
Life in Her Hands
The Inspiring Story of a Pioneering Female Surgeon
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Narrated by:
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Averil Mansfield
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By:
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Averil Mansfield
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
We were occasionally expected to travel by ambulance to a serious case and would always have a kit of tools and drugs ready for emergency calls. On one occasion, we were responding to a man who had fallen into the hold of a grain ship and broken his leg. I was expected to go down a pole into the ship to administer analgaesia before he could be rescued. The 'audience' of shipworkers delighted in telling me that there were rats the size of dogs down in the grain. The other problem was that this was the era of the mini skirt, and you can imagine what that meant. Following the incident, I instituted the purchase of some 'Casualty Officers Emergency Dungarees' as an addition to the kit.
Averil Mansfield established herself as a pioneer in every sense of the word when she qualified as a surgeon in the early 1970s. At the time just two per cent of her colleagues were female, and she was often met with surprise, bordering on disbelief and amusement, when telling people what she did. But time and again, Averil proved herself more than capable of the role which had been her greatest dream since the age of eight. After a formidable operating career in Liverpool and London, during which she made many enduring friendships, she went on to became the UK's first ever female professor of surgery.
Life in Her Hands is the remarkable story of a truly trailblazing woman. Averil's account shines light on a medical and societal world that has changed beyond measure, but which - as she shows through her experiences - still has a long way to go for the women finding their place within it.
©2023 Averil Mansfield (P)2023 Penguin AudioCritic reviews
"A great read. I am honoured to have worked with such a legend." (David Nott)
"A role model for women." (Independent)
"Charming." (Guardian)
Remarkable
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An amazing, humble lady with a compelling story
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An inspiring story
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Fascinating and beautifully narrated
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Worthwhile illuminating read
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Captivating, humbling, inspirational
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It is told with such honesty, empathy and humility, that almost belies the incredible achievements she attained in everything she did.
Through hard work, dedication and commitment, she spearheaded the UK development of vascular surgery as a separate specialty.
She was not only at the cutting edge, pioneering operations that hadn’t been done before, she was a trailblazer for other women surgeons to follow in her footsteps.
She also dedicated her career to encouraging, increasing and supporting the number of women to go into surgical training.
Through her unrelenting encouragement, there are many woman surgeons in the UK can truly say they are able to stand on the shoulders of this giant.
Her humanity shines out of every page. It is a truly inspirational read for both medical and non medical people alike.
This spellbinding book is compulsive reading. I could not put it down.
The bonus is that Averil herself narrates this audiobook!
Spellbinding memoir.
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Brilliant Read
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Me me me
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