The Art of Surgery

There is a spiritual dimension to the practice of surgery. This dimension has implications for the surgeon and the patient. The physical demands on the patient are enormous. The patient must deal with changes related to body image, significant physical pain, alterations in social relationships, disability and even the prospect of death. How any individual can hold up in the midst of this kind of reckoning is a testimonial to the buoyancy of the human spirit. To be sure the surgeon faces a trial by fire as well. There is psychic tension generated by the intervention itself. Understanding that error can change a person’s life permanently or even end it. The surgeon must leave a little bit of spirit behind with each intervention. This transfer of self, given in earnest enables healing to proceed. It is the optimism, perseverance and conviction of the surgeon that imbues the patient with hope. It is the reassuring touch and the caring word that fuels the recovery and simultaneously solidifies the bonds of trust (1). It is this singular fact that underscores the spiritual drain that surgeons endure. For most to continue there must be an acknowledgement of this drain and then a realizati