Evolution of Burn Surgery

The field of burn surgery is a complex discipline. Like others, it has evolved tremendously over the past century with the development of new scientific knowledge and technologies, but to address all of the landmark changes is challenging. However in this vein, we chose five papers which we feel had the most historical impact on the evolution of modern burn surgery. These were chosen based on their validation of burn surgery principles which still define the field today. These principles are divided into the following categories: early excision and grafting, topical antiseptic application, use of skin substitutes, fluid resuscitation, and nutritional support.