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Frank C. Spencer, MD

Arch Surg. 1976;111(11):1177-1183.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

This presentation is a combination of personal experiences, observations, and hypotheses concerning the training and quality of surgeons made over the past quarter century. The title reflects the principle theme. Before I get on to serious thoughts, however, some personal anecdotes may be of interest.

As a young house officer in the late 1940s, rotating through different areas of surgery, including abdominal surgery, thoracic surgery, orthopedics, and other specialties, I was much like a small boy at a circus, fascinated with the show in each new tent to such a degree that I began to suspect the reliability of my own instincts, for each area seemed to be so attractive. However, the emerging field of vascular surgery soon became my first true abiding interest, perhaps because the area had the obvious characteristics that with precise diagnosis and an expert operative technique excellent results could almost always be obtained, usually in . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Surgery, New York University School of Medicine.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication July 9, 1976.

Presidential address read before the 24th scientific meeting of the International Cardiovascular Society, Albuquerque, NM, June 18, 1976.

Reprint requests to Department of Surgery, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Ave, New York, NY 10016 (Dr Spencer).

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