A surgeon at Northwick Park Hospital has penned a book looking back at his incredible fifty years as a London Surgeon.
Peter McDonald, who is a general surgeon at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, has turned his career in the industry into a new book called A Doctor’s Aim – memoirs of a London surgeon.
In the book, Peter, 70, looks back at the ‘sights, the smells, the misery and the sad times’ are but says that the privilege of helping people and the enormous ‘fun’ he has had along the way has ‘eclipsed’ the bad times.
Included in the new book are tales from working in Africa at the Mission Hospital, and delivering babies in Venezuela.
The surgeon, who is now something of a Northwick Park Hospital legend, still works several days a week at the hospital but spends most of his time passing on his valuable experience onto medical students.
“I wanted to be a doctor since I was a boy. I used to watch a TV show called Emergency Ward Ten and imagined myself being one of those earnest doctors talking about how they could help their patients over coffee.” Said Peter.
“The reality turned out to be somewhat different but I feel extraordinarily privileged and I still enjoy the immediacy of surgery and the results it brings. Most of my colleagues are retired but it doesn’t appeal to me although you have to concede the upcoming generation
“The student eventually overtakes the teacher. It’s the way of things and you have to accept that with good grace along with the new techniques and technology that successive surgeons bring to the table.
“I keep myself busy with the routine procedures nowadays. Retirement doesn’t appeal to me or travel. I’ve done plenty of that in my life and still enjoy working.”
The book is currently highly rated on Amazon with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating.
