General surgery can be performed on almost any area of the body. A general surgeon is a physician who performs surgery and provides preoperative, operative, and postoperative care to surgical patients. This surgeon can treat diseases, injuries or deformities by surgery or minimally invasive techniques, such as endoscopy, where a tiny scope is used to view internal organs or structures. The endoscope can be used during operating procedures, or before surgery, to diagnose, assess and treat problem areas.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are breast disease, thyroid disorders, hernia, breast cancer, Crohn's Disease, cystic fibrosis, Cirrhosis, Hepatitis, lymphoma, Chronic renal failure, Morbid obesity, Adhesions, Colorectal cancer, Hirschsprung's disease, Volvulus, Thyroid cancer, Kidney cancer, Metastatic disease, Toxic megacolon, and Meckel's diverticulum.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including microsurgery, mastectomy, laser surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, breast reconstruction, breast surgery, thyroid surgery, Laparoscopic Surgery, da Vinci Surgical System, Bypass Surgery, robotic surgery, Resection, Liver transplant, Whipple procedure, Kidney transplant, Bariatric surgery, Appendectomy, Cholecystectomy, cryosurgery, and abdominal surgery.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including endoscopy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), x-ray, Computed Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan), Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), biopsy, Cardiac Stress Test, Lower GI (Barium Enema), Upper GI (Barium Swallow), and fecal occult bloodtest.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Idaho has 120 practicing general surgeons. Broken out by city, general surgery doctor density in Blackfoot is 3, in Boise is 41, in Burley is 3, in Caldwell is 5, in Coeur D Alene is 13, in Driggs is 1, in Gooding is 1, in Grangeville is 1, in Idaho Falls is 8, in Jerome is 1, in Kellogg is 2, in Ketchum is 2, in Lewiston is 7, in Malad City is 1, in Meridian is 8, in Montpelier is 1, in Moscow is 1, in Mountain Home is 1, in Mountain Home A F is 1, in Mountain Home Afb is 3, in Nampa is 4, in Orofino is 2, in Pocatello is 7, in Post Falls is 6, in Rexburg is 3, in Rupert is 2, in Saint Maries is 1, in Salmon is 1, in Sandpoint is 4, in Soda Springs is 2, in Twin Falls is 6, and in Weiser is 1.

Idaho achieved statehood 1890, and its capital city is Boise. The recent boom of science and technology has superseded agriculture and tourism as the state’s primary resource. Visit the Idaho State Historical Society or the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts in Boise, or tour the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa. Places to see in Idaho include a mountain resort, a mining-era town, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, or the Ernest Hemingway Memorial.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Idaho has a population of 1,429,096. Of this population, 365,765 are under the age of 18 and 163,142 are at or above the age of 65.