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Many physicians entering the war from civil life are going to be almost immediately confronted by problems in fields other than those in which they have been accustomed to labor. Military exigencies make demands quite unlike conditions which obtain in times of peace. The great goal is, of course, to give to "our boys" the best possible medical and surgical skill, but the means of reaching that goal may be quite foreign to one's previous experience. All medical officers must be or become familiar with the principles of military surgery. Since time is so limited for extensive reading and study, it is necessary that these principles be "boiled down" to a high degree of practicability.
The texts in this series of "Military Surgical Manuals" have been written by outstanding authorities in special fields who are well known for their ability to simplify, insofar as possible, the intricacies of specialization.
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