This revised edition contains a new chapter on cardiothoracic surgery, a section on principles of neurosurgery and expanded sections on terminal care, surgical nutrition and gynaecological disorders. There are also full updates on topical issues such as minimally invasive surgical techniques. This text is aimed towards clinical students as well as junior doctors and trainee surgeons. The authors explain the pathophsyiological basis of surgical diseases and their management. There is coverage of the principles of how surgical disorders evolve and the effects of different forms of intervention at different stages. The text contains outlines of common surgical operations in order to help the reader to: explain operations to patients; participate intelligently in the operating department; and to understand prevention of complications. The book includes coverage of epidemiology, disease prevention and the provision of health care - relating the community aspects of surgical medicine to these areas.