> What the fuck? An experimental surgical procedure is being conducted, and nothing is recorded outside on elderly doctor's brain?

The data may exist. But it's non-trivial to recreate an experiment or interpret results with only lab notebooks, especially for experiments which were not completed. Despite the best of intentions, even with well-kept notes, not everything is recorded – the doctor's not-completely-formed thoughts (e.g., on topics such as where the experiment should go next, possible issues that might arise) would be the key to moving forward and might not hvae been recorded because they weren't at an advanced enough stage to commit to writing (in the sense that not everyone immediately writes down every idea they have about something, even if that idea later becomes crucial).