AbstractIn January 1991 the winter meeting of the Surgical Research Society was held at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the Institute of Education, London. During the meeting a symposium was held entitled ‘Shedding light on lasers’. Speakers addressed the general principles of lasers, laser–tissue interactions and the applications of lasers in gastroenterology and in vascular disease. This was followed by an open discussion of the current indications, complications and outcome, together with future possible applications for lasers in med