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Preferred term

surgery  

Definition

  • SURGERY DERIVES ITS name from the Greek words for “hand” and “to work,” and the various surgical disciplines are distinguished from other branches of medicine by direct physical intervention, usually in the operating room. Initially, surgery was used for treatment of injuries and infections; however, the development of ether anesthesia in the mid-19th century enabled elective surgery, including removal of tumors, to be performed. [Source: Encyclopedia of Cancer and Society; Surgery]

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URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/surgery

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