[Place and importance of specific surgery in a national program for control of leprosy (author's transl)].

In order to get a representative sample of the population, a survey was conducted in an rural district of the Republic of Mali. The data collected give evidence that the number of specific surgical indications can be correctly evaluated not from the number of leprosy patients numbered, but by applying a ratio of 5,5 per cent to the whole population. This easy evaluation is important for the management of any public health programme.