Seeking Understanding: David Pennington

This Seeking Understanding episode features Dr. Pennington, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who performed the second ever ear reattachment; the first being Jesus’ reattachment of Malchus’ ear after Peter cut it off in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:50,51, John 18:10,11). In addition, the remarkable stories are told of how Dr. Pennington was able to use his skills to relieve suffering in two of his burn patients, one from Kenya, the other from Nepal. Dr. Pennington has had an illustrious career as a surgeon, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery and researcher, with 45 professional publications to his name. He is both a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh as well as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons. His view that his patients are brilliant creations, designed by God Himself, has been confirmed by observing the body’s remarkable ability to heal. In expressing this, he quotes one of the fathers of modern surgery, the 16th Century French surgeon Ambroise Paré, who said: “I treat the wound, but God heals it.”