I am grateful to the publishers for the invitation to produce a second edition of Applied Basic Science for Basic Surgical Training. Despite the considerable changes to education and examination, the requirement of any future surgeon to possess a comprehensive knowledge of the applied basic sciences remains the core of surgical training; a fact that is universally acknowledged by the organisations most closely involved in the shaping of the surgical curriculum. Candidates will need to acquire a knowledge of basic science which will allow them to understand the principles behind the management of patients and the practical procedures that they will be expected to carry out as basic surgical trainees. Although this book has.
