“When you read this book, read slowly, don’t skip lines. Think about how what is written looks in real life, and what truly matters in the lives of Uroš and other doctors like him. For whom and why he so often puts those he loves most—his family—on life’s sidelines.” — Prof. Dr. Samo Zver, physician

“We can reach the final goal by different paths. Even with small steps, carefully and patiently. We must only not be too quick to settle for what has already been achieved.”

“Scalpel struck me like a dizzying plunge into the corridors of a doctor’s soul: inside are the stories of patients who moved me to tears, the helplessness of a young surgeon, his dilemmas, the adrenaline of the operating room, lost illusions, the meaning of vocation and compassion. It is a socio-political and economic thriller, a novel of lost illusions, science fiction with the intrusion of artificial intelligence, a lofty song of compassion, and a love story.” — Vesna Milek

“I read the book. It shook me like nothing else has in a long time. In an instant, I became aware not only of transience, but of what life truly is, what dedication, focus, mission, and values mean.” — Dr. Aleksander Zadel, psychologist

“This book is truly superb, multilayered, full-blooded. Patient stories—especially those without clutter, filters, censorship—are certainly important, but just as important are the stories from the other side of the table, which are often overlooked or polished, stripped of flesh and blood… These stories genuinely touched me.” — Bronja Žakelj, journalist and writer

A perceptive chronicle of experiences and a life deeply shaped by reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

The author skillfully touches not only on the technical details of his profession, but also on the emotional entanglements and personal themes that come with it. Through diary entries, true stories, and personal reflections, he explores the complexity and beauty of the surgical vocation, while candidly confronting the accompanying challenges—including duty, envy, prestige, and the difficult questions of modern medicine.

With honesty and without embellishment, he describes his chaotic, exhausting, and unpredictable work. Along the way, he shares fragments of reflection—on what we truly need for happiness, on what real beauty is, and he exposes the absurdities he encounters within the healthcare system.

The book is roughly divided into three parts. The first brings the writings of a young surgeon, originally published more than a decade ago in the Saturday supplement of the newspaper Delo. The central and most extensive part presents the stories that significantly marked his professional path and, as he himself says, through which he “learned, became more thoughtful, wiser, more attuned to life, and therefore richer.” The final part again takes the form of three weeks of diary entries, but this time from the perspective of a mature, experienced surgeon who has already seen and lived through much—even what at first glance seems impossible.