To the abdominal surgeon a first successful Whipple procedure is what a first combat mission is to the fighter pilot: a symbol of competence - the fruits of prolonged training. Not many surgeons have managed to incorporate their names into a commonly used eponym; Allen Whipple did and so became immortalized as a household name to surgeons worldwide. Yet, little has been known and written about Whipple, the great American surgeon - the person and his other interests. This book is an edited version of Whipple's previously unpublished memories. In these pages the retired Whipple describes the journey of his life from the very beginning in Persia, where he was born, to the very end in New Jersey where he died. He provides snap shots of himself, his family and friends, his colleagues, and the changing times in which he lived.