A Surgeon's Tale

Roots & Branches is rooted in a story of love and longing based on a fatal accident in an upper Egyptian village over a century ago. In this rich and powerful story Meguid explores his remarkable early life based on a journal, letters, and photos. How does a four-year-old boy uprooted from a cozy Egyptian family endure abandonment in impoverished post-war Germany? In this vivid biography of his formative years Meguid traces his childhood - alone, forsaken, and often threatened with corporal punishment.

Mastering the Knife, Volume II, of A Surgeon’s Tale, is the coming-of-age story of an Egyptian/German medical student in the hospitals of London in the 1960s. Hounded by failure, self-doubt, and cultural identity, he searches for his social and professional place in the world. The story masterfully goes beyond the biographical to encompass the people, language, and the rituals of surgical training. The author lifts the veil on the technical and moral concerns that contribute to the making of a successful surgeon.

Spanning 10 decades, A Surgeon's Tale is a historical biography that reaches beyond the mere personal to convey something of the cultures, people, politics, and places that touch the inscrutable heart of human nature. This multifaceted immigrant's story percolates with tales of childhood neglect, intrigue, medical training, medical discoveries, scientific dishonesty, illicit romance, unspeakable scoundrels and murder, all the while disclosing the rites, rituals, rules, and language of surgery.