The centennial anniversary of the frozen section technique at the Mayo Clinic.

The frozen section technique has become an invaluable tool to assist the surgeon with intraoperative diagnosis. Although there were various descriptions of frozen section technique before and after the turn of the 20th century, the publication by Louis B. Wilson, MD, at the Mayo Clinic in 1905 heralded the beginning of a new era in intraoperative diagnosis. This historical review traces the circumstances that led to this landmark publication 100 years ago.