Eric Farquharson was a surgeon ahead of his time.

As one
who was taught by him and who worked for him, it is easy to
remember the many innovations which he introduced, the
many ideas which he had and his ability to look beyond
conventional wisdom. He was heavily involved both with the
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal
College of Surgeons of England, a position which is
commendable even today.
Although he championed single authorship, I believe that
he would have been one of the first to recognise how essential
it is for operative surgery to be taught by surgeons operating
within their individual speciality. In this ninth edition of his
textbook, the areas covered are comprehensive but, more
importantly, they have been covered by authors who clearly
speak from experience and with authority. It is therefore
inevitable that both surgical trainees and trained surgeons
will benefit from this important new text