THE SURGEON’S APHORISMS AND QUOTATIONS
Foreword

Show me your favorite aphorism and I will tell you—who you are (--Karl .H. Bauer,
1890-1978).
A good surgical aphorism makes me laugh –or cry –for real aphorisms come
directly from the heart! It conveys in a sentence or two what has been learned
and experienced for many years.
I first became interested in surgical aphorisms during my training. Many
aphorisms have been good friends to me, providing valuable advice in times of
trouble; others I enjoyed for their insight and intellectual brilliance... Later I
started sharing them with my residents. I have practiced surgery in three
continents, in vastly different surgical cultures but noticed that while each has it's
own "set" of aphorisms, the surgical truths remain the same.
According to Howard Fabing:
“Since the days of Hippocrates, our father, the aphorism has been the literary vehicle of
the doctor...laymen have stolen the trick from time to time, but the aphorism remains the
undisputed contribution of the doctor to literature”.
The term aphorism (aphorismos in Greek) denotes a “short, pithy sentence” or a
“concise statement of a principle” or “a terse and ingenious formulation of a truth
or sentiment”. Clearly also “rules” and “quotations” may easily fall under such
description.
This book brings a medley of 1500 aphorisms, quotations, and rules by surgeons
and non- surgeons, about surgery, surgeons and anything which may be relevant
to the practice of surgery. In selecting these entries I was guided by Lewis
Galantiére: “A truly serviceable book of quotations is not an expression of its complier’s
preferences”.
Thus, I attempted to gratify all potentials tastes –by including
ancient as well as contemporary entries, formal and colloquial, pronounced by
surgical giants or anonymous-- only guided by the prerequisite that the entry
appeals to the surgical soul. I attempted however to eliminate self-congratulatory
and self-righteous clichés –commonly uttered by surgeons who stand up to
speak in public. And, I used my editorial prerogative to bring a few of my own
aphorisms, or what I think are mine, at the top of selected chapters.
My purpose was to provide the surgical reader with a source of large and wide
variety of surgical aphorisms and quotations. Most readers will probably use this
book to decorate their lectures or manuscripts with relevant “smart” or
“entertaining” entries. I hope however that this book would be simply read or
browsed for pleasure: you will enjoy many of the entries, you will hate the others,
and you’ll discover that surgical truth is old, that what you think is a novel idea
has been said before, that what you see around you - was seen many years ago.
It may contribute to your humanity and humility, perhaps even add maturity to
your surgical personality and practice, and with a bit of luck increase your sense
of surgical humor. Listen to Winston Churchill who said: “It is a good thing for an
uneducated man to read books of quotations”.
Moshe Schein
New York City (2002).