had a dream. My dream was to assemble the current and future leaders in surgery and ask them to develop an evidence-based surgical textbook that would provide the reader with the most up-to-date and relevant information on which to base decisions in modern surgical practice. In other words, the dream was to create the best, most comprehensive textbook of surgery. Fortunately, I met Laura Gillan of Springer-Verlag New York, who had a similar dream. As our editor, she has provided the foundation and structure for this dream. She has made this dream a reality. Because surgery is a highly specialized and diverse discipline with significant complexity, I also needed a commitment from outstanding sur­ geons to serve as coeditors. I was fortunate to have a diverse group of exceptional, young-in-spirit, en­ ergetic, cutting-edge, surgical investigators share in this project, and I wish to thank them for their in­ valuable contribution to this undertaking. The Editorial Board, including Randy Bollinger, Fred Chang, Steve Lowry, Sean Mulvihill, Harvey Pass, and Robert Thompson, met for the first time at the Ameri­ can College of Surgeons meeting in Chicago in October 1997 (Fig. 1). There, this book was conceived. Each of us developed the plan and content for his specific surgical discipline. The common thread is that all decisions and recommendations are based on the best available evidence and that the reader can clearly see the evidence in our "E-tables" (evidence-based tables) specifically marked for the reader's reference.

Section One Care of the Surgical Patient.- 1 The Origins of Modern Surgery.- 2 Normal Cell Structure and Function.- 3 Evidence-Based Surgery.- 4 Mediators of Inflammation and Injury.- 5 Substrate Metabolism in Surgery.- 6 Protein Metabolism in Surgery.- 7 Nutrition.- 8 Perioperative Fluids and Electrolytes.- 9 Hemostasis and Coagulation.- 10 Transfusion Therapy.- 11 Diagnosis and Treatment of Infection.- 12 Wounds: Biology, Pathology, and Management.- 13 Development of Trauma and Critical Care.- 14 Trauma: Priorities, Controversies, and Special Situations.- 15 Shock and Resuscitation.- 16 Critical Care: A System-Oriented Approach.- 17 Monitoring Techniques and Complications in Critical Care.- 18 Risk Prediction and Outcome Description in Critical Surgical Illness.- 19 Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome.- 20 Burns.- 21 Anesthesia.- 22 Perioperative Management.- Section Two Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Disease.- 23 History of Surgery of the Gastrointestinal Tract.- 24 Peritoneum and Acute Abdomen.- 25 General Principles of Minimally Invasive Surgery.- 26 Esophagus.- 27 Stomach and Duodenum.- 28 Pancreas.- 29 Biliary System.- 30 Liver.- 31 Small Intestine.- 32 Appendix.- 33 Colon, Rectum, and Anus.- 34 Spleen.- 35 Hernias and Abdominal Wall Defects.- 36 Abdominal Trauma.- Section Three Endocrine Surgery.- 37 History of Endocrine Surgery.- 38 Parathyroid.- 39 Thyroid.- 40 Adrenal.- 41 Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Pancreas and Gastrointestinal Tract Carcinoid Disease.- 42 Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia.- Section Four Vascular Surgery.- 43 History of Vascular Surgery.- 44 Pathobiology of Vascular Disease.- 45 Cerebrovascular Disease.- 46 Diseases of the Thoracic Aorta and Great Vessels.- 47 Diseases of the Abdominal Aorta and Its Branches.- 48 Arterial Disease of the Lower Extremity.- 49 Venous Disease and Pulmonary Embolism.- 50 Vascular Trauma.- 51 Minimally Invasive Approaches to Vascular Disease.- Section Five Cardiothoracic Surgery.- 52 Esophagus.- 53 Lung Neoplasms.- 54 Lung Infections and Trauma.- 55 Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery.- 56 Pleura: Anatomy, Physiology, and Disorders.- 57 Pericardium.- 58 Mediastinum.- 59 Congenital Heart Disease.- 60 Adult Heart Disease.- Section Six Transplantation.- 61 A History of Clinical Transplantation.- 62 Immunology of Transplantation.- 63 Rejection.- 64 Principles of Organ Preservation.- 65 Kidney Transplantation and Dialysis Access.- 66 Pancreas Transplantation.- 67 Transplantation of the Liver and Intestine.- 68 Lung Transplantation.- 69 Heart Transplantation.- 70 Cardiac Replacement Therapy.- Section Seven Cancer.- 71 History of Surgical Oncology.- 72 Principles of Cancer Surgery.- 73 Genetics of Cancer.- 74 Tumor Markers.- 75 Immunology of Cancer.- 76 Chemotherapy as an Adjunct to Surgery.- 77 Radiation as an Adjunct to Surgery.- 78 Benign and Malignant Diseases of the Breast.- 79 Melanoma and Other Cutaneous Malignancies.- 80 Soft Tissue Sarcoma.- 81 Head and Neck Malignancies.- 82 Vascular Access for Cancer.- 83 Surgical Emergencies in the Cancer Patient.- 84 Nutritional Care of Cancer Patients.- 85 Regional Therapy of Cancer.- 86 Gene Therapy.- Section Eight Associated Disciplines.- 87 Urology.- 88 Gynecology.- 89 Neurosurgery.- 90 Orthopaedic Surgery.- 91 Plastic Surgery.- 92 Hand Surgery.- 93 Pediatric Surgery.