Emergency surgery is a battleground for the surgeon - a source of skills, experience, character building, & glory. The tired & overworked resident needs to know how the experienced surgeon "does it", to grasp a few recipes & take home a message or two. This simple & humorous book consists of informal uncensored chats between experienced surgeons & their trainees. The preferred clinical approach for a given patient is discussed against the background of several possible alternatives. The preferred pathway must fulfill certain prerequisites: save lives, decrease morbidity, be cost-effective, & be performed correctly. Short chapters with three main sections: preoperative phase, the operation, postoperative phase. Common pitfalls are discussed.