The Goldwyn diary of November and December 1960, at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon.

Through unexpected circumstances, I went to Lambaréné, in Gabon, to be Dr. Albert Schweitzer's surgeon for 2 months, November and December of 1960.This diary I can honestly say I never thought would become public. The years have passed; I am now 77. I realize that not many of those who served in a medical capacity at his hospital are still alive and not everyone will share his or her experiences.I want to make clear that I was with Dr. Schweitzer only 2 months. I would not want anyone to think that I played a strategic role at the hospital. I did not, but I helped as best I could.Although I have traveled throughout the world and have been a surgeon in many out-of-the-way places, I have not returned to Lambaréné. The reason, I confess, is that I wanted it to remain in my mind as it was. For Dr. Schweitzer and those who served there, his hospital was a way of life. It was a world of its own and, though small, it came into being because of the arching ideals and unflagging dedication of a remarkable man. His example should inspire us to enlarge our personal horizons, not just to recognize the less fortunate but to act without delay on their behalf. For each of us, there is an Ogowe waiting to be crossed.

A family operation: plastic surgeons who perform aesthetic surgery on spouses or other family members.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether plastic surgeons would perform elective cosmetic surgery on spouses or other family members and how many have done so, the type of procedures, the circumstances under which the surgery took place, and the results. METHODS: Participants were 465 members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, representing 30.7 percent of the overall sample pool of 1513 members recruited through anonymous, voluntary participation in an online survey. Approximately half (51.8 percent) were 51 to 65 years old, most were men (91.2 percent), and most were from large urban areas; respondents had been in practice for 1 to 40 years. RESULTS: The plastic surgeons who returned the survey were comfortable performing elective cosmetic procedures on family members, the majority having already done so. Eighty-eight percent reported they would operate on a spouse or other family member, and 83.9 percent reported they already had. The main motivation (67 percent) was their belief that they were the best surgeon for the procedure. The most commonly listed operations were rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, eyelidplasty, face lift, breast augmentation, and liposuction. Patients included spouses, children, parents, cousins, and in-laws, ranging from teenaged males to women in their 70s. The overwhelming majority (94.2 percent) reported no complications, and 99.5 percent believed the patients were satisfied with their outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Survey participants are comfortable with the idea of performing elective cosmetic procedures on family members. Regardless of the invasiveness of the procedure or their relationship with the patient, respondents reported no complications and a high level of patient satisfaction anomalous for any patient-surgeon sample, suggesting that surgeons who operate on family members hold confident opinions of their surgical skills and results.