Not all surgery conforms to our preconceptions of the individual ‘super-craftsperson’, aided by their back-up team, performing the whole operation from first incision to final stitch. Many surgical procedures are fairly routine. An example is the process that was adopted by one Russian eye surgeon.

The surgical procedure in which they specialise is a revolutionary treatment for myopia (short-sightedness)

called ‘radial keratotomy’. In the process, eight patients lie on moving tables arranged like the spokes of a wheel around its central axis, with only their eyes uncovered. Six surgeons, each with their own ‘station’, are positioned around the rim of the wheel so that they can access the patients’

eyes. After the surgeons have completed their own particular portion of the whole procedure, the wheel indexes round to take patients to the next stage of their treatment. The surgeons check to make sure that the previous stage of the operation has been performed correctly and then go on to perform their own task. Each surgeon’s activity is monitored on TV screens overhead and the surgeons talk to each other through miniature microphones and headsets.

(a) Compare this approach to eye surgery with a more conventional approach.

(b) What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach to eye surgery?