A century of surgeons and surgery

At the turn of the century, the new field of surgery offered the excitement and prestige of the scientifically new and the chance of financial success to the ambitious practitioner. No regulatory authority existed to prevent any physician from embarking on a career in surgery. In this environment, a cadre of leading surgeons, led by the dynamic Franklin H. Martin, attempted to bring order out of surgical chaos by creating the American College of Surgeons. This book provides an engaging account of the College's first 100 years at the time of its Centennial.