AntarcticDoctor

So there I am, rushing down the passage in the base to sort out the latest niggle, when one of the support crew stops me and asks for superglue.  “For what?” I enquire. “This broke,” sooth he, “when I stepped on it.”I examine the proffered dentures, wondering idly how they travelled from oral cavity to pedal plantar position.  They are badly broken, with all the front teeth separated from the plate, and a section of the moulding broken loose.  However, the metal retainer is still intact and appears unscathed.  I give him the summary:

“The bad news is that superglue won’t hold that for long,” says I, “but the good news is that I have a secret weapon… the Van Rensburg factor!  Give them to me for a day, and I’ll see what I can do”

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More formal story to follow, but the basics – a German crew-member suffered a medical illness aboard their construction ship, the Naja Artica, 20 nautical miles offshore of the German research base, Neumayer II.  As their research ship and helicopter were deployed far offshore, we were requested to fly to Neumayer and then retrieve the crewmember.  We have three helicopters from Titan Aviation on the expedition – a Kamov 32 heavy lifting machine, and two BO 105’s: an aircraft I am familiar with through rescue and EMS work at home.  One of the 105’s has a full medical configuration including stretcher and place for medical instrumentation.  The flight was a success, bringing the ill but stable gentleman to Neumayer, from whence he will be evacuated to Germany via the South Pole and Christchurch, New Zealand.  We wish him all the best for his recovery.  The flight also afforded me the opportunity to visit Neumayer, tour the base and examine the medical facilities in particular.  I was hosted by my counterpart – the new overwintering doctor, Jurgen.  He was an excellent host (the gluwein at the end sealed *that* deal) and the tour of the base gave me an excellent background.  Neumayer II is built in tunnels deep under the ice near the edge of the ice-shelf.  It is being replaced by Neumayer III, which will be partly above and partly below the ice (and raised each year on hydraulic stilts) but the building has been set back by the same severe ice conditions that held back our own arrival.  The medical facility is much smaller than that of SANAE IV, but it has had a recent overhaul and features some impressive equipment, including a setup for telemedicine and remote control of the anaesthetic machine. Click on the thumbnails below to see some more images – I’ll add more detail soon.

Lorentzenpiggen (Lorentz’ Peak) is our nearest significant nunatak neighbour, which a distinctive shape that is easily recognised from afar.   The journey crosses several crevassed areas, but is worthwhile both for the scientific value and for scenic beauty.  It is the site of geological and biological research, and is home to lichen and small mites.  We made the trip as part of a geodesic experiment to establish both a radar reflector used for satellite altimetry, and a differential GPS marker plate.  DGPS achieves sub-centimeter accuracy, and the network of marker stations being placed on our neighbouring mountains will allow scientists to monitor the geographic stability of the area, as well as the effect that the massive glacial forces have on the rock itself.