Vol. lOA, No. 6, Part 2 November 1985 The Second International Congress 941

The Second Congress appears to have provided a definitive answer to this question: An international congress devoted purely to hand surgery provides a format for discussion, sets standards of care, and defines problems requiring answers in a way that no other meeting can. It is ecumenical and com­prehensive.

Others had questioned whether this congress should be open or whether it should be restricted to IFSSH members. Again, it appears that our experience in Boston has answered the question. Many of those in the audience were not members of the Federation. They included surgeons who devoted only a part of their practice to hand surgery, as well as residents, medical students, nurses, and therapists. Some of these reg­istrants were among the most enthusiastic members of the audience. Certainly, nothing was lost by opening the meeting to our colleagues. Most of us believed that to have denied these people the opportunity to have learned from the world's leading hand surgeons would have denied their patients the opportunity to receive the best of medical care. The meeting also identified hand surgery as an established, active, and academic medical specialty.

The wisdom of one decision made by the officers of the Federation was never in doubt by the local Arrangements Committee. This was the decision to hold the Congress in Boston. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live and work in Boston knew it was the perfect choice for a meeting site. Clear, brisk October days, a city rich in American her­itage and culture, and an eager medical community greeted the Congress and its guests. Boston was honored to welcome you, and we are grateful to Drs. O'Brien and Swanson for allowing us to be your hosts.

The Congress Committee, Program Committee, and Local Arrangements Committee join me in thanking all the partic­ipants for making the meeting such an outstanding success. We look forward to meeting again in Japan in November 1986 for the Third Congress of the IFSSH. We know we will be warmly received.

Richard J. Smith, M.D. Congress Chairman

Officers and organizing committees of the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand, Second International Congress

OFFICERS

Congress Chairman Richard J. Smith, M.D., Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

Congress Coordinator Alfred B. Swanson, M.D., Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.A.

Officers of the Federation President: Bernard McC. O'Brien, F.R.C.S., Melbourne,

Australia Secretary-General and President-Elect: Alfred B. Swanson,

M.D., Grand Rapids, Mich., U.S.A. Secretary-General Elect: Robert M. McFarlane, M.D., Lon­

don, Ont., Canada

COMMITTEES

International Congress Committee S. Biddulph, South Africa L. Ceciliani, Italy F. E. deSalamanca, Spain A. De Santolo, Venezuela W. Fahmy, Egypt S. Gilbert, New Zealand T. Haga, Scandinavia J. C. Hanrahan, Australia

L. N. Hurst, Canada F. Iselin, France A. Karey, Israel J. P. Moermans, Belgium D. D. Palande, India A. Renner, Hungary H. G. Stack, Britain J. Varian, Ireland Y. Yamauchi, Japan

Congress Committee American Society for Surgery of the Hand Elvin G. Zook, Program Chairman Graham D. Lister (Free Papers) Robert W. Beasley Robert A. Chase Robert G. Chuinard (Post-Congress Tours) James H. Dobyns Earl J. Fleegler James H. Herndon (Audio Visual) Michael E. Jabaley (Exhibits) James R. Urbaniak

Local Arrangements Committee Barry Simmons, Co-Chairperson

The Journal of 948 Officers and committees of Second International Congress HAND SURGERY

Local Arrangements Committee-continued Laura Simmons, Co-Chairperson Henry Brown James Dolphin Paul Feldon Edward Flynn Robert Leffert Joseph Lenehan

Steven Margles James May Lewis Millender Joseph Murray Edward Nalebuff Harilaos Sakellarides Francis Wolfort