Lecture by Henry Marsh and discussion with Eva Piquer

Doctors are neither gods nor omniscient. As obvious as this may seem, it is often forgotten. Doctors are people who are afraid, anxious, insecure, and who, like everyone else, make mistakes. Perhaps it is a good idea to remember this more often in order to free them from needless pressure which benefits nobody, and to establish more sincere relations between doctor and patient.

The British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh caused a stir when he published memoirs describing his 35 years of experience—including more than 15,000 operations—because of his sincerity in portraying the more human side of the medical profession. He will speak with the journalist Eva Piquer about how to approach doctor-patient relations, and also how to rethink the function of hospitals with the aim of progressively humanising the care of ailing people.

Photograph of Henry Marsh: © Chris Boland, 2015 (www.chrisboland.com)