It is indeed a singular honor and privilege to address this most august assemblage, members of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and distinguished guest from across the seas, members of the Section of Proctology of the Royal Society of Medicine, and members of the Section of Colonic and Rectal Surgery of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons who have traveled some 3,000 miles from the east and 10,000 miles from the west to participate in this 75th anniversary meeting.

The president of an organization who by tradition is asked to deliver a presidential address has a built-in, perhaps unfair, advantage. Regardless of the topic he has chosen to present, he is, because of respect for the office he holds, assured of an audience. This is good and this can be bad. This is good for trim because the topic and the subject matter he presents do not have to be submitted to a program chairman and his committee for prior approval or likely rejection. It may be bad, not for him, but for the audience, who perhaps must patiently and politely wait for the last, long, drawn-out sentence. I will try to spare you this.