On April 29, 1961, Leonid Rogotsov, a resident doctor at the Soviet Antarctic research station Novolazarev, faced the biggest challenge of his life. In the extremely hostile environment of Antarctica, he had to perform his first operation, and the patient was not a teammate, but himself.
What's going on here?
The Antarctic continent has huge reserves of mineral resources and marine resources, of which the reserves of mineral resources are close to 500 billion tons, and the types of marine resources are rich and diverse, which can be exploited and utilized by the world for more than 200 years.
The richness of the resources is unparalleled, and it is the richest mineral and marine region in the world. In order to guarantee the peaceful use of the Antarctic continent, the Antarctic Treaty, which entered into force in 1961, legally restricts the right of States to conduct activities there.
Antarctica does not belong to any country, and any powerful country can set up its own scientific research station here, and as long as it does not destroy the environment of Antarctica and does not carry out military activities here, it can conduct scientific expeditions and other peaceful activities here.
After the treaty entered into force, countries were gearing up to try to grab more resources to promote national development. The former Soviet Union was no exception, and they quickly formed a "death squad" to go to the expedition to provide information for subsequent scientific expedition staffing and mission preparation.
However, the "death squads" found the area rich in resources, but also faced serious environmental challenges.
With an astonishing thickness of more than 2,000 meters, the region is almost entirely covered by glaciers, an area almost equal to the land area of China and India combined.
However, in such a harsh environment, we still need to overcome difficulties, because this is the time of the Cold War, and the United States and the Soviet Union are engaged in fierce competition in the field of scientific research.
Khrushchev showed obvious hostility towards the United States. In this moment of confrontation, which country can gain the upper hand in Antarctica is crucial for both countries. However, the formation of a scientific expedition team not only requires a lot of financial and human resources, but also has the potential to lose top domestic talent.
The state leaders have held many discussions, but there is still no consensus on their opinions. Until one day, an American diplomat in Berlin was about to go out, and when he passed by Checkpoint Charlie, he was stopped, but he refused to cooperate and increased his horsepower to break through, but unfortunately, he did not succeed.
Although the Soviet Union was outraged, the leaders of both sides, after weighing the pros and cons, decided that it would be not beneficial for either side to fight and therefore did not escalate the conflict further.
Although the war has ended, the competition and competition between the two countries for resources has not stopped, and the competition mode has begun. The Soviet leadership has agreed to explore the South Pole.
Therefore, Khrushchev ordered that according to the information sent back by the "death squads", an Antarctic scientific expedition team would be formed to carry out an expedition to Antarctica. However, the Soviet Union's journey to the South Pole was long and difficult, and their knowledge of the South Pole was almost zero.
Therefore, expeditions to Antarctica are an important resource of the country and must be closely protected. Therefore, the expedition team must have a doctor.
An all-round doctor was selected to follow the Antarctic expedition team, and thousands of doctors actively participated in the assessment, and they had the courage and spirit to dedicate themselves to the country. However, Antarctica is not an easy place, and only those with excellent conditions can truly exert their strength.
Through the all-round medical skills assessment, more than 500 doctors were eliminated, the remaining more than 200 people were tested for physical fitness, and more than 100 people failed to pass.
In the selection process, about seventy or eighty people from the south were eliminated due to the severe cold climate of Antarctica. These southerners could not adapt to such a cold environment, and it was unknown whether they would even be able to return safely.
In the final assessment, not only risk-taking questions and scientific research items are included, but also courage and adaptability in dangerous situations. Through these assessments, an undisputed candidate emerged: 27-year-old Leonid Rogotsov.
Leonid was not only a skilled doctor, but also an excellent adventurer, which is a big reason why he was the last choice.
When he was a child, he watched his sister's illness and suffering, but he was helpless. At the same time, the mother was not in good health. These experiences taught him that skilled doctors can be of great help to his family and others.
Therefore, he made a decision from a young age to become a good doctor. He was a diligent student, looking for medical books since he was 10 years old, and was able to help his neighbors deal with minor ailments even before he was admitted to university.
He has accumulated a wealth of medical knowledge, while also maintaining a high desire to explore unknown territories. Every winter and summer vacation, he and his companions go on expeditions, mountain climbing, and wilderness survival.
He, unlike others, devotes at least two hours a day to physical activity in addition to focusing on his studies. As a result, while his professional skills continued to improve, he gradually grew into a handsome and athletic teenager.
At the age of 18, his dream came true when he was admitted to his beloved medical university, where he wholeheartedly absorbed the knowledge of formal medical education and devoted himself to solving medical problems during his internship at the hospital.
After graduating from medical school, he became a doctor with four years of practical experience. In addition, he set aside time every day to reflect and learn new areas, and as a result, he beat those who ventured into the field of medicine before him.
His adventurous appetite for dangerous environments and his skillful coping skills made him a member of the Antarctic expedition in this national election.
In the months leading up to the expedition, we need to conduct talent selection and then conduct intensive training to target each individual's abilities and weaknesses to ensure that our team is as strong as the army.
In October 1960, Leonid was assigned to the National Academy of Sciences, which gathered the country's top scientific research teams in various sciences, as well as the country's most authoritative medical experts.
They only rest for five hours a day, and the rest of the time is used for all-round training, assessment and simulation of the upcoming Antarctic scientific expedition team. Time flew by, and at the beginning of 1961, the rigorously trained and well-prepared Soviet Antarctic expedition team members were finally bidding farewell to their relatives and motherland.
Faced with unknown dangers, they sailed to the South Antarctic Ocean. In the first few days, everyone was excited by the vastness of the ocean in front of them, and despite the difficulties ahead, their hearts were filled with a passion for exploring new areas.
However, after a few days, some of them began to experience discomfort, some vomited, cold sweats, and others were dizzy, lost their appetite, and were pale. Leonid was busy, not only helping to settle the players, but also worrying about food for them.
On a trip away from home, the loss of appetite due to seasickness symptoms can lead to a drastic drop in physical fitness, bringing more unknown risks and possibly even taking their lives.
Therefore, Leonid is not only committed to everyone's seasickness symptoms, but also actively looks for ways to improve food and help everyone regain their strength. However, while Leonid worries about the physical condition of his players, an even greater danger awaits them.
On the night when the seasickness of the team improved, Leonid's heart could finally be relieved a little, but immediately because of another incident.
He heard the captain's urgent rally order, and before they could react, the ship trembled violently. They understand that danger is looming. After assembling, they learn from the co-captain that a giant octopus is attacking their ship.
They had no other option and could not use torpedoes, otherwise there was a danger of capsizing. In this desperate moment, Leonid took a knife and axe from the kitchen and threw them to his teammates.
They had no choice but to give it a go. So, on the vast ocean, they fought to the death against the school of octopuses.
In hand-to-hand combat, when a member of the team is caught by an octopus and life and death is at stake, Leonid stepped forward and rushed forward to cut off the octopus's whiskers with a single sword, successfully saving his pale-faced teammate.
After more than an hour of joint efforts, they finally got rid of the octopus's entanglement and got a moment of rest and recovery. However, Leonid did not immediately rest, he picked up two bottles of wine, walked up to his teammate he saved, drank two glasses with him, and encouraged him to cheer up.
Seeing Leonid's actions, other teammates were also touched by his warmth and encouragement, giving them more courage and determination when facing the challenges ahead. Leonid was like a ray of sunshine that warmed their hearts and filled them with hope for the future.
After this setback, will they be able to make it to Antarctica? The answer seems to be no. It was as if God was deliberately testing their limits and setting them up one after another.
Just as they were about to reach their destination, they were blocked by an iceberg. They tried to get around the iceberg, but the team members began to experience symptoms of hypoxia. The size of the iceberg is so huge that it is almost impossible to get around it.
Everyone began to feel anxious and began to look for a solution to the immediate difficulties. However, none of them had ever been to Antarctica, which left them feeling helpless. At this critical moment, Leonid showed his wisdom and proposed to hit the ice with boiling water and collide with the force of the ship.
Eventually, the method worked, and they managed to break through the ice and get out of danger.
In the difficult work after surgery, difficulties followed. They have been stranded by ships and trapped under thick ice. At one point, a team member almost lost his life.
However, every time they turn a danger into a disaster, they will have a fluke mentality in their hearts. Despite the fact that many times they wanted to give up, Leonid always encouraged everyone: "The dawn of success lies ahead, this is the darkness before the dawn, and we must persevere."
Otherwise, all our previous efforts will be in vain. Our people are looking forward to our good news, and they are eagerly awaiting. ”
His words, like a life-saving straw in the hands of a drowning man, give people hope for survival. Finally, after many life challenges, their Antarctic research station was completed.
However, just as everyone was ready to celebrate this victory, Leonid's physical condition was seriously problematic. The pain in the left side of his waist and abdomen was unbearable, his face was pale, and cold sweat broke out.
Leonid, who was full of vitality in the past, is now unusual, clutching his stomach in pain and unable to walk normally. His teammates noticed his anomaly and walked up to him with concern and asked, "Hey, are you okay?" ”
The experienced Leonid was almost speechless in pain at this time, and he almost fainted in pain.
Instead of reveling in the revelry when he was in agony, his teammates gathered around him and asked if they needed to send him home. Although they were not doctors, it was not clear what disease he had, but their care and care made Leonid feel warm.
After more than ten minutes of pain, Leonid told his teammates the sad news: "I have appendicitis, what should I do?" Did any of you study medicine? ”
However, when he saw his teammates shaking their heads, his heart was filled with despair. But Leonid did not give up, he decided to operate on himself himself, which would take two hours.
His teammates sprang into action, and they quickly prepared the mirrors, boiling water, and other items that Leonid needed. In the face of difficulties, their team spirit and tacit understanding showed great strength.
Before the operation began, Leonid was well prepared. He injected an anesthetic into the area where he needed to operate. Although he resolutely cut open his abdomen and looked for his appendix through a mirror after the anesthetic had taken effect, he could not see clearly due to his dizziness.
In the end, he could only use his hands to identify organ by organ, and after two hours of hard work, the operation was finally successful.