[Specialization and integration in surgery. An attempt]

Today surgery has reached a very high standard of specialisation, where economic and social borderlines come into sight. From time to time it seems necessary to look back and to check what of the new knowledge became mature to add-to integrate-it to the armamentarium of the surgical and the general practitioner. Reflexions concerning curricula; postgraduate training; structure, organisation and site of medical institutions are dealt with.