“In the cold, he cuts out his own appendix with a scalpel”: how Dr. Rogozov became a world star
On April 30, 1961, in Antarctica, a young surgeon, Leonid Rogozov, removed his own appendix to escape peritonitis. Photo: TASS On April 30, 1961, an “obvious but incredible” event occurred. In Antarctica, a young surgeon, Leonid Rogozov, removed his own appendix, saving himself from peritonitis and death. Sobesednik.ru found out how this affected his life. I took books and a weight with me In 1961, the 27-year-old surgeon was the second most popular person in the USSR after Yuri Gagarin .