Military Trauma Surgeon Rates 9 More Battle Wounds In Movies and TV | How Real Is It? | Insider

Trauma surgeon and Navy veteran Dr. Peter Rhee rates nine battlefield medical scenes in movies and TV for realism.
Rhee breaks down the historical accuracy of treating gunshot wounds during World War II in "Band of Brothers" (2001) and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), starring Tom Hanks. He looks at the realism of battlefield surgeries in "M*A*S*H" (1979), "Code Black" (2016), and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003), featuring Russell Crowe. He also discusses the reality of treating other battle and trauma injuries in "The Punisher" (2017); "Grey's Anatomy" S6E18 (2010); "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum," starring Keanu Reeves; and "Rambo III" (1988), starring Sylvester Stallone.
Rhee is a trauma surgeon and United States Navy veteran, where he served for 24 years. His memoir, "Trauma Red," is about his experience as a trauma surgeon.
Watch part one of the video here:
• Military Trauma Surgeo...
"Trauma Red": www.simonandschuster.com/book...
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this video was published on March 14 and re-edited to omit graphic content.
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Military Trauma Surgeon Rates 9 More Battle Wounds In Movies and TV | How Real Is It? | Insider

[@Insider]

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this video was published on March 14 and re-edited to omit graphic content. Thank you.

[@HollywoodMarine0351]

Omit graphic content!? Oh, grow a spine Insider. 👎

[@1rstTry]

@@HollywoodMarine0351 it’s KZbin that doesn’t have a spine.

[@XSilver_WaterX]

I personally think it's both. These two Karen-wanabes are part of a con to make every channel into them, and it WILL fail!

[@wowplayer160]

@@1rstTry Yes imagine a site that allows children on it that has restrictions. Weird huh?

[@double6530]

Every platform is going to have it's policies but youtube guidelines have been getting increasingly stupid since the last 10-12 months

[@ralphralpherson9441]

As a medic myself, that Private Ryan scene always felt too real to me. Dude is trying to triage himself while dealing with obvious blood loss, paralysis, pain, and most likely going into shock as a result of blood loss. Then when he says "Oh God my Liver!!!" it just hits so hard because he's the only one there who realizes "that's it, he's probably done for"... (the liver has so much sinusoidal vasculature there's no way to survive a traumatic wound to the liver without getting to a hospital immediately. I mean, unless the bullet just sort of "knicks" the liver.) There's the Hepatic artery, Hepatic vein, Portal vein, and the liver kind of hugs the thoracic aorta and inferior vena cava, not to mention the gall bladder could leak into the body causing peritonitis, or the bullet could carry on into your kidney which can cause massive blood loss if injured as well. It's just a really really really sucky place to be shot by a German WW2 rifle, with a 7.92×57mm projectile (yeah, that's yuge) in a field somewhere hours from any hospital, in 1944... and he knows it... Just chilling. "Tell us how to fix you, Wade! Tell us what to do~!" (pregnant pause) "I could use a little more morphine" that was the most dark and depressing line in the whole film for me.

[@BobbyBigDude]

When he calls for his mom...that was tough...

[@andrestanojcic7193]

Undoubtedly one of the most realistic and devastating representations of the horror and trauma of war in the history of cinematography.

[@roody59]

Gets me every time 😢

[@jon-umber]

This and the death scene in 1917 were so realistic and affecting.

[@dahshendrick2566]

@@BobbyBigDude him asking for morphine put me in tears

[@CatsMeowPaw]

Forget all the fake Hollywood 'superheroes' you see in movies. This guy is a real hero to the people whose lives he saved.

[@the_jones528]

Yea he's a badass

[@WorldWideWeebo]

Me: Kills people People: 🤬 Me: Kills people in disguise People: 🙏

[@unclemikey2004]

Yeah imagine all the stuff he's seen...

[@joshuawilliams7977]

Indeed

[@AndrewHarmless-wv5or]

Amen to that

[@natashabenjamin4222]

I have much respect for this doctor. The stress he must go through is off the charts and for anyone who can do this is Superman to me.

[@bobbyd6680]

No stress. We in the field live for these challenges.

[@lawl9414]

@@bobbyd6680 big difference between trauma surgeon and whatever you do “in the field” lmao

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

@@lawl9414 'in the field' is literal and this guys a farm vet

[@tonyabrookes9931]

And he carries all this knowledge of bodily destruction around with him. That's got to be a lot to deal with sometimes

[@seventh-hydra]

​@@bobbyd6680 No serviceman who's seen combat would say it's "no stress". Doubly so for a corpsman or combat medic.

[@smaller_cathedrals]

That scene from Private Ryan is so incredibly hard to watch. Watching amputation scenes is one thing; but seeing how the medic slowly realizes he is going to die, his comrades willing but ultimately unable to help, all acted out so intensely ... damn, what a tremendous scene.

[@CurrentlyOnLV-426]

Don't know how doctors like him do it. To calmly assess wounds so horrible and to formulate a way to fix them, to keep their patients alive. Just incredible.

[@GardenGuy1943]

My two cents: Tbh you just become desensitized to it & learn how to prioritize overtime. Overcoming gore isn’t crazy - it’s the perseverance for patient care that’s really inspiring. You need a lot of it to handle the long hours, hardships, and never ending education.

[@JGunit]

Compartmentalized disassociation

[@beapbass]

You take a lot of stuff home with you. When you're in the ER (or out in the field), you function. You were trained for that situation, you'll handle that situation. It's afterwards, when your work is done, that it might hit you. You'll learn to deal with a lot of stuff, but there's things you'll probably never get used to. Doesn't mean, they'll break you, but they'll cause you some nightmares.

[@fmfdocbotl4358]

When you're there you just think about your patients and saving them. After you're done is when the nightmares start because of what you've seen.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Doctors are trained to not display emotions. Imagine an injured patient looking at a doctor and the doctor looks horrified. Imagine how much damage you're gonna inflict on a patient's psyche.

[@bkpark0813]

The way Dr. Rhee calmly and casually says, "this is a common scenario," when talking about an I.E.D. just goes to show how different his life has been to the rest of us. I know it's a reaction video but the complete LACK of reaction is just as impressive.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Dr. Peter Rhee is one of my favourite Insider guests. He's detailed and fun to watch and listen to.

[@xifel72]

I like him, but he also made me realize how awfully wrong much of my military medical training is. Or at least outdated

[@joesikkspac7904]

He doesn't know that gunpowder doesn't burn when it's WET. Blood is wet and so is sweat. I'm very surprised that that wasn't his first reaction. He also falls into the trap of applying modern knowledge and technology to the eras before. You can disarticulate an arm at the elbow with a knife, as anyone who does their own butchering knows. Not showing the whole amputation scene, we don't know if they cut away the flesh, then got the saw out. Maybe they chopped through. Wet bones chop very nicely.

[@wademichalski768]

agreed

[@JubioHDX]

@@joesikkspac7904 depends what type of gunpowder youre talking. Traditional old school black powder becomes useless with pretty much any amount of moisture, more modern smokeless powder thats used in rounds in modern times will still light unless a LOT of water is added (a whole lot more than the layer of sweat on his skin), and with the amount of blood/sweat that was there itd still be flammable and explosive but its burn rate would be altered so it wouldnt be useful in a round anymore, but itd light if he poured alot. also, you cant say he's inaccurate because "we dont know if they cut away the flesh first", he's here to comment on the clips they show him. filling in the blanks with your own medical knowledge makes no sense when the goal is to objectively say if what exactly happened in the scene is realistic or not (and that clip definitely had the faults he mentioned as it was presented)

[@Gabryal77]

Him and the ditch guy. I was watching a movie the other day, and they actually built ditches, and first thing I thought of was the ditch guy

[@TheTuttle99]

I love how he just casually says that he's performed surgery on himself before lmao certified badass

[@mezmerizer0266]

Lol a COUPLE of times even.

[@OpalLeigh]

With mirrors!! The things you learn from these videos:)

[@izhamsham843]

Right??? Those experiences deserve a video all on its own.. badass!

[@osmium6832]

Normally the people behind the camera don't say anything or edit it out when they do, but I really wish someone had asked him to elaborate. Is he saying that he's used a mirror for minor medical procedures or that he's performed surgery on himself? Using a mirror to see to remove a splinter or lance a boil is one thing, but pulling out shrapnel or an appendix by yourself is something else entirely.

[@dazem8]

Saving Private Ryan scene. To realize your own fate and then have to accept it in that moment ... with battle all around you and your comrades not wanting to give up. Very emotional. Everyone knows that scene and it's one of the best in cinema history imo.

[@sparsh415]

I`ve worked with Doctors as their Driver and their level of intelligence and knowledge is astonishing.What also amazes me is how they stay calm and collected among the blood,guts and gore when most people would be throwing up.Dr Rhee is a very impressive man.🙂

[@moxinghbian]

ChatGPT 4 ain't replacing these docs.

[@uberhaxonova]

@@moxinghbian actually robotic surgeries with human input is becoming more and more common. since the robots have more precision for certain types of surgery. Will the human input be replaced? maybe.

[@mezmerizer0266]

They are a different breed of human. Good bless them.

[@sparsh415]

@@uberhaxonova I think many things will be replaced by Robotics and AI in the future.

[@lolitabubbles26]

@@uberhaxonova I don't think they'll be replaced. They will simply shift in what they specialize in. It's been proven that humans will ever truly be replaced with robotics. fortunately it's due to expertise, but also unfortunately-- humans are cheaper to maintain than machines.

[@minciumihnea5344]

5:28 - Master and commander - it is during Napoleonic War, there was no anesthetics (it appeared in 1846), they used only alcohol to reduce pain. Also, no antibiotics, for infections. It was a warship, in the middle of the ocean, so the navy surgeons in English fleet were very experimented in amputating. I know that they could amputate a leg in less than 1 minute. And the tools used in the movie are corresponding to the period. Also, regarding the extraction of the bullet, as an act in itself, it was mandatory not due to the infection caused by the bullet, but because it was a low velocity bullet, meaning it was taking into the wound also the fabric of the clothes, and those pieces of fabric will cause the infection.

[@bobbyd6680]

They also had morphine and other opioid preparations to help, not just alcohol.

[@alexandrebravo4472]

​@@bobbyd6680 doubtful for an average ship that's been out at sea for 6 months to a year. regardless of the technology being theoretically available at the time, what would make you believe they would have that stuff ready, available and stored properly for use??

[@Schuisadrummist]

Yeah, in that M&C scene, he's actually holding up the piece of fabric Maturin extracted to his shirt to confirm that he got all the fabric out to prevent infection. The bullet isn't as important.

[@ericdidom6763]

I'm glad that someone has pointed out that we can't judge what happens in that movie with the surgical knowledges and procedures of our days. I find the video commentary a bit misleading talking about the "Master&Commander" clips. I recommend this book for a general panorama on the surgery of that period (shortly after): "Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine"

[@beardedbjorn5520]

@@Schuisadrummist yes! That what I was wondering if anyone told him they were looking for the linen from his shirt not the bullet

[@janibeg3247]

My father was a physician in an Army field hospital in WW2. He never, ever talked about his experiences during the war. He did like to talk about multicourse French meals he ate after the war was over and he was down in Southern France near Carcassonne.

[@ruiyang1179]

lmao not the multixcourse french meals

[@usmc1379]

As a Marine combat veteran I have the highest respect for "Doc". You guys are amazing! Semper Fi!

[@prozergter2]

Dude's not just a "doc" he's a full bird colonel.

[@usmc1379]

@@prozergter2 I meant it as his job. Relax.

[@prozergter2]

@@usmc1379 I'm chilled Devil, just merely saying that I don't think officers are refer to as "doc" just the enlisted Corspman.

[@usmc1379]

@@prozergter2 I misunderstood, sorry. I probably should have used "Corpsman".

[@uberhaxonova]

@@usmc1379 yes he's right, just say doctor xyz, and doc xyz for enlisted

[@shemshernur2633]

Legends know this is re-upload

[@ignatiusdeguzman6037]

I thought the same thing! I wonder why the re-upload tho.

[@BobbySacamano]

I feel like it's missing a few scenes, though... I could be wrong it's been awhile. I'd imagine it it's been adjusted to better meet yt's dumb guidelines.

[@slimeruthlessroyals1026]

Disappointed. I like this guy and want a new episode

[@HiiPANDA_]

I thought the same thing lol.

[@scopes81]

I thought I was experiencing deja vu.

[@Bozzak]

That scene in Saving Private Ryan got me. The Medic being able to go through and treat so many people and wounds and in the end when he was calling for his Mom. It got me.

[@russellkainec5569]

Same here

[@MrThorain]

The worst part of the movie for me.

[@ericshue2376]

I'll go left.. 👍 😢

[@user-ju8il5vt2l]

As a Korean, it's always a wonder to watch Peter Rhee getting all the notice he deserves. I Wish they do more series reviewing military trauma with him.

[@danielwggudan2]

There’s nothing cooler than listening to an obviously intelligent, humble, funny badass. This guys the real deal.

[@es5ape]

7:25 in Master & Commander the reason to remove the bullet was very important. Bullets were spherical at that time and often they were taking parts of the clothes. Having fabric in the wound means sepsis.

[@sharonlopez3050]

Dr Rhee is a legend! He treated Gabby Gifford. I've been to trauma conferences where he's presented and he is a excellent speaker and his knowledge and experience is incredible. I could listen to him lecture all day long

[@dobbygfred8452]

Just love how brutally honest Dr Peter Rhee is and also the great explanation as to why he rates it that way.

[@KarmaMechanic988]

30-year emergency medicine physician here. This gentleman is spot on. I could elaborate for hours and hours on incredible gunshot traumas I have seen and how unpredictable bullets are. For example I had a 13-year-old and Richmond California shot in the medial aspect of the right knee. Large entrance wound, unusual but it was directed cephalad so it made a large laceration. The boy had no vital signs on arrival. I worked him and worked him. It was hard to imagine a GSW to the knee did this, so I worked on him as if maybe he broke his neck in a fall. Never got any vital signs back. Took a postmortem chest x-ray. The bullet tracked up his femur, through his abdomen, the left chest was full of blood, and the bullet had a final resting place in the left upper quadrant! It was kind of a riot outside because it was a mass casualty event, the father was uncontrollable screaming that nobody dies from a gunshot to the knee, nobody! Bullits do strange things.

[@tonyabrookes9931]

Holy sh*t

[@KarmaMechanic988]

@@tonyabrookes9931 I really need to write a book. Except no one would believe it

[@KarmaMechanic988]

Just in case you know any good Ghost writers

[@CatherineLambert-fz7pd]

Poor kid 😢

[@itsjustme8947]

A 30 year ER doc who can't spell bullets? Mass casualty event and you wasted time on someone with no vitals on arrival? What did you happen to miss 'triage day'? An x-ray in post? If you had 30 years experience, you'd have already known the gsw was the culprit. Where did you really hear this story from before you decided to (badly) make it your own?

[@bobbyd6680]

As a retired ER/trauma trained nurse, I love this guy. Movie medical scenarios just drive me nuts with all the false information they throw out there.

[@ninjasrule]

My brother is a radiographer and anything with xrays drives him nuts too 🤣🤣🤣

[@beapbass]

@@ninjasrule I totally feel him. I rewatched the first House episode a few years back, when I was in radiology training. Totally ruined the show for me after I really did enjoy it while I was still some naive pupil 😂

[@MichaelDerbyshire]

My mother and aunt were both nurses while I was growing up. They couldn't watch any "medical" movie or show without adding their own running commentary on how messed up it was. Used to drive the rest of us nuts! Then I joined the Navy. Now , *I* can't watch a Navy (or military) movie without seeing the glaring mistakes!

[@nm7358]

7:10 Again, I reiterate that they are not going for the bullet itself, but the piece of clothing that went inside the wound with the round bullet. If left inside a live wound to fester, these organic fibers cause infections, then either gangrene or septicemia. Right in the torso like that without antibiotics, this would have been a sure death for Maturin. The piece of clothing was caught around the bullet surface; as it was round, the piece stuck with the bullet after being torn from the shirt. What is shown here is that bullet being extracted, then Higgins picks the bloody piece around it to compare with the hole in the shirt and check that everything is there.

[@craigbryant3191]

Yeah, this is really important, and no offense to Dr. Rhee. They were much more concerned with getting the shirt fabric--and matching it to the bullet hole in the shirt--because that was going to kill him.

[@mellovated7919]

@@craigbryant3191 i dont think he was given the full context of the scene but just shown them to address on a case by case basis. especially with his experience im sure he would understand the explanation for removing the bullet (cloth intact around it) being so important as infection can even be a killer in the modern day by the same fashion. which is why its so important to clean GSW even if you are able to leave the bullet in the body. but im really glad im not the only one who thought to point this out

[@JHulse29]

Good point. Doc is just watching very short clips so I don't think he knew that risk was there

[@DJWeapon8]

​@@JHulse29 99% of the clips shown for reactions for professionals are just that. Clips, with very little context. I really wish reaction channels like this actually put in the effort to stitch together the relevant scenes to provide the needed context.

[@samuelhaverghast2442]

To his defense.. not many people are shooting with Flintlocks these days.. but you are right, most common way soldiers died around that time and the United States Civil War.. was infection because of foreign debris that was carried by the ball

[@TangoSierra888]

Much respect to this man. Probably saw all kinds of horrible things over his 20+ year career. Salute 🫡🇺🇸

[@jamesdominguez7685]

That 20mm round still having the casing on it is just hilarious, the military equivalent of that notorious NCIS "hacking" scene where two people used the same keyboard.

[@saudade7842]

Hate to be nitpicky, but it doesn't have the casing on it, the shell's just that big

[@saudade7842]

@Far Stox Tbf, unless it really ricocheted a bunch, or otherwise lost a ton of energy, it should've gone right through him lol

[@Vaelosh466]

@@saudade7842 It's hard to see but I think he's right that it still has the casing in the back. I wonder if the episode had some kind of explanation where it got stuck in there some way other than being fired.

[@saudade7842]

@@Vaelosh466 A 20mm casing is really large. If you look you can see it's just the shell. The bit at the back that looks kinda like a rim is just part of the shell that would be inside the casing.

[@lornemarmet5898]

I absolutely admire people like you. I have been rescued twice by fire fighters after suffering major injuries! The emergency responders, doctors and nurses literally saved my life. Thank you for your incredible service.

[@freetowhat]

I LOVE that you called out unsterile blue gloves 👏👏👏

[@fleetskipper1810]

Me too!

[@gracep2910]

hey, dr. rhee, i read your book in nursing school and now i’ve been a nurse 5 years! cool to see you randomly while browsing youtube!

[@bayuchandrasukma820]

Very nice that we got another video with Mr. Rhee, I loved the 1st video and this is all the same with his professional mannerism. Truly respect him, and so does the Insider channel for bringing us a new one with him. God bless.

[@vlnow]

Guys who do jobs like this are massive legends.

[@Thane36425]

In "Saving Private Ryan", Wade was probably hit by an MG42 and at fairly close range. Statistics back then said that soldiers had a 50% chance of being killed if hit by one. This is one reason why they were so feared. However, it was odd that one of the main tactics was to flank it and get into grenade range, which is what they did in the movie. It is also strange that they actually took the medic on the assault.

[@ITILII]

The MG42 had a very fast rate of fire, up to 1,200/rpm, firing a heavy 7.92 x57 Mauser round at up to 2,700/fps which are all excellent reasons to be in fear of it

[@jacobcoleman4216]

Wade goes because Captain Miller asks for volunteers, and Upham fails to step up.

[@bobbyburke1190]

wade actually doesnt volunteer to be one of the main runners originally it is just captain miller mellish and jackson@@jacobcoleman4216

[@seriliaykilel]

Dr Rhee is amazing - knows his stuff and speaks from real, on the ground, experience. Pretty epic

[@adrianfirewalker4183]

I worked in Military Trauma/Emergency Medicine. This Dr was spot on, 100%

[@gracep2910]

Thanks, Adrian Firewalker.

[@borisglevrk]

"That's not a projectile that's an entire round" "I've been there and the lobby never looked that nice to me" Love this guy. Able to make a dark, graphic scene into a comedy in one sentence.

[@triumphantsam]

27 year nurse here and I love watching this doc. I learn something new everytime o hear him review these clips.

[@lilysm6382]

this guy needs his own movie at this point

[@StutleyConstable]

I like this guy. No bluster. No Rah-Rah. He goes straight at the scene and says what he thinks.

[@SD-ru5rk]

Nicely done Doc! Loved this and gave me goosebumps. I owe my life a couple times over to these ladies and gentleman who are our Corpsmen. Thanks for being awesome Doc!

[@amandaredd3057]

You are the definition of badass, Dr Rhee. Thankyou for your service

[@uekernas]

Even knowing this is a reupload, I’ll say again that in the amputation scene from Master & Commander, midshipman Blakeney has been given laudanum for pain relief (though he’s still awake).

[@tylergaffney1231]

I'm not 100% sure, but don't think they would've used laudanum at that point - the movie is set in 1804, and general anesthesia didn't become widely used until around 1850. And even then, general anesthesia was cutting edge, so unlikely to be found on a warship in the south pacific. And laudanum itself was a luxury, so again, don't know if it's likely that they'd have it on a warship. Unfortunately, I think this kid would've had to take that whole experience completely sober (maybe some liquor tho)

[@bobbyd6680]

@@tylergaffney1231 They did have and use laudanum and other morphine derivatives. If they gave him enough to render him unconscious, he'd die from respiratory depression, and they had no real knowledge to assist respirations.

[@sportyspice9699]

As a grunt I feel good that there are competent yet approachable men like this working at roll 2. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise, Sir.

[@jimjezewski5701]

Real American Hero here, God Bless Doc!

[@omnione12]

This man needs to be preserved at all cost. His Wisdom is beyond standard requirement of military knowledge

[@davidhughes5369]

Dr. Rhee is AMAZING!! Thank you for your service!!!!

[@ShemBoothSpain]

very impressed by his experience and wisdom on a range of things, what a legend.

[@viktorbobergsundstrom6487]

Get this guy to react to more videos. I love how critical he is and how good he is at what he does.

[@rothed16]

You're the Real Hero. I could listen to him all day. Thanks for all you did.

[@lewismingledorff6417]

Thank you for your service, Dr Rhee.

[@barndi]

I love this!!! Fun to get such a detailed knowledgeable analysis on those wounds & scenes. Dr Rhee is FANTASTIC!!

[@09daniscool]

For freak sake! Thank you! For 24 years I've been wondering what those little white packets in Private Ryan were!

[@Slop_Dogg]

This man is so knowledgeable. A normally stressful job in an even higher stress situation. Can’t imagine what this guy has seen.

[@aegrisomnia]

I like how brutaly honest he was about the scenes "this thing in the background is unrealistic 5/10! Wrong priorities 0/10". Like in trauma surgery there is no space for artistic interpretation.

[@michaeladolph7134]

I used to be a medic in the German army.... And honestly this video is soooooo good. Love this guy

[@Squashylemon]

This guy is a badass who saved people's lives. Thank you for your service.

[@idontthinkso666]

Holy cow, that doctor made this video FAR MORE interesting than I expected. Well done!

[@email16v]

Army vet here- This is how leadership talks with no BS. Thank you for your service sir!

[@fmfdocbotl4358]

This is how most of the greenside Docs were.

[@aschemusicreations]

I love how casually he dismantles things: "the lobby was never that nice"

[@bilgetonyukuk5530]

7:04 This scene is not only about removing the bullet, but also the piece of cloth that got into the wound.

[@mattforbes7833]

This guy is awesome. Nerves of steel. Thank you for your service.

[@BexlarsIRL]

The fact that the first scene is from band of brothers reminds me that I haven't watched it this year... Might need to binge it soon.

[@drewrenewed]

Best expert review yet in my opinion. Grateful for his service.

[@1003JustinLaw]

It honestly makes a lot of difference whether you're watching scenes like this when you've never been exposed to the experience, have a bit of experience, or is very experienced. I used to watch these with no experience at all and have this sense of distance that doesn't give me a very visceral feeling. Recently I've had some experience in a butcher's shop and, knowing what the inside of a body looks, feels, and smells like I'm getting uncomfortable shivers all over my body when I watch these things even though I know they're fictional depictions. Dr. Rhee here has had so much experience that I expect him to not really feel anything at all aside from what he must do to save the life so I doubt he has the heebie-jeebies that I'm experiencing now, but I'd love to hear him talking about his newbie days.

[@CD-xo4fy]

Sup

[@PortfolioPL]

I could listen to this guy for hours. I bet he inspired a lot of young people to become medics or surgeons.

[@OrigTMNT]

He's so great!!!! LOVE HAVING DR RHEE ON!! Please more of him!! 🖤

[@gijoe508]

This guy is great, I think this is my favorite one of these types of videos I’ve seen

[@kirkj101]

I see Master & Commander, I stick around. Amazing movie - very underrated! Also, thank you for your service.

[@tattooedhooligan316]

I really wish they would have made a whole series based on the books, instead of just one movie.

[@Satellite_Of_Love]

Absolutely! Such a fantastic film! The acting (especially the child actors), the cinematography, the score, and the attention to historical detail are all great! The arm amputation scene always tugs at my heartstrings.

[@kirkj101]

@@Satellite_Of_Love that kid during the raid is so fearless! Love it

[@Rombizio]

The stuff he must have seen......respect.

[@TheWildSlayer]

I was shaking at some of these scenes but Dr. Rhee just casually explaining the process was incredible.

[@steveafanador6441]

The things this man has seen in his life 😮😮😮😮. Thank God for people like him 🙏

[@kosminuskosminus6668]

This guy is legit dammm... more guys like him please.

[@corgisrule21]

Lol I love this…as an ICU nurse i can barely stand to watch medical shows cause it’s so unbelievable (or downright stupid) sometimes, but I’m not familiar with how unreal the military side of things is. Loved this ❤️

[@gregdzialo9998]

We all should love a surgeon like Dr. Rhee who can also laugh & smile with a sense of humor. This seemingly paradoxical attribute reveals to me that he is fully aware of our & his own mortal humanity. Or, in other words, yes, take serious things & situations seriously, but not all the time to the detriment of one's ownself.

[@CaptTeamwork]

You get a thumbs up my man. Thanks for your service.

[@venomousgas3300]

There was a Dual Survival episode where one of the survivalists intentionally cut himself (cut open his forearm) and used gunpowder to cauterize it, as you see Stallone do in the Rambo clip. It took the survivalist a few tries and repacks to get it to light, because the blood soaked the gunpowder too much to allow it to ignite. He did eventually manage to get it to light and cauterize. He didn't really have to deal with any infection, but of course it was a surface flesh wound, caused by a knife, and not a through-and-through abdominal wound caused by a dirty piece of wood, that would more than likely have needed a full-through-cauterize. I am no doctor, of course, but I would imagine that a stick through the abdomen could cause internal bleeding to some degree, even if it missed organs. And of course, even with cauterizing the way Stallone did, I would think there would be internal infection.

[@anthonypfannenstein4894]

I went through combat life saver before heading to Iraq and the big final event was having us regular ground pounders starting an IV on each other for real. All of the Medics, Corpsmen, Doctors, Nurses, and even the people who had no medical experience but did have combat experience, and were helping to run that course said the same thing. If you're actively engaged in a firefight, shoot back! You're grunts, and that's your biggest problem. If you have a medic or a corpsmen present, let them take care of the wounded, you grunts need to eliminate the threat. The Medevac is not going to try and land in the middle of a shoot out. It's not a movie, and they want to help your wounded , but they can't get the entire flight crew and flight medic killed in the process. They will land when the area has not yet been secured, but not while there's a full on gun fight where you're at. It's a harsh reality ground troops have to realize. in the movies they show helos landing right in the fight. But medevacs don't do that. Because that's senseless. IF your corpsman or medic goes down, and you have eliminated the threat, you focus on STOPPING THE BLEEDING FIRST. Because we can't get you any more blood out there fast enough. Chances are, your adrenalin will be running so high that starting an IV is going to be problematic for you. Hands shaking, heart racing, concentration is probably more on another shooter out there, which is natural. By the time you get hat damn IV started, they'll have bled out. They told us if we started an IV on anyone, it would probably be for a heat casualty. It's worth teaching it, but don't get so focused on an IV and forget that stopping the bleeding is your wounded friends best chance.

[@BLacknesmonstaz]

Now this guy's a legend. God Bless him!

[@johnschmitt5259]

Thank you for your service sir!

[@waffensachverstandcom5505]

From a retired staff officer point of experience this man really knows what he is talking about 👍

[@kbo8029]

I'm glad he mentioned the "pull an arrow through" and "get the bullet out" Hollywood medicine. Drives me crazy. Most of the time it shows them mangling the wound so much worse trying to get the bullet out with nasty players and a box cutter or some crap followed by a relaxed "day is saved" change in tone like that magically heals a gunshot wound lol.

[@sharoncarter4086]

Really great to watch !!! Thank you for this video, very interesting and informative!

[@tiptoeurchin]

I love that he did mash. One of my favorite shows. Mom was watching a rerun when I was born..."I can step in, I can step out".

[@Gabryal77]

I hope Dr Rhee watches Master and Commander, to answer his question yes the wound was originally a compound fracture that he did set and wrap but it got infected. I sometimes feel for the doctors of that era who were often fighting a losing battle against infection and how helpless that must have made them feel. I imagine that's one of the reasons that when germ theory was theorized and later proved it was adopted by so many so quickly.

[@BexlarsIRL]

The bullet in the first scene was actually a wooden bullet, which the Germans would sometimes use as it caused a larger wound due to the splintering of the bullet, hence the wound looks bigger than had it been with a normal round. It's not made clear in the scene so understandable that the wound size would get called out though.

[@rich_rich90]

Good god the things this doctor must have seen! So much respect!

[@Jeauxbey]

I squeezed my eyes shut many times during this video. My god. So scary. God bless this hero

[@KayoMichiels]

Is this a re-upload? I could have sworn i've seen this episode before!

[@KarmaMechanic988]

Again, as a veteran emergency physician it is clear that this gentleman is one of us.

[@hamsterpaj111]

This is probably the best episode i've ever watched.

[@IrwinDeGannes]

I love this guy, always informative and entertaining.

[@Roanstar]

for the scene from Saving Private Ryan the correct spelling is 'sulfa' or 'sulpha' not elemental 'sulfur'. They are antimicrobial medicines developed in the 1930s, rather than antibiotic. My fencing instructor described receiving an injury from a broken foil in the 1960s and getting treated with sulfa powder, before antibiotics like neosporin were available over the counter.

[@brettevill9055]

Yes, "sulfa" is medical slang for "sulfonamide", a class of anti-bacterial drugs that came into use in the late 1930s and was a mainstay for treating infections until penicillin started to be mass produced in 1944-45. Between the Normandy landings and the end of WWII penicillin was available (and used with great effect) in hospitals, but every US soldier was issued a personal first-aid kit containing a packet of sulfa.

[@Satellite_Of_Love]

Oh, I'm very aware of sulfa as a medication. I'm allergic to sulfa medications, and I found out the hard way. It's a common one. It is good to know the difference between sulfa and sulfur, so thank you for the post.

[@fleetskipper1810]

@@Satellite_Of_LoveI was given sulfa as a cold in 1950s Ohio, and I had a reaction to it, to.

[@1JackTorS]

At 12:19, I believe that is indeed just a bullet. What you see at the base is the bullet cannelure which gives the illusion of a casing. If it were an unfired 20mm round, it would be anywhere from 8 to 11 inches long and a lot wider at the base.

[@VivaAlecto]

these videos are such great resources for writing! Thank you

[@kingjames4886]

"the casing is still on the back!" got a good chuckle outta that :P

[@aidensanders5506]

There was an entire episode of Band of Brothers dedicated to a Medic and they chose that scene for him to react to lol

[@littleraeofsunshine]

Glad they included Master and Commander! Only part he missed from the self-surgery scene: Dr. Maturin needed the bullet removed because it took in part of his shirt which had caused an infection, and he definitely *could* have died from that (its how the Resistants killed Reinhard Heydrich".

[@brodie-tzu4753]

LOLOL love your comments Doc and thank you for your service. More, please!

[@shkotayd9749]

Dr Peter Rhee is by FAR one of my faves. he has seen the deep dark, nasty times, and yet he can communicate complex stuff when the characters are in total crisis mode, in a way I feel I can get.

[@reederickson3202]

I love this guy! I do want to mention that he missed an important detail in the Master and Commander scene where the surgeon is operating on himself. In the movie, they specifically mention that a chunk of his shirt was punched into the wound when he was shot, and that the shirt was going to start festering. I don't know how much of a difference that makes, but I imagine a chunk of fabric made from plant matter and covered in the grime and sweat of several months at sea is a pretty nasty thing to have stuck inside of you.

[@tiarezavaleta8850]

Even if it was clean, it could cause problems for him.

[@colincassar6504]

When the arm was amputated in Master and Commander, the doctor mentioned the patient was given laudanum, which is a tincture of opium; so he did have some anesthetic. Too bad the commentator missed that. I would like to have heard how effective those early pain killers were.

[@csintalanpalacsinta7389]

As someone interested in history of medicine; laudanum could be more effectively used in minor, less invasive procedures, becaude it's more of a painkiller than anesthetic, really - that means the patient was operated on while conscious, so ultimately it was not effective as an anesthetic. The tincture itself was used like a miracle medicine for all kinds of ailments during the 19th century (prompting a wave of opiate addiction, naturally). It was not until the 1840's when the first anesthetics were used during actual operation - ether and chloroform. I think Master and Commander takes place in the early 1800's, so the amputation would've been an extremely painful, conscious experience with no anesthetics present (they could use opium, morphine and alcohol in mostly feeble hopes of easing the pain though). And what could make the dire scenario even worse would be if the patient, let's say, was an eager enthusiast of laudanum prior to the procedure, since frequent usage makes you kind of immune to its effect... Remember to never be operated on in the early 1800's.