In Reply.—In 1585, Ambroise Paré published Apologie et Traite Contenant les Voyages Faits en Divers Lieux. This book was written as an answer to a book published in 1580 by Etienne Gourmelen, who attacked Paré for his reformation in the treatment of gunshot wounds and his use of the ligature in amputations. It appears that Sloane has attempted an apologie but, in contrast to Paré, he has not introduced any new concepts or approaches to trauma care that were not addressed by Esposito et al.1
Sloane states that he believes he can provide competent diagnostic and operative surgical care to patients suffering major trauma, and then asserts "Trunkey believes I should do so. I disagree." I do not necessarily believe that Sloane should be involved in the care of trauma patients. It is preferable for a surgeon such as Sloane to be honest and tell the medical staff