Ago This feature is part of a year-long series of excerpts and special commentaries celebrating AFP 's 50th year of publication. Excerpts from the two 1950 volumes of GP , AFP 's predecessor, appear along with highlights of 50 years of family medicine. The commentary is provided by John C. Rose, M.D., who was on the AFP staff for 34 years, and editor for 27 years. Dr. Rose was also dean at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Often a surgeon must take into account the state of nutrition of his patient before he operates.
Patients needing such care fall into two categories.
When an operation is necessary, the improvement of the nutritional status of either of these two types of patient makes for a better surgical risk. Such preparation not only reduces morbidity and mortality but hastens the postoperative rehabilitation of the patient. Indeed, it was different. Ever affable and gregarious, he knew a great many of the luminaries of American medicine. Walter C. Alvarez, M.D., the distinguished Chief of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic and editor of the first volume of GP, knew the rest of them.