under challenging conditions.He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010 in recognition of his medical contributions.

He debuted as an author at age 64 with Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery (2014), a richly detailed and emotionally raw memoir that earned critical acclaim and was shortlisted for The Guardian's First Book Award. The follow-up, Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon (2017), received national and international recognition, including a nomination for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and continued his deeply personal exploration of surgical triumph, trauma, and healthcare ethics amidst an evolving NHS and global medical practice.

Known for his openness about medical mistakes, systemic failures, mental health struggles, and personal regret, Marsh’s writing is both intelligent and emotionally grounded—offering profound insight into the human condition through the lens of neurosurgery.He lives between London and Oxford with his wife, anthropologist Kate Fox, and in retirement has carved out interests in woodworking, beekeeping, and advocating through speaking engagements and writing.