Letters from Our Readers

Dr. Rutka: Beautiful & Brilliant Surgery logo!!

Michel Kliot MD
UCSF Neurosurgery

Dear Martin,

I would like to congratulate you on The Surgical Spotlight which I always enjoy reading for its interesting articles and as a wonderful reminder of my time at the TGH. I read with great interest the Article by James Rutka. I was rather disturbed to see that many of the wasteful and unpleasant activities of the business world have entered the professional and academic atmosphere of the Department of Surgery. I still believe that image and reputation are based on professionalism of a department, particularly the Alumni that are produced and the quality of surgical practice that is performed. I was upset to see time, resources and money being wasted creating a new image and logo. I would be horrified to think that any intelligent person could be taken in by the fatuous symbolism of some suture material. In this age where resources are so difficult to create, it is hard to imagine that anyone is likely to be fooled by a new label. I hope these comments are not too offensive, but unfortunately even in Australia this wasteful behaviour is only too common.

Kind regards,
Bruce Davis

Dear Bruce,

It is great to receive e-mails from our readers. I wish we got more of them to keep us on course. I agree that science, including surgical science, is becoming more commercialized. I have a different opinion from yours on logos. I think they are graphic symbols of values, not commercial trademarks. Our new logo symbolizes the high value our department assigns to science, symbolized by the cross linked helices, and to technical surgery, symbolized by the double - armed suture.

Thanks for the feedback,
Martin