THE TEMPLATE TECHNIQUE has fallen into perspective among the variety of operative techniques that have been devised by many surgeons for repair of both the unilateral and the double cleft lip. It seems that whichever operation the surgeon may choose the procedure can be simplified by use of the template technique. The surgical rationale in this technique may be summarized in four distinct advantages that it offers. These are the following: (1) The high degree of "guess work" and "luck" commonly associated with repair of cleft lip is appreciably decreased. (2) With the aid of a life-sized photograph of the patient, the surgeon is able to plan the operation at his desk well in advance of the actual operation. Each line of incision and operative step may be indicated on the photograph and later transferred by the template technique to the anesthetized patient. (3) By working out these details prior