Part one addresses principles of surgical care for all patients undergoing surgery — including pre-operative assessment and preparation, the peri-operative period and post-operative recovery, post-operative pain management and psychosocial aspects of surgery — which underpin the knowledge and rationale for practice. Part two considers specific surgical conditions and interventions, organised according to surgical specialities. Each chapter considers the underlying patho-physiology, investigation and diagnosis, assessment, monitoring and management of common acute surgical conditions within that specialty.