Written by a world-renowned historian of surgery, this volume is a masterful textual and pictorial history of the evolution of American surgery. Dr. Rutkow draws on his experience as a surgeon and a historian to provide an enlightening account of the development of surgery in the context of American social, economic, and political history. He also chronicles the complete histories of the surgical specialties. Interspersed with the narrative is an extraordinary collection of archival photographs and drawings, many of which have never before been published. More than 1,000 biographies of pioneering surgeons are deftly woven into the narrative.

'ACS Surgery' has been developed to help practicing surgeons make critical decisions on patient care. It is an evidence-based reference of surgical best practices from leaders in the field.

"In the preface to this impressive and well-produced book, the editors state that their aim is not to describe a new surgical specialty, since most surgeons will soon need to be "geriatric surgeons," but to assemble a comprehensive account that will allow "all providers of healthcare to the elderly to understand the issues involved in choosing surgery as a treatment option for their patients." This is a useful book that deserves to do well. I hope that the editors and their publisher will have the stamina to make this the first of several editions, as it is clear that updated information about surgery in the elderly will be required to keep pace with this important field." NEJM Book Review

In this sweeping history of American surgical practice, a renowned surgeon describes how surgery in this country has advanced from the comparatively crude practices of pioneering physicians in the colonial era to its current level of preeminence.

Originally published in 1992, Medical Theory, Surgical Practice examines medical and surgical concepts of disease and their relation to the practice of surgery, in particular historical settings. It emphasises that understanding concepts of disease does not just include recounting explicit accounts of disease given by medical men. It needs an analysis of the social relations embedded in such concepts. In doing this, the contributors illustrate how surgery rose from a relatively humble place in seventeenth century life to being seen as one of the great achievements of late Victorian culture. They examine how medical theory and surgical practices relate to social contexts, how physical diagnosis entered medicine and whether anaesthesia and Lister’s antiseptic techniques really did cause a revolution in surgical practice.