From Scalpel to Spade: A Surgeon's Road to Ithaka by Arthur van Langenberg

Abstract

Reviewed by: From Scalpel to Spade: A Surgeon's Road to Ithaka by Arthur van Langenberg Ka-wai Fan (bio) Arthur van Langenberg. From Scalpel to Spade: A Surgeon's Road to Ithaka. Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2021. xx, 261 pp. Hardcover $35.00, isbn 978-988-237-228-3. As a medical history researcher in Hong Kong, it is always a pleasure for me to read a Hong Kong doctor's autobiography, especially one that is well written and well rounded. History researchers usually read an autobiography as a historical source to document the times the author lived, notable events the author participated in, and eminent individuals the author knew. Many autobiographies written by great doctors report their contribution to the field, the society, and the country from a "heroic" approach. Arthur van Langenberg's book From Scalpel to Spade: A Surgeon's Road to Ithaka, however, offers a very different approach in which he does not glorify his successful career and contributions to the field of medical science. Instead, he recounts his warm and unadorned stories for his readers. His stories are filled with kindness, and each story has a charm of its own. This book portrays van Langenberg's professional journey from a medical student to a medical school teacher and then a private practice doctor. As suggested by the book's name, he has developed a great interest in gardening. Although professionally he was a surgeon and not a gardener, he published two books about gardening in Hong Kong and gained prominence in the circle of gardening. The book is divided into four parts. Each part is composed of short essays. The first part titled "The World of Medicine" contains thirteen essays in which van Langenberg describes his medical career from a medical school graduate [End Page 119] from the Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong to a lecturer at the same university, and then private practice surgeon running a private clinic and working in Canossa Hospital. He reports what he observed and learned as a medical student and member of the teaching staff. He not only illustrates the difficulties he encountered but also comments on the medical training system for medical students. Despite encountering numerous challenges, he became a successful surgeon in Hong Kong. The second part titled "Home and Heritage" contains seven essays in which he describes his early life, family, and hobbies. The third part titled "Doctors and Patients" contains sixteen essays in which he explains his private practice in his clinic and at Canossa Hospital. The most remarkable impression in this part is that he establishes a good relationship between himself and his patients. Even after meeting thousands of patients, he remembers most of them clearly. Many patients, nurses, and hospital sisters become his good friends. In reality, a doctor, especially one who needs to operate in the operation theater, faces numerous ethical problems. Medical schools just teach in principle. When facing relatives and friends as patients, the meaning of life and death is different. The fourth part titled "Transition" contains ten essays in which introduces his activities of gardening as a hobby and his stories about gardening. I would recommend young doctors and medical students read this book to acquire the wisdom of a highly experienced and skillful doctor. This book can inspire and stimulate the readers to reflect on how to become a brilliant surgeon. Van Langenberg asserts that a good doctor and surgeon not only knows how to operate but also knows when to operate and when not to operate. As suggested by Barron Lerner's study, some male surgeons misleadingly told their female patients with breast cancer to get mastectomies.1 As a medical history researcher, I believe that I am not in a position to challenge van Langenberg's works, contributions, career, life, and hobbies in his autobiography. Apart from his interesting and motivational stories, this book would be very helpful to those interested in the history of the Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. The Faculty of Medicine (now renamed Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine) contributed greatly to the development of Hong Kong medicine and...