Management of Cleft Lip and Palate in the Developing World
Chapter One
Exporting Plastic Surgical Care to
Developing Countries
EVAN S. GARFEIN, JACQUELINE HOM AND JOHN B. MULLIKEN
INTRODUCTION
The word 'surgery' - from the Greek words cheir, hand, and ergon, work - denotes
a branch of medicine that treats disease using the hands. Power is given to those
who have the ability to correct deformity and excise disease. For the physician who
practices the surgical art, operating is not only the primary therapeutic method, it
is also a mindset. This operative inclination and ability have spurred surgeons to go
on 'missions' to other countries where obvious congenital and acquired deformities
often go unoperated. Surgical correction is usually relatively uncomplicated. Groups
and individuals travel with different motivations to locales with widely disparate
medical capabilities. In this chapter, we evaluate the 'rules of engagement' for these
humanitarian activities in overseas plastic surgery and discuss the reasons why a
single model does not apply in all circ ... read full excerpt from Management of Cleft Lip and Palate in the Developing World ebook
