General surgery.

Samuel E. Wilson, MD, Section Editor The Council on Scientific Affairs of the California Medical Association presents the following epitomes ofprogress in general surgery. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, as to both scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome, and an authoritative reference, both to the item itselfand to the subject as a whole, is generally givenfor those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, researchers, and scholars to stay abreast of these items ofprogress in general surgery that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another. The items ofprogress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on General Surgery of the California Medical Association, and the summaries were prepared under the direction ofDr Wilson and the Panel.