Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery. Presidential Address 1985: Collecting

We are all collectors--collecting and organizing information being a very important part of medical practice. Viewing and collecting medical data are just the same as collecting stamps, and the personal computer has made it much easier for us. But we must get started, decide what to collect and how to display it. In vascular surgery, primary and secondary patency have been used to display results. In the author's opinion, the concept of actual palliation (a living patient with a patent graft) gives a much better reflection of what has actually been accomplished. In the "high-tech" future surgeons must know more about their collections than anyone else--or they will be directed by those who do. Let's accept the challenge now.