Abstract :
I read the 20th edition of this classic textbook 30 years ago while preparing for the final fellowship examination in Glasgow. Much has changed. As a testimony to its popularity
and longevity, the latest edition is now a hefty tome
comprising 1610 pages. One hundred and twenty-six authors
have contributed to the 82 chapters of the book.
The preliminary chapters cover basic surgical principles,
investigations and perioperative care. The chapters on basic
principles include research, ethics and patient safety. Tissue
engineering was also highlighted in one chapter. Injuries to
the limbs, disaster and war surgery were discussed in the
chapters on trauma. I found the chapters on disaster and war
surgery enlightening. The organisational aspects of disaster
management starting with the chain of command to
definitive treatment was clarified. In war, the predominant
cause of injuries was from explosions rather than gunshots.
The mechanism of blast injuries including from improvised explosive devices were clearly explained. Nine chapters were on elective orthopaedics. The rest of the
chapters were on the other surgical specialties including abdominal, cardiothoracic, vascular, genitourinary, transplantation, breast and endocrine, head and neck, skin and subcutaneous tissue.
