Travels with a Scalpel
CHRIS LAVY
Format: Paperback
Size: 140mm x 216mm
Pages: 252
Release Date: August 2026
Price: £11.99
ISBN: 9781917455749
ABOUT THE BOOK
From a bicycle journey to Africa that began in the UK, to decades spent transforming surgical care, Travels with a Scalpel is a remarkable story of adventure, purpose, and compassion.
Chris Lavy traces three intertwined journeys: a physical journey across continents; a professional journey from inexperienced junior doctor to surgeon, teacher, and hospital builder; and a far-reaching journey to improve surgical education and reconstructive care for children across East, Central, and Southern Africa.
Along the way, he encounters hardship, humour, friendship, and the enduring resilience of people determined to build a fairer world.
Written as a set of stories, at its heart, this is a book about children whose lives can be transformed by the gift of surgery - children who dream simply of walking, running, and living without pain. It is also a deeply human account of the people who dedicate their lives to making those dreams possible.
Honest, inspiring, and profoundly moving, Travels with a Scalpel is both a memoir and a call to action: an invitation to anyone in medicine or anyone seeking to make a difference, to consider what part they might play in healing a divided world.
ENDORSEMENTS
'One of the best things I have done in the past few years is to have encouraged Lavy to write this. The book is full of wit and honest wisdom, encouragement and challenge as it describes a life driven by a deep Christian commitment to the plight of children in some of the poorest countries in the world. Lavy and his wife Vicky have transformed the health of thousands and given them hope. The hospitals he has helped set up will ensure that his remarkable legacy will endure. Whether you are a health professional or not, you must read this book. It may well transform your life too.'
John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford
'Witty, humorous, and unputdownable. A story of deep personal reflection and introspection, disparities in global medical practice, health systems development, and faith, seamlessly woven together with the anatomical precision of a surgeon wielding a scalpel. A must read.'
Nyengo Mkandawire, Malawi’s first orthopaedic surgeon
'This book is wonderful! Can’t put it down. Inspiring, fascinating, challenging.'
Rachel Hargest, Director LSE / Royal College of Surgeons Global Surgical Policy Unit
'A surgical journey like no other. Great storytelling and a compelling look into a world few of us know is out there.'
Neil Mortensen, President Royal College of Surgeons of England
BIO
Chris Lavy is a surgeon, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford, and fellow of Green Templeton College. He lives in Oxford with his wife Vicky, one of his sons Tim, and a three-legged dog Simba. Chris is a member of St Andrew’s Church. His interests include drawing, painting, DIY, supporting his local community and its pub, maintaining his old River Thames cruiser, writing, speaking, tennis and golf. Half of his heart is still in Africa where he lived for seventeen years.