Is surgery a compassionate science? An illustrated talk by David Rosin, consultant surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, and one of the pioneers of ‘keyhole surgery’ and former president of The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS). Professor Rosin takes us on a historical tour of surgery; starting with the Worshipful Company of Barbers, the evolution from crude surgery in to a science, to modern day developments and contemporary practise and the juggle between new challenges and clinical demands.