Departmentalising medicine has produced many specialities. This development is both essential and inevitable if progress is pursued. In the surgical field, at least ten disciplines have developed. Although these disciplines are very different in nature and practice, a large common ground binds them together: this title is about these common basic principles, which should form the core knowledge of all surgeons regardless of speciality. As in the past, the subjects covered in the intermediate examinations of the College of medicine of South Africa and the Universities offering Master in Surgery Degrees (Mmed) are represented. This material covers the principles of managing emergency situations across the different surgical disciplines, including intensive care, infections and trauma.