The evolution of surgical oncology. Presidential address: James Ewing Society, New Orleans, 1975

IS AN OPPORTU-T nity to repeat things already said, to a sympathetic audience, and with no risk of immediate rebuttal.My topic is controversial, but this organization is already well rehearsed to hear a talk on surgical oncology.Dr. Arthur James suggested some specialized activity in this area, in his 1971 presidential address.In 1974, Dr. Robert Schweitzer devoted his address to the topic at hand and Dr. Alfred Ketcham, in the same year, gave the presidential address of T h e Society of Head and Neck Surgeons on the same subject.This concentration of attention suggests that perhaps its time has arrived.T h e delineation of specialized, surgical activity in cancer is such a natural development that it should have occurred a long time ago.It should not have needed a concentrated effort on anyone's part, but rather i t would have evolved naturally at an earlier time, unless it were retarded by other considerations.It was not so long ago that the surgeons were virtually the only ones who treated cancer; the treatment of malignant tumors was a major concern of the surgeon, almost from the beginning.When x rays were found to affect tumors, the siirgeons were among the first to adopt this new modality.Dr. Hayes Martin, a member of the James Ewing Society antl initiator of the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons, spent much of his early career doing clinical research in radiation therapy.Dr. George Pack was a student of James Ewing and one 01 the great tiiinor surgeons.i t is of some interest that Dr. Pack was boardcertified in x-ray therapy, but not in surgery.