Only a few years ago, the notion of recertification of specialists seemed to enjoy wide support. All 22 of the specialty boards had committed themselves to at least voluntary recertification, although to date only five have actually started such programs. To its great credit, the newly established American Board of Family Practice was the first to make recertification mandatory. More recently, the American Board of Surgery has done the same thing, but it has placed the obligation only on diplomates certified after 1975 (a decision that a contributor to this week's correspondence section claims is discriminatory and unfair).Now there . . .