William Stewart Halsted es probablemente el personaje más influyente, desde el punto de vista quirúrgico, desde finales del siglo XIX hasta casi finales del siglo XX. Su controversial vida y sus grandes aportes a la Medicina Moderna lo han llevado a ser considerado como el Padre de la Cirugía Actual. Se hace una descripción de su infancia, la influencia de su padre, sus estudios de Medicina en la Universidad de Columbia, su entrenamiento quirúrgico, su viaje a Europa, de donde retorna con los últimos adelantos de la Cirugía Europea. Su trabajo inicial, como cirujano en Nueva York. El desarrollo de su adicción a la cocaína, después de experimentar con la anestesia local y la forma como pudo superar esta adicción. Se describe también su traslado a Baltimore, donde junto con William Osler, William Welch y Howard Kelly fundan en el Johns Hopkins Hospital, una prestigiosa Escuela de Medicina. Se enumeran sus aportes a la Cirugía y el entrenamiento quirúrgico que implemento en Baltimore y los distinguidos nombres de las personas que entreno. Finalmente analizamos su enfermedad, que lo llevo a vivir casi dos años con fuertes dolores y la forma en que fallece, un 07 de septiembre de 1922.
William Stewart Halsted is probably the most influential person, from the surgical point of view, from the late nineteenth century to almost the end of the twentieth century. His controversial life and great contributions to modern medicine have led him to consider as the father of current surgery. A description is made of his childhood, the influence of his father, his studies of Medicine at Columbia University, his surgical training, his trip to Europe, from where he returns with the latest advances in the European Surgery. His initial work, as a surgeon in New York. The development of his cocaine addiction, after experimenting local anesthesia and he was able to overcome this addiction. His move to Baltimore, where together with William Osler, William Welch and Howard Kelly they founded at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a prestigious School of Medicine. His contributions to Surgery and surgical training that he implemented in Baltimore, the influence of his father, his studies of Medicine at Columbia University, his surgical training, and the distinguished name of the people who trained. Finally, we analyzed his illness, with led him to live almost two years with great pain and the way he dies on September 07, 1922.