TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Evolution of Surgical Oncology A1 - Lizarraga, Ingrid M. A1 - Nau, Peter N. A1 - Mezhir, James J. A1 - Weigel, Ronald J. A2 - Morita, Shane Y. A2 - Balch, Charles M. A2 - Klimberg, V. Suzanne A2 - Pawlik, Timothy M. A2 - Posner, Mitchell C. A2 - Tanabe, Kenneth K. PY - 2018 T2 - Textbook of Complex General Surgical Oncology AB - Whether considering the practice of bloodletting or the concept of balancing of the four humors, the practice of medicine dates back centuries to the time of Hippocrates. Early physicians managed what were considered to be internal diseases, giving rise to the term “internal medicine.” Conversely, due to the extreme morbidity and mortality associated with an operation, surgeons were restricted to the management of superficial or external conditions. Sir James Simpson, a prominent Scottish physician in the 19th century, famously stated, “A man laid on the operating table in one of our hospitals is exposed to more chances of death than the English soldier on the field at Waterloo.”1 It was not until the advent of antisepsis, antibiotics and the introduction of modern anesthetic techniques that the abdominal cavity could be approached with an acceptable degree of success. These innovations brought about a revolution in the field of surgery. In less than a century the practice of surgery transformed from one restricted to procedures of necessity to elective procedures including life-saving resections of malignant tumors. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1145755086 ER -