Past, Present, and Future of Obesity Surgery

Background: At the meeting 1 year ago, Mary Lou Walen asked the author to provide a brief luncheon talk about the past, present, and future of obesity surgery for the Allied Health Sciences members who meet in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. This led the author to examine the surgical treatment of severe obesity as it relates to our times and society. Edward O. Wilson has recommended that bariatric surgeons enlarge their view of the work they are engaged in, to include a more universal perspective. From this review, the following talk was presented.