MASTER SURGEON

Dr. Sauerbruch, a German, makes a fine addition to what he calls ""narrative medicine"" in his autobiography for he has some excellent tales to spin and some exciting contributions to record. Important to surgical history was his invention of an equalizing air pressure chamber that first made it possible to operate inside the chest. Apart from the well told tales of his operations, Sauerbruch has interesting stories of odd happenings: he pulled a tooth for a poor unknown student, who curned out to be Lenin; in World War I he was a courier between his patient, the King of Greece, and the Kaiser; he was thrilled by a beautifully played Bach fugue -- and then learned the performer was wearing a Sauerbruch artificial hand. The philosophical and private life, which are indifferent, enclose medical lore which is excellent in its field.