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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2006;30:825-826
© 2006 Elsevier Science NL

Editorials

Enthusiasm: where thoracic surgery gets its power

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sureyyapasa Thoracic and Cardiovascular Diseases Teaching and Investigation Hospital, Istanbul, TR-34854, Turkey

^_* Tel.: +905322660234; fax: +902163520954. (Email: semihh@atlas.net.tr).

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

It was a tremendous honour for me to have been elected, last year, as the President of the Society. The president is elected by the members to represent the Society in every aspect for a given period while directing the Society with the governing body towards the righteous goals. Please believe me that there are few responsibilities in a person's life heavier than this.

I was introduced to ESTS in 1996 and elected as the National Regent in the same year. Then, in 2000, I was elected as the Councillor in London. Until 2004, I worked for the Society in the Council and had the opportunity to serve more by organizing the annual meeting in 2002 in Istanbul. And now we are in 2006 and I have the unique privilege to address such a distinguished audience here as the President of the Society. All these accomplishments are the result of a letter I had written to a surgeon to discuss a patient I had operated on. This gentleman introduced me to this Society. My deepest regards and thanks are, and will always be, for my friend Professor Guillermo Ramos of Valladolid. The years, indeed, were not always so smooth or relaxed; I cannot find any words sufficient enough to thank from within my heart my loving wife and my lovely daughters, who have always given their endless support and incredible understanding to me during the very busy and sometimes very stressful years.

Our unique specialty

As a thoracic surgeon, I have always been asking some questions to myself about the specialty we are in. I am pretty sure that most, if not all, of the thoracic surgeons have asked or will ask similar questions at least once . . . [Full Text of this Article]