Live surgery and video presentations: Seeing is believing ... but no more: a plea for structured rigor and ethical considerations

Excerpt

Surgical techniques have been taught through speech, writing, and images, each associated with different levels of understanding about what are considered to be “surgical truths.” Surgeons once learned from their masters only by what was said. In that past era, the standing or authority of the one who pronounced the gospel was considered sufficient to validate the information: “I believe it because he said it.” Then came writing, “verba volent, scripta manent,” and with it, increasing methodologic and scientific requirements for validation of the scientific truth. During the past few decades, and consequent on increasingly effective and powerful communication systems, images have become the primary vehicle for communication: “I believe it because I saw it.” …