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. Arizona has 577 practicing general surgeons. Broken out by city, general surgery doctor density in Apache Junction is 2, in Arizona City is 1, in Avondale is 1, in Bisbee is 3, in Bullhead City is 11, in Casa Grande is 7, in Chandler is 12, in Chinle is 3, in Cottonwood is 8, in Douglas is 2, in Elfrida is 1, in Flagstaff is 9, in Florence is 1, in Fort Defiance is 3, in Fort Mohave is 3, in Gilbert is 18, in Glendale is 35, in Globe is 1, in Goodyear is 5, in Green Valley is 2, in Kingman is 6, in Lake Havasu City is 4, in Lakeside is 1, in Laveen is 2, in Litchfield Park is 1, in Luke Afb is 1, in Mesa is 47, in Mohave Valley is 1, in Nogales is 3, in Oro Valley is 7, in Page is 2, in Paradise Valley is 2, in Parker is 1, in Payson is 7, in Pearce is 1, in Peoria is 11, in Phoenix is 227, in Pinetop is 1, in Prescott is 10, in Safford is 1, in Scottsdale is 69, in Show Low is 5, in Sierra Vista is 6, in Snowflake is 1, in Springerville is 1, in Sun City is 19, in Sun City West is 14, in Surprise is 2, in Tempe is 13, in Tuba City is 5, in Tucson is 118, in Winslow is 2, and in Yuma is 7.

Arizona has many famous tourist attractions and parks, including the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, which was created when the dam was built. The Grand Canyon draws millions of visitors each year, and Phoenix, Scottsdale, Flagstaff each draw their own sun-seeking winter vacationers. Visit the world-famous O.K. Corral in Tombstone. Arizona’s population is 5,939,292, and Phoenix, the capital city, is home to a majority of those people. Entertainers Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Tanya Tucker were born here, along with architect Frank Lloyd Wright and former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Arizona has a population of 5,939,292. Of this population, 1,535,805 are under the age of 18 and 754,345 are at or above the age of 65.