This manual describes what a doctor can do if she/he cannot refer a patient, both in emergency and for `cold surgery'. Although common problems such as Caesarean section, the resection of dead gut, and the release of pus from infected bones are highlighted, it is recognized that rare problems are fairly common, and thus the manual aims to to be comprehensive. The organization and equipment found within an operating theatre is described, and an extensive equipmentlist is provided.

The background to surgery; Theatres, antiseptics, and antibiotics; The control of bleeding; Basic methods and instruments; The surgery of sepsis: draining abscesses; Pus in the pleura, the pericardium, the peritoneum, and the pelvis; Pus in the muscles, bones and joints; Pus in the hands and feet; Methods for abdominal surgery; The acute abdomen: intestinal obstruction; The stomach; The appendix; The gall-bladder, pancreas, and spleen; Hernias; The surgery of conception; The surgery of pregnancy; The medicine of pregnancy; The surgery of labour; Other obstetric problems; Gynaecology; The breast and the thyroid; Proctology; Urology; The eye; The ear, nose, and throat; The teeth and mouth; Orthopaedics; Paediatric surgery; Surgery, AIDS, and hepatitis B; The surgery of tubercolosis; The surgery of leprosy; The surgery of `tropical' diseases; Oncology; Terminal care; Miscellaneous; Appendices.