General Principles of Preoperative and Postoperative Treatment

Until relatively recently, interest in advances in surgical technic was definitely greater than that in the preoperative and postoperative treatment of patients. This condition has changed, and it is realized now that the operation is only a part, in some instances a relatively minor one, of the treatment of the patient. Lord Moynihan stated that "surgery has been made safe for the patient and now the patient must be made safe for surgery." The work of the past twenty years has accomplished much in this direction, but probably even greater advances will be forthcoming in the future. Particularly encouraging is the fact that the surgeon is no longer content simply to carry out technical procedures but is interested in the treatment of the patient from a broader viewpoint. The requirement of Sir William Osler, that a surgeon should be a physician who operates, is being more nearly approached. This is