This archive report was first published on 18 August 2019.
Day when hell broke loose in wake of surgical blunders ¶
Published on August 18, 2019
As a surgical registrar at Dewsbury General Hospital, I had the privilege of working with three esteemed surgeons: Mr. Merlin, a local surgeon, and two visiting consultants from the Leeds Teaching Hospital, Mr. Oldfield and Mr. Shucksmith.
While both Mr. Oldfield and Mr. Shucksmith were brilliant surgeons, they were as different as chalk and cheese. Mr. Oldfield was tall and thin, dressed in a three-piece suit, and wore a monocle, exuding an air of aristocracy. In contrast, Mr. Shucksmith was stocky, with crumpled suits and a fast Jaguar.
These two lions constantly clashed in the operating room, using different implements and post-operative regimens. For instance, Mr. Oldfield used crepe bandages, while Mr. Shucksmith used broad strapping. The theatre Sister had to be careful not to mix up their preferences, lest she face their wrath.
One such clash occurred when a Yorkshire old lady, who had undergone piles surgery, came for a follow-up examination. Mr. Oldfield told her that everything was fine, but the patient whispered to him, 'Do I still need to use the candle?' The penny dropped, and so did Mr. Oldfield's monocle, as he realized that the Sister had mixed up her lines. Mr. Shucksmith's patients were advised to use a candle daily to stretch their back passage after surgery.
Thereafter, all hell broke loose. Mr. Oldfield left his clinic abruptly and marched to the female surgical ward, where he tore strips off the Sister and reduced her to tears. He then barged into the matron's office, reprimanding her in no uncertain terms. Finally, he stormed into the administrator's office, demanding that a notice be sent to the nursing staff to never use candles on his patients.
The next day, Mr. Shucksmith came to do his operation list and remarked, 'I hear you had fun and games yesterday.' I retorted, 'And sir, I am afraid you were the cause of it.' Mr. Shucksmith replied, 'Not guilty, my boy. I have given up asking my patients to use the candle since a patient of mine asked if she could kill two birds with one stone by lighting the candle!'
