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This first series of ethnographic sketches and stories by anthropologist Maxime Le Calvé documents a day spent with Prof. Peter Vajkoczy back in June 2023. They show the neurosurgeon go through various key moments of his routine.
Co-curated and commented by the neurosurgeon Anna L. Roethe, the texts are an invitation to the team of the Department for Neurosurgery at Charité and beyond to contribute to a conversation on the neurosurgical practice, on sketching as knowledge practice, and on a further exploration of the possible intersections between anthropological and clinical concerns in the domain of brain science.
There is no space for hesitation, things must be presented in the clearest way.
The huge touch screen reacts to the sliding finger tips as the chief flies through the image set of a young patient’s spine.
As they sit together, there is enough time to let them go through their story and make them comfortable with the medical decision.
For now, he has to keep his mind in productive balance of focus and relaxation.
Getting an impression, understanding a certain technique or picking up a strategy for solving a problem can be very thrilling incentives to ›just watch‹.
The navigation here is an intimate dance as the tissue is pushed on all sides.
Juggling the different devices while walking around the surgical facility, the chief is always in motion when he is not standing in a state of absolute tranquility at the operating table.
The room is quiet for a moment as the chief battles and rails.
The OR is also a place for scientific work and this entails discussions and conversations not necessarily related to the case at hand.
To accomplish this feat, the chief is deploying a micro workbench directly on the surface of the patient’s brain.
Acting as a co-pilot and providing a second pair of hands, she is always part of the process and could instantly take over the role of the main surgeon if it were necessary.
The OR technician gets him the painkiller and a cup of water with a straw.
