There's social distancing, and then there's SOCIAL DISTANCING!!!!!

[Fireball]

This reminds me of that scene in "Master and Commander" when the ship's doctor has to operate on himself.

But talking about crazy appendectomy, there was also Dean Rector who had first appendectomy on a submarine and it was during ww2 in Japanese waters. He was operated by ship’s pharmacist’s assistant, who had no medical training, did not know what an appendix looked like or where it was to be found, and had no surgical equipment to work with, and yet he managed to do it.

A submarine rates at least a 3rd Class Corpsman who has been to the appropriate "A" School and has quite a bit of experience prior to being assigned that kind of billet, and the equipment is available. Don't place to much credence on a movie. Yes, a non-doctor could be assigned to that sort of emergency surgery in a pinch. Then again, I had a ruptured appendix when in the Navy, and it was 6 weeks from the time of discovery (by a non-Navy GP in the town where I was) until I had surgery. 9 days in the hospital, 3 weeks on bed rest, and a Medevac to California. Then two weeks in a medical holding company until I was forced into some manual labor by a "superior" against orders that exacerbated the problem and then I had an appendectomy. I've been hospitalized for a total of 6 weeks because of that appendix. The scar tissue still gives me trouble.