Vladislav Rogozov in BMJ:

As a surgeon Rogozov had no difficulty diagnosing acute appendicitis. In this situation, however, it was a cruel trick of fate. He knew that if he was to survive he had to undergo an operation. But he was in the frontier conditions of a newly founded Antarctic colony on the brink of the polar night. Transportation was impossible. Flying was out of the question, because of the snowstorms. And there was one further problem: he was the only physician on the base.

Hugh MacLeod:

The best way to get approval is not to need it.

Vladislav Gerbovich:

When Rogozov had made the incision and was manipulating his own innards as he removed the appendix, his intestine gurgled, which was highly unpleasant for us; it made one want to turn away, flee, not look -- but I kept my head and stayed.

From Haiti:

"We're using ketamine as pain relief during amputations. Ketamine is going like water."

Auto-appendectomy in the Antarctic: case report