Browsing category: Books

  • January 6, 2018

    Video Extract 1: “The United Nations of Medicine”

    I was recently invited to a global surgical conference in Morocco to describe some of my experiences with neglected surgical disease in Cambodia. Unfortunately I was unable to attend but the organisers were kind enough to accept a video of my Cambodian experiences instead.

    I decided to submit a video extract from the book, Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants. I hashed some old dancing footage from a previously made CSC promotional video (from 2013) along with some royalty free music and words from the book. I was very happy to get good feedback from the video when it aired on the 11th November 2017 so I have decided to put the video online. I may create a series of extracts from the book to help bring the book to life and keep promoting the push for safer surgery worldwide.

    I hope you enjoy the dancing in the second half of the video! With thanks of course to the special staff and volunteers at the Children’s Surgical Centre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (http://www.csc.org). Please continue to support their wonderful work.

    I have tried to source creative commons licenced images throughout as well as my own images. No patient images are used for their deepest respect. Royalty free music is used for the background songs.

    Music:
    Lee Rosevere: A True Heart
    R-Production: Inspiring Cinematic

  • November 25, 2017

    Books Are My Obsession Review – 12.11.17

    I was very fortunate to discover another book review for “Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants”  that was posted a few weeks ago on the book review blog, “Books are my obsession”. It is a short and sweet review and I am very thankful to Zara for posting it. Her words are extremely encouraging to me. Please take the opportunity to visit her site for more book reviews, I have copied the book review here, but the full review can be found below!

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  • September 14, 2017

    TMS – The Medical Student Book Review – 13.09.17

    I have always felt the most noble aspect of our profession is the mandate we are given to share our knowledge with those learning around us. The encyclopedia of medicine is vast, compiled from the very dawn of time and each healthcare professional has had a unique experience within its complicated chapters, resulting in our own individual interpretations and lessons learnt.

    It was with great pleasure that I offered a copy of the book, “Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants” to the medical student publication, aptly titled “The Medical Student” for review. It was an even greater pleasure to read the review today and one that gives me great encouragement from the future generation of our profession. I am very grateful for the words written by Catherine, the TMS education editor who writes:

    Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants is unlike any other medical text that I have read before…for me, this was a breath of fresh air. This book is an absolute must read for everyone, as it delves into thought provoking topics that will make you feel hope, joy and sadness. I would whole-heartedly recommend this enriching book, and in fact I think I will be reading it again in the near future (that is how much I enjoyed it).

    I am exceptionally grateful to Catherine and the TMS team for their review and it will push me harder to keep sharing the little I know of this incredible book of medicine. One can read Catherine’s full book review here.

  • August 27, 2017

    World Orthopaedic Concern Book Review – 25.08.17

    World Orthopaedic Concern (WOC) is an organisation dedicated to improving the standard of orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery in all developing countries — in the tropics, subtropics, and anywhere where there is a need. It is an organisation I have been involved with in the UK for many years and my visit to Ethiopia in 2016 was part of a dedicated WOC project. I was therefore truly humbled to read a review of my book, “Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants”, published in the most recent World Orthopaedic Concern Newsletter.

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  • August 12, 2017

    David Marx Book Review – 06.08.17

    In 2010, whilst wallowing in the Pakistan floods, I wrote about the corruption that had seeped into Pakistan – an almost accepted standard of practice embedded within the daily grind of the people’s lives. Since then, I have thought nothing much of this corruption, for in my own mind it had also become routine to hear of such malpractice in the land of my forefathers.

    Although not the crux of my letter writing, I was delighted to read a review by David Marx, whose
    self titled blog     describes book reviews for inspired folk. David insightfully relates the Pakistani natural and man-made disaster zone that I described in the book to the crescendo of corruption currently dominating Pakistani politics and the recent removal of the Pakistani prime-minister Nawaz Shariff. As David rightly points out, it seems nothing has changed. I am hopeful he did not have too much trouble in Pakistan in his two previous visits to the country.

    It was very humbling to read the final review comments on the book and I am very thankful to David to write such kind words about my journey:

    Indeed, Surgery On The Shoulders of Giants – Letters from a doctor abroad, is, if nothing else, a mighty large humane inspiration. Powerful. Poignant. Persuasive.

    You can read all of David’s review of the book, “Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants”, by clicking here and visiting his blog.

  • August 10, 2017

    BBC Asian Network Interview – 09.08.17

    I am departing for Cambodia. Yesterday, in a day of manic activity, I was very fortunate to be interviewed by Nomia Iqbal from the BBC Asian Network on my last day in the country. My mind was on packing and the mountain of administration that was awaiting me, but it was great to once again discuss the challenges facing billions of people across the world struggling to access safe surgery.

    My heartfelt gratitude to all those at the BBC who invited me and put the interview together.

    My apologies for posting about three successive radio interviews. This, I am very pleased to say, should be my last for quite some time. Being live on media is not my most natural habitat, I’m glad to be returning to where I belong most.

    I leave you with my best radio face!

  • August 7, 2017

    Global Surgery, Faith and Beyond: BBC Local Radio Interviews – 06.08.2017

    At 6.30am on Sunday morning, I sleepily made my way into the BBC studios, at the Mailbox in Birmingham. It was for a series of interviews discussing the book, “Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants”, and the spiritual enlightenment I had found by working abroad, discovering a concept of God within the heart of all people.

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  • July 22, 2017

    MXCAREYES Book Review – 22.07.2017

    Global surgery truly is global, as the book travelled all the way to the Philippines, making its way to Mica -an ambitious premed student hoping to embark on a career in medicine. She is a very talented writer and book blogger. I thank her very much for the review and in particular the very humbling comment:

    There are so many more beautiful insights to expect in this book. You will find words of reassurance, of finding hope and meaning in everything. This book has shown the importance of hope in sad times, of family even and especially when they are far away. And most importantly, this book has shown the importance and beautiful effects of how a person’s dedication and love in serving the poor can change and touch so many lives for the better.

    The entire book review can be read by clicking here.

  • July 14, 2017

    My Clever Night-Night Shoes – A Book Review

    Clubfoot is one of the most common orthopaedic congenital defects, affecting approximately one in a thousand births and there are an estimated 150,000 babies born per year with the condition in the world. Although there is a genetic component, the exact cause remains unknown and the condition is prevalent in every population group worldwide.

    In the distant past, club foot was often treated (and rather unsuccessfully) with extensive surgical procedures. However, more recently, a management algorithm using a simple plastering technique (the Ponsetti technique) has proven to give excellent long term results for the vast majority of children. Indeed, the technique is so effective that there is now a global campaign to improve the lives of many children throughout the world (globalclubfoot.com/) and prevent heart breaking neglected cases as seen below.Read More

  • July 10, 2017

    Interview: Bookbag Talks To Saqib Noor – 10.07.2017

    Following the review of Surgery on the Shoulders of Giants from theBookbag.co.uk (click here for review), I was asked for an interview by the website for a more personal insight into the book, with some very probing and powerful questions.

    I have copied one of the questions and answers here, but please follow the link below to read the entire interview, discussing my views on global surgery, wishes for the future and dealing with corruption.

    BB: Do you feel that we in the ‘first’ world are generous enough to others who don’t have our advantages? How do you feel about suggestions that the overseas aid budget should be cut?

    SN: Sadly we are far away from a universal health service where impoverished people throughout the world have access to safe care. The recent Lancet Commission in 2015 has stated that 5 billion people still do not have access to safe surgery. It is only when you see operating room after operating room – with no sterile water, no anaesthetic machines, broken equipment and supplies, limited electricity and other gaping infrastructure problems that you know that the discrepancy between low income countries and the rest of the world is too much to accept. Although the World Health Organisation, along with other stakeholders, has proposed a Global Surgical Programme to improve global access to safer surgery by 2030, the challenges and resources still required are enormous. Reducing the overseas aid budget is only going to make these discrepancies worse, promoting further inequality and disparity between all people of the world. This will only lead to more hardship, conflict and distress – which inevitably affect us all.

    The full interview can be read by clicking here.

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