Editorial May 27, 2002 ISSUE

Healing without limits

Editor

Lighter , faster, smarter. The 21st century already seems to be seeking a self-definition characterized by newness, millennial grandeur, forward-thinking . . . progress.

In so many ways, our world is moving at speeds—and with a weightlessness—unimagined in earlier times. Where once populations lumbered across continents in heavy iron locomotives, or by wagon, or even on foot, today sleek bullet trains race from country to country. Winter clothing has evolved from cumbersome furs and heavy woolens to ultra-light synthetics that protect in subarctic temperature. Information systems zap billions of messages across the globe in milliseconds. In the world of medical science, which once relied on implements that more resembled a carpenter's tools than refined surgical instruments, doctors now train in laser surgery, using light to perform delicate, non-invasive procedures.

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