In 1959 the Committee of Pre and Postoperative Care of the American College of Surgeons was formed. This committee was responsible for preparing the manuals and conducting the annual course on this subject. With eight years gestation for growth maturation and development, the manual has become the final fruit of its labors. It is clearly a manual, not a text, that is aimed at providing an outline for modern methods of handling the major problems of preoperative preparation and postoperative management of patients undergoing both elective and emergency surgery. The book is divided in two parts. The first consists of 20 chapters covering general principles of specific subjects including nutrition, shock, infection, burns, and other pertinent matters. The material is covered expertly and conservatively by a number of master surgeons respected both for their knowledge and experience. While small are as may be open for discussion the aim has been