Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh: ‘My wife’s brain wave turned me into a best-selling author’

Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh says the only reason he wrote a book (and became a best-selling author) was his wife.

The 73-year-old author of Do No Harm: Stories Of Life, Death And Brain Surgery is married to anthropologist and author Kate Fox.

He tells Donna Ferguson that he splits his time between properties in Oxford and London and that he recently gave up his car to live more economically, out of principle.

What did your parents teach you about money?

To avoid extravagance and debt. I grew up in Oxford, the youngest of four children. My father was a human rights lawyer and then one of the first Law Commissioners.

My mother was a political refugee from Nazi Germany and was very involved as a volunteer in setting up and running Amnesty International. In fact, both my parents were involved with the charity from the very beginning.

Although my father did not have a high income, we lived well within his budget and were comfortable.

Have you ever had trouble making ends meet?

No – through a combination of a good income as a surgeon, luck and my upbringing. I did PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) at Oxford and then studied medicine in London, having taken a few gap years when I volunteered for a charity abroad in Africa. It wasn’t until I was almost 30 that I started making regular money as a doctor.

But I was supported by my first wife and also by my father. I also received student finance, which would not be easy to get these days.

When were the best years of your financial life?

Mid to late 1990s when I only did private work for a few hours a week and worked mainly for the NHS.

My private practice was very lucrative and I probably doubled my NHS income for a few years with private work. I stopped all private work a few years before I retired, eight years ago, at age 65.

Why did you write your bestseller Do No Harm?

I’ve kept a journal all my life, and when Kate and I got together (after the end of my first marriage 25 years ago), she asked me what I’d been doing at work and I read her bits of my journal.

I wrote it because I had a tendency to describe myself what I was doing. But she told me it had to be a book and sent me to her literary agent, who was very enthusiastic. And then it took off.

I never expected it to be such a success. It was only after reading the reviews that I realized I had written something rather unusual.

The most expensive thing you bought for fun?

A black 1959 Jaguar XK150 that I bought 15 years ago for £27,000. I had it rebuilt in Poland and repainted British Racing Green. The purists would criticize me for doing that.

I quickly realized that classic cars weren’t for me, and I sold it for £60,000 pretty quickly, just about covering my expenses. Had I kept it, it would probably be worth over £100,000 today.

What’s your biggest money mistake?

Purchase and renovation of a derelict Victorian lockkeeper’s cottage on the Oxford canal.

There was no road access and a garden full of rubbish. I bought it because I wanted to keep busy and have something practical to do in my spare time. I did a lot of the building work myself. It took me years and I spent a lot more money on it than I got back. But I sold it to my sister-in-law, so it’s still in the family and I don’t regret losing a huge amount of money on the project.

It was worth it. I have given the beautiful old building a new lease of life.

The best money decision you’ve made?

To buy only the most expensive tools for my woodworking business. I make furniture or anything that needs to be made, mainly for family and friends.

During the lockdown, I started two very elaborate, tall dollhouses for my granddaughters, which took me two or three years to complete.

Do you have a pension?

I have an NHS pension and a private pension, and I also earn royalties for my writing.

Over the years I have taken money out of my pension pot to help my children buy their own house. That cost quite a bit of money. A firm of financial advisors manages my investments and I have little interest in what happens to my money.

Do you own any real estate?

I own a four bedroom house in Wimbledon and a one bed flat in Oxford. When my marriage to my first wife ended, I kept my home in London to be near my children and grandchildren. Now I live with Kate in Oxford two or three days a week and divide my time between the two cities.

I commute by train, as I recently lost my car. I now cycle everywhere or use public transport. I try to live more and more frugally, on principle, but without much success.

Kate is skeptical about my decision to part with my car, which was written off in an accident a few weeks ago, but I’m optimistic. I think renting a car for maybe four weeks a year will be slightly cheaper than owning a car.

If you were chancellor, what would you do?

Introduce a one-off wealth tax on property or some kind of ‘gentlemen’s tax’ to put NHS funding on a good footing.

Tax-funded state medicine, when properly funded, is by far the most cost-effective and equitable way to distribute health care. It’s also a hugely important cement for society to function and, I think, a price rich people should be willing to pay.

It is in all of our interests that everyone is treated well.

Do you donate money to charity?

Yes, and I started a charity called Hospice Ukraine with Palliative Care Doctor Rachel Clarke to support our colleagues in Ukraine.

What is your main financial priority?

To live within my means and not be in debt.

• Henry Marsh’s latest book, And Final: Matters Of Life And Death, is out now. See also hospiceukraine.com