Opening Up: The Making of a Surgeon

by David Clarke, Michael McGeary (Editor)

In Opening The Making of a Surgeon, David Clarke recounts the remarkable journey of a war widow's only child in bombed-out Hull as he embarks on a distinguished career in surgery.
Experience his formative years, including winning a public school scholarship and his medical and surgical training in Newcastle upon Tyne. Join him on his professional journey, where he shares fascinating anecdotes about the colourful and distinguished characters he meets along the way.
Delve into his digressions on surgical history and marvel at the progress made during a single professional lifetime.
Opening The Making of a Surgeon is a snapshot of a golden era of Britain’s National Health Service, a treasure trove of medical detail and a tribute to some of the figures who shaped modern medicine.
With heartwarming stories and vivid descriptions, this compelling memoir offers a unique glimpse into the world of medicine and surgery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2023

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zzzzz

The single most boring book I have ever read. From 63% until the end, I skimmed. Medical books are my favorite second to books about animals and this memoir by a surgeon was crazy bad. I have a difficult time putting into words how boring this was. The book was about friends, parties, pubs, an occasional woman with a bit here and there about medical school, a few patients he saw. An absolute snore.

[Lena Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was not quite what I was hoping. I love all things about medicine and surgery and that's what I thought it was going to be about. To be more in depth about the medical school, surgeries and patients. It goes from when he is born during world war II to all the happened in his youth to make him who he became.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know what to expect when reading, but this was such a different type of genre. I truly enjoyed all of the different characters/people throughout the journey. This also shows just how fast things change in the medical field, especially the surgical area.

I received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/opinions above are completely my own.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written with warmth
This is literally a book “from cradle to grave”, albeit not the author’s demise, but rather those of former patients of his and his colleagues. Readers are taken through the author’s childhood spent with loving grandparents, a privilege not everybody has. Oh! And the stories of how things were run back in the day…some things have changed yet some, sadly, have not.

Fave line (from the introduction):
‘…after one departs this life, the knowledge and experience of a lifetime will be lost forever, unless it is recorded.’

Totally wanna continue with ‘My Life in Theater’.

[sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to read an advance copy of this book, Opening up: The making of a surgeon.

What a delight it was. I loved the pace and flow of this book. I was never bored and couldn’t wait to read the next part of David Clarkes journey.
With the added bonus of it being quite an informative read too.

I often found myself smiling at the many heartwarming anecdotes and because of this, my only criticism is, for me, it could have been longer.

I am very much looking forward to volume 2.

Sylvia Crow

[Denise Rolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this memoir to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. The story of David Clarkes early life and medical training was informative and interesting . There were just the right amount of anecdotes to make this a thoroughly entertaining book .

[janet c pongonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am living in the wrong country

Medicine in England Is like much of the other things that I love About England. It seems that the doctors are more qualified have more education and certainly are more humble than the doctors in America This book has led me to read to read Sir John Walton's autobiography Thank you so much so Thank you so much so much For the enlightenment of English medicine.

[Kathrin T · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Opening UP: The Making of a Surgeon’ is a work of non-fiction by David Clarke. In his memoir, he writes about his education to become a surgeon from a childhood in the aftermath of the war to his first job as a qualified doctor at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1966 with a houseman salary of £700 and later in 1968 as a senior house officer and finally a three-year registrar rotation in general surgery in the RVI to prepare for the final FRCS diploma examination. David Clarke describes his life as a boy, a gifted student and a doctor, with lots of anecdotes and cases described in detail, during a time when Gray’s Anatomy was still a textbook and not a medical drama television series.
David Clarke was born in 1942 in Kingston-upon-Hull. When he was six months old, his father was killed in the war and never set eyes on him. He grew up with his mother and her parents until he was eight. His Grandfather Barmby was the biggest influence on his early life, who tried to replace the father he never knew. His mother received a war widow’s pension and worked as a shop assistant, determined not to accept ‘charity’.
At school, David was always top of the class. After the eleven-plus examination in 1954 he went to Hymers College which was regarded to be the best boys’ school in Hull in terms of its academic results. (Granddad: “Ah, the snob’s school!”) He enjoyed Latin and languages, but he was more interested in the sciences. “One day, out of the blue, Dan McNaughton said to me, ‘Isn’t it time you started applying for medical school, Clarke?’ ‘Oh, I’m not going to medical school, sir,’ I replied. ‘My mother says we can’t afford it.’ She still believed that to become a doctor, you had to ‘buy’ your way into a practice. ‘Who on earth told you that? Well, if you aren’t going to medical school, what are you going to do?’ ‘Er, I thought of possibly doing zoology.’ I remember the next sentence so clearly because he reinforced it by coming down from the dais to my level, looking me in the eye and wagging his finger. ‘Listen, Clarke, if you do zoology, you’ll end up like me, teaching it. Get yourself to medical school.’”
At first, the medical school in Newcastle seemed like second best, certainly to Cambridge, but soon he “found out that it was part of King’s College, Newcastle, in the University of Durham, itself England’s third-oldest university after Oxford and Cambridge, and founded in 1834. Had I succeeded in going to Caius College, one thing is for sure. I would not have had the great good fortune to meet and marry Mary Lack.”
Clarke now describes every detail of the old curriculum in medical education, starting with his initiation into anatomical dissection. He tells us many anecdotes, not only from the post-mortem room. He compares treatments in the 1960’s to those used today.
Now, what makes one a surgeon? Find out for yourself, I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the lives of people in the medical profession.
Volume 2 of Opening Up will be “My Life in Theatre” with more interesting stories to be told.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Books about people training for the medical field are interesting to me. This book takes place in the UK so some of the terminology is different from the US but it was easy enough to follow. I felt there were too many names of various medical professionals and not enough about the actual patients. Maybe I'll read book 2 and see if it's any better.

[Karl Wardlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was fascinating how the career of a surgeon and doctor develops. It is really well written. Thus book is highly recommended and especially if you want to know more about the development of a doctor.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not interesting

This book reads more like a history book than a story. It was boring and difficult to finish. I really wanted to enjoy it and like reading medical themed books, but I did not enjoy this book!

[Donna McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

old fashioned medical training

The good old days. Mainly seems to be a book of name dropping and not much about the daily life of a trainee doctor but some interesting parts.

[Julie Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging and entertaining fast read.

I love all types of memoirs, but if I see one with doctor/nurse/midwife/vet or, as in this case, surgeon in the title, that's a must-read for me!

David Clarke originally wrote this just for his family. It has now been edited by Michael McGeary; a journalist aka The Memoir Man; he has collaborated with the author to bring this new edition of the very comprehensive notes which would have made a massive book, and two volumes are intended.

I loved the cover. I liked the chapter titles-short, catchy; they whet your appetite for the kind of things that might be in store. It’s very well-written, and I really liked it right from the outset.

Before all the medical stuff, he talks about his family, background, his childhood, and schooldays. Vivid memories, the foods at the time, when he was a young boy, all very well-detailed. It was very enjoyable, easy to read, informative. There are some amusing interludes too.

I find these types of memoirs very appealing, and this was enormously interesting to me. It was exceptionally accurate, which made it an absolute pleasure to read, and I simply whizzed through it. Now eagerly waiting for the next volume!

I read an advance review copy of this book.

[Mr David F Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think i ever met David Clark at university and I think he was 2 years above me. However this book was a refreshing enjoyable trip down memory lane from Tom Barlow's first anatomy lecture to dissection and Prof Harper's monotone physiology lectures. I relived my journey through anatomy physiology pharmacology pathology and then marvelous years in surgery. I remember Feg's daily reminder of his activities in North Africa and Brian Flemming's stories and wicked sense of humor. It was a pleasure to be reminded of all the medical and nursing characters and although he omits to relate some of the outra geous activities of our elders and betters. To ant Newcastle medical graduate it is a must read

[Bernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Clarke produces his memories. Relating an insight into a boy from a poor background to being a successful surgeon, now retired. Interesting and well written, very descriptive and told from birth. Includes his childhood upbringing and those important to him, through school and medical school. It is warming and humouress in parts, providing details of the highs and lows within the medical system.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always interested in anything "medical" so this was really "my cup of tea". This was a very interesting and well written memoir that read like a fireside chat. I am looking forward to reading the sequel soon.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history of medicine from one person's lifetime experience, with wonderful stories. Highly recommend.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unnecessary names

There were too many names of people that he encountered in his career. I would have liked more stories about surgeries. he performed

[Aga · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is a DNF for me.

I love medical books, medical memoirs etc however this was simply not for me.
Too much back story plus plenty of unnecessary details and not enough medical info.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was hard to understand being set in the uk

[Babs M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly interesting but keep in mind he was a medical student in the UK rather than the US. That might influence you one way or the other in deciding on reading this book.