The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I
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- Create Date：2022-05-29 20:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Lindsey Fitzharris
- ISBN：B09CNFB6FG
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Reviews
Jenny Lawson
，
Fascinating true story about the surgeons who tried to fix the faces of disfigured soldiers of WWI。 It's a bit gory and sad at times， but if you're a fan of Mary Roach you'll like this one。 Fascinating true story about the surgeons who tried to fix the faces of disfigured soldiers of WWI。 It's a bit gory and sad at times， but if you're a fan of Mary Roach you'll like this one。 。。。more
Ashley （Red-Haired Ash Reads）
，
The Facemaker tells the story of pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Delf Gillies， who dedicated his life to reconstructing the faces of injured soldiers in his care during World War I。 After reading The Butchering Art， Fizharris’ first book， I knew that I would want to read any future books that she wrote。 This book surpassed my expectations and sucked me in from the very first page。 “[T]he science of healing stood baffled before the science of destroying。” -quote from a battlefield nurse Gilles h The Facemaker tells the story of pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Delf Gillies， who dedicated his life to reconstructing the faces of injured soldiers in his care during World War I。 After reading The Butchering Art， Fizharris’ first book， I knew that I would want to read any future books that she wrote。 This book surpassed my expectations and sucked me in from the very first page。 “[T]he science of healing stood baffled before the science of destroying。” -quote from a battlefield nurse Gilles had a remarkable dedication to his work。 From the very beginning of the war he realized how facial wounds were being poorly treated and how it affected the soldiers。 He was unwavering in his dedication to help these men and went about setting up a specific hospital for facial injuries and restoration。 This eventually led to the establishment of the Queen’s Hospital in Sidcup that became the center of facial reconstruction during the war。 “These soldiers’ lives were often left as shattered as their faces。 Robbed of their very identities， such men came to symbolize the worst of a new， mechanized form of war。” Gillies not only realized the importance of reconstruction， but he also knew that it would take a multidisciplinary team for the work to be successful。 He employed surgeons， physicians， dentists， radiologists， artists， sculptors， mask-makers， and photographers who all worked together to assist in the reconstruction process。 This man was not only extremely creative with his blade， he also understood the importance of recording their work， hence the artists and photographers。 Also， some of this art and photographs still survive today。 Learning about Gillies was fascinating， not only for his achievements but for the man himself。 Gillies really was a compassionate and hardworking man。 He went out of his way to make these men feel human， even when they only saw themselves as monsters。 In the epilogue there are some quotes from the men he worked on and it really touched me to see how his positive outlook really impacted their happiness and recovery。 This book also briefly discussed the sculptors Francis Derwent Wood and Anna Coleman Ladd who created prosthetic masks for soldiers。 I highly suggest looking up photos of Ladd and Wood’s masks because they are beautiful。 You can really see the hard work these two put into making realistic masks for these men。 This book also discussed brief achievements in anesthesia and blood transfusions， which was fascinating because I didn’t realize how much the war revolutionized the healthcare field。 “Men [who] save life never get the same appreciation and reward as those whose business it is to destroy it。” - quote from Sir William Arbuthnot Lane Gillies had a very successful career after the war: In 1930 was knighted for his services during WWI， in 1949 he performed the first successful phalloplasty on a trans man， in 1946 he became the first elected president of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons， and he published two books about plastic surgery。 Gillies also was pressed into service again during WWII。 Harold Gillies lived a remarkable life that pushed the boundaries of surgery and changed the lives of so many people。 Overall， this was an absolutely fascinating book about a fascinating man。 This was so well written that at times I almost forgot I was reading a nonfiction book。 I highly recommend this book （or her other book） if you are interested in medical history。 Also， I love that she acknowledged the work of the archivist who discovered and preserved the clinical records from WWI while working at Queen’s Hospital。 As an archivist myself， I love seeing authors acknowledge the hard work we do。 *ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review。*You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads。 。。。more
Manisha
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Listened to the audiobook。I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review。Super interesting and I absolutely loved how well it explained everything to someone who does not know all the details of plastic surgery！！
Jordan
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3。5 stars rounded upI've been following Lindsey on Twitter for a while， and am always fascinated with what she shares there and her areas of scientific history exploration and interest。 So I was excited to jump into this book that was about a huge moment in the history of plastic surgery。The Facemaker is obviously extensively and lovingly researched。 Fitzharris uses the work of Dr。 Gillies to share the history of reconstructive surgical efforts， going back to antiquity at times， as well as divin 3。5 stars rounded upI've been following Lindsey on Twitter for a while， and am always fascinated with what she shares there and her areas of scientific history exploration and interest。 So I was excited to jump into this book that was about a huge moment in the history of plastic surgery。The Facemaker is obviously extensively and lovingly researched。 Fitzharris uses the work of Dr。 Gillies to share the history of reconstructive surgical efforts， going back to antiquity at times， as well as diving into the complementary efforts of other medical professionals around him at the time that helped to create better processes for restoring facial disfigurations in soldiers。 For example， chapter 2 focuses on a dentist， Valadier， who was instrumental in helping to determine some reconstruction techniques when it came specifically to the jaw。While I found all of the information shared here fascinating and engrossing， there are two things that mainly hampered my enjoyment of this book。 The first is a me thing。 I expected more of a micro-history， very focused on particular cases of soldiers。 The book instead is more of a broad and contextual look at the past and future of plastic surgery， in relation to WWI， and how the work that Dr。 Gillies did was impacted and in turn affected the field。 The other is that， for me， it felt a bit disorganized， and I think it could have used a heavier editing hand。 For example， there were some repetitions in different chapters， of exact phrasing， or reintroducing something again that had already been introduced and explained earlier in the book。 In that way， it felt kind of like a series of previously written pieces that were then attempted to cobble together。 Like a jukebox musical: it sort of works， but some things just feel a little bit off。The book is definitely not for the squeamish， as there are quite graphic descriptions of all kinds of battlefield injuries。 These descriptions are important for context， and not gratuitous， but could be upsetting to some readers。Overall， though， I feel more equipped to handsell this one now that I've read it myself and can help it find the right readers。As a fun bonus， actor Daniel Gillies （of Vampire Diaries fame） is a relative of the doctor， and read the audiobook！ I didn't listen to the audiobook but thought I would share this factoid I saw on Twitter in case someone wanted to read the book that way。CW: gore， sexism 。。。more
Alison
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What an absolutely fascinating audio book。 Full disclosure， I work in medicine， specifically surgery， and have always been fascinated with wounds and reconstruction。 I had， in the past， gone down rabbit holes regarding how war wounds have been handled。World War I: The advancement of medicine was far behind the advancement of weaponry。 This book details how Dr。 Harold GIllies made huge discoveries and advancements in facial reconstruction during WWI。 As was stated in the book， a soldier with a pr What an absolutely fascinating audio book。 Full disclosure， I work in medicine， specifically surgery， and have always been fascinated with wounds and reconstruction。 I had， in the past， gone down rabbit holes regarding how war wounds have been handled。World War I: The advancement of medicine was far behind the advancement of weaponry。 This book details how Dr。 Harold GIllies made huge discoveries and advancements in facial reconstruction during WWI。 As was stated in the book， a soldier with a prosthetic arm/leg garners sympathy。。。a soldier with a facial wound garners repulsion。 The book makes references to diary entries and recollections of staff/nurses and patients。 Details the opening of the hospital and how it takes time to build back a face。 through multiple procedures。 This was a well researched book。 The narrator Daniel Gillies was excellent。 I also realized at the end， he is related to Dr。 Harold Gillies which just made it all the better。I will be purchasing or borrowing a print copy of this book to look through as I found myself googling many of the people mentioned。 。。。more
Jan
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War wounds have changed little since the nineteenth century， but the medical/surgical treatment and reconstruction have changed immeasurably。 There was no reliable anesthesia， no antibiotics at all， effective feeding devices as well as IV fluids （especially plasma！） burn care/grafting， in conditions including mud/degrading gasses （info later applied to defoliants in later wars） of that war。 There are bits describing work in the US during their Civil War， the early work in bone grafting， and the War wounds have changed little since the nineteenth century， but the medical/surgical treatment and reconstruction have changed immeasurably。 There was no reliable anesthesia， no antibiotics at all， effective feeding devices as well as IV fluids （especially plasma！） burn care/grafting， in conditions including mud/degrading gasses （info later applied to defoliants in later wars） of that war。 There are bits describing work in the US during their Civil War， the early work in bone grafting， and the development/inclusion of dentists in the field hospitals。 This is a detailed study of one dedicated surgeon's work which became the gold standard in maxillofacial surgery and reconstruction。 It will be a tough read for veterans of wars， those injured in peacetime （car accidents etc。）， and the highly imaginative。 Me？ Been there， seen that， cared for them as an RN。I requested and received an e-book copy without illustrations （darn！） from Farrar， Straus and Giroux via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Mels_best_books
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I cannot shout loud enough about this cracking book！I’ve never read a nonfiction book from cover to cover。。。but this is going to be followed by reading The Butchering Art for me。。。I work with a team of plastic surgeons so this was a great draw for me。。。to read some of the history of the fascinating and incredible work they do， and how some of those practices and techniques came to be。 I’ve often said that textbooks would be so much easier to immerse oneself in if they were written like fiction， I cannot shout loud enough about this cracking book！I’ve never read a nonfiction book from cover to cover。。。but this is going to be followed by reading The Butchering Art for me。。。I work with a team of plastic surgeons so this was a great draw for me。。。to read some of the history of the fascinating and incredible work they do， and how some of those practices and techniques came to be。 I’ve often said that textbooks would be so much easier to immerse oneself in if they were written like fiction， and this book encompasses that in a totally amazing way。 I have always felt in awe of the work the plastic surgeons do， and to read of this with all the historical info was outstanding！Of course I’m sure they’ll know all the history but it won’t be stopping me from singing Lindsey Fitzharris’ praises。。。the research this lady has done is astounding。。。I could not sleep for a few nights after starting the book， adenaline pumping so fast around my body with the excitement！ Lindsey， you are a revelation。。。you have invigorated my reading and given me added joy in my work。Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC， my hardback copy is on order！！！ This is my unbiased opinion。。。 。。。more
Gill
，
What an absolutely engrossing book。 I like anything with a medical background which is what drew me to this book。 I thought I’d be reading about the development of plastic surgery and that up until the first world war any kind of facial surgery which attempted to reconstruct or alter the face would be in its infancy， and yet this couldn’t be further from the case。 This book is brimming with interesting historical facts relating to， in particular rhinoplasty， that date much further back than even What an absolutely engrossing book。 I like anything with a medical background which is what drew me to this book。 I thought I’d be reading about the development of plastic surgery and that up until the first world war any kind of facial surgery which attempted to reconstruct or alter the face would be in its infancy， and yet this couldn’t be further from the case。 This book is brimming with interesting historical facts relating to， in particular rhinoplasty， that date much further back than even the 17th century。It certainly isn’t for the squeamish。 Though in the proof copy that I read there are no photographs， they do appear in the published book。 As it was， some way into the book out of curiosity I googled ‘tubed pedicles’， firstly to see if the procedure is still used today but also because I just couldn’t picture what these would be like from the descriptions。 I found a series of photographs on the BBC website for an exhibition called “The Faces of Battle” and could see the complexity of the treatment the soldiers received。But as well as the story of Harold Gillies， originally an ENT surgeon who did so much during WW1 for the disfigured soldiers， this also tells first-hand accounts of what it was like in the trenches on the front line。 Of those who did manage to survive， it’s little wonder that so many came back with serious PTSD。 Then it was known as shell shock， but on reading of the suffering and utter misery these men went through， it is easy to see the terrible mental and psychological trauma they suffered。 We’re told it was a bloody war， but it isn’t until you are drawn into the atmosphere of the trenches that you realise how completely gruesome and hopeless it really was。It’s not an easy read， but is certainly an interesting one and I especially liked the way it is written。 There are many accounts from injured soldiers， told in such a way that you almost feel like you’re reading something fictional and yet everything in the book has been painstakingly researched with quotes taken from letters， diaries， newspaper articles etc and imperceptibly woven into an absorbing narrative。This is a wonderful book and it has been a real privilege to read it。 It leaves you with a lasting picture of war， highlighting the dreadful loss of life and the utter misery it inflicts on everyone in its wake。 。。。more
Jamie Lee
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Thank you so much Allen Lane/Penguin Random House for this proof。 UK Release - 7th June。A fascinating， heartbreaking & ultimately hopefully story of a man who changed so many lives。 The Facemaker not only tells the story of Harold Gillies who was a pioneer of plastic surgery during World War 1 but it also tells the stories of those he helped and those who helped him。 Lindsey once again puts her whole heart into this story and it's a gripping read。 It's not the easiest to read mainly due to the h Thank you so much Allen Lane/Penguin Random House for this proof。 UK Release - 7th June。A fascinating， heartbreaking & ultimately hopefully story of a man who changed so many lives。 The Facemaker not only tells the story of Harold Gillies who was a pioneer of plastic surgery during World War 1 but it also tells the stories of those he helped and those who helped him。 Lindsey once again puts her whole heart into this story and it's a gripping read。 It's not the easiest to read mainly due to the harrowing descriptions of the injuries but in the end Harold's determination to change their lives shines through and it's extremely hopefully。 。。。more
liv
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers， Penguin-Allen Lane for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review。 I adored Lindsey Fitzharris’ first book ‘The Butchering Art’ about the pioneer Joseph Lister。 I was therefore rather beyond enthusiastic about reading ‘The Facemaker， One Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I”。 The Facemaker primarily details Harold Gillies an antipodean ENT surgeon who was a pioneer in facial reconstruction surgery （and plastic surgery） who through Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers， Penguin-Allen Lane for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review。 I adored Lindsey Fitzharris’ first book ‘The Butchering Art’ about the pioneer Joseph Lister。 I was therefore rather beyond enthusiastic about reading ‘The Facemaker， One Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I”。 The Facemaker primarily details Harold Gillies an antipodean ENT surgeon who was a pioneer in facial reconstruction surgery （and plastic surgery） who throughout WW1 （and beyond） reconstructed a plethora of injured soldiers' faces。 Fitzharris’ writing puts across the utter heartbreak some of the injured patients suffered and （sadly） some of the isolation felt by some of Gillies’ patients。 But in stark contrast also the utter triumph and happiness some of his patients felt， following care under Gillies’ team。 Despite a focus on Harold Gillies， the book details other pioneers in the care or art of facial reconstructions。 For example also included are the equally pioneering artists Francis Wood who created bespoke facial prosthetics and the equally inspiring Ladd， amongst the other spattering of artists and suregons such as Todd and the french dentist Valadier。 Fitzharris shows the pure talent and perseverance some of the medical and artistic team ensured during WW1。 I found some of the other historical titbits equally fascinating - such as the history of rhinoplasty and the medics Shushruta and Tagliacozzi's work。I am a fan of medical history and the history of science， so I was almost certain to enjoy the book in some capacity。 Fitzharris’ way with words made me almost forget I am not a big fan of military history。 I did prefer Fitzharris’ first book （The Butchering Art）， yet this doesn’t detract from the fact that Fitzharris is a phenomenal writer and has a way with words。 。。。more
Chris Boutté
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I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of this book。 This is the first book by Lindsey Fitzharris that I’ve read， but I’m a big Mary Roach fan， and she always sings Lindsey’s praises。 So， when someone from Lindsey’s team reached out to see if I wanted to check out this book， I was excited to get familiar with her work。 I’m typically extremely skeptical of books about the history of anything because they often bore me to death， but damn， Fitzharris is a phenomenal writer。 She kept me engaged I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of this book。 This is the first book by Lindsey Fitzharris that I’ve read， but I’m a big Mary Roach fan， and she always sings Lindsey’s praises。 So， when someone from Lindsey’s team reached out to see if I wanted to check out this book， I was excited to get familiar with her work。 I’m typically extremely skeptical of books about the history of anything because they often bore me to death， but damn， Fitzharris is a phenomenal writer。 She kept me engaged the entire time， and I actually found the stories super interesting。 This book is about the history of facial reconstruction and the origins of plastic surgery as well as the foundation for many other medical techniques。 More specifically， the book focuses on Harold Gillies。 Prior to this book， although I’m really big on mental health and psychology， I hadn’t put much thought into the stigma and shame around facial injuries。 The Facemaker enlightened me as to why the work that Gillies did was so important。 Once I started reading， and the book started getting into World War I and the stories of wounded soldiers， I understood why Mary Roach loves Fitzharris’ books so much。 Thank God， I recently became okay with blood and gore。 The way Fitzharris describes the injuries， the details of the surgeries， and other bloody details legitimately made me squirm but in a good way。 I was blown away at her ability to provide descriptions that made me visualize what was happening during each of these stories from 100 years ago。I highly recommend The Facemaker。 I really think fans of books about history will really enjoy this book。 And if you’re into stories with gore， you’ll love it even more。 Personally， I learned a ton。 Although I don’t usually like books like this， Lindsey Fitzharris made me kind of curious about what else I’m missing。 。。。more
Hazel
，
The Facemaker by Lindsay Fitzharris is an astonishing read。 What a Hero Harold Gillies was。 It certainly made me think more of the struggles the soldiers had and still have but now due to this pioneering work done by Dr Gilles there is more help for disfigurements in the plastic surgery field。 The book has been professionally researched and is another fantastic book by Lindsay。 Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press Uk for the ARC。 This review is my own opinion。
Louise
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An absolutely enthralling account of how one pioneering surgeon， Harold Gillies， transformed the lives of so many soldiers， disfigured in the First World War， and in the process changed the course of medical history。
Jen Burrows
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The Facemaker is a fasincating read。 I expected a relatively straightforward biography of Harold Gillies （which would have been interesting in its own right）， but Fitzharris goes beyond that， delving into the history of medicine and warfare more generally。 The practice of plastic surgery is a lot older than I'd thought， and I enjoyed learning more about its history。But Fitzharris also never forgets that the power of this history lies in the experience of individuals - the soliders， surgeons and The Facemaker is a fasincating read。 I expected a relatively straightforward biography of Harold Gillies （which would have been interesting in its own right）， but Fitzharris goes beyond that， delving into the history of medicine and warfare more generally。 The practice of plastic surgery is a lot older than I'd thought， and I enjoyed learning more about its history。But Fitzharris also never forgets that the power of this history lies in the experience of individuals - the soliders， surgeons and their families affected by facial disfigurement。 Gillies was a great believer in the emotional impact of his work， and I think he would appreciate his work being remembered in this way。*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Alisa
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A fascinating history of facial plastic surgery， which saw new developments in response to the grotesque， never before seen injuries inflicted during WWI battles。 I was saddened by the many cases of men who returned home from battle only to be shunned and viewed as monsters due to their extreme injuries （missing noses， jaws， holes， etc）。 This shows how important appearances are to humans， since soldiers who returned with a missing limb but no facial deformity were lauded as heroes。The surgeon Ha A fascinating history of facial plastic surgery， which saw new developments in response to the grotesque， never before seen injuries inflicted during WWI battles。 I was saddened by the many cases of men who returned home from battle only to be shunned and viewed as monsters due to their extreme injuries （missing noses， jaws， holes， etc）。 This shows how important appearances are to humans， since soldiers who returned with a missing limb but no facial deformity were lauded as heroes。The surgeon Harold Gillies made it his mission to restore soldiers' faces as completely as techniques would allow。 When a surgery failed or did not have the desired result， he took it as a lesson and developed new techniques in response。 His team of artists， nurses， photographers， dentists， assistants， and sculptors， all of whom collaborated on the reconstruction efforts， were likewise incredible。Highly recommended for readers of science， medicine， and war history。 。。。more
Thomas Vos
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3 + 1/2
Ergative Absolutive
，
I love the history of science and medicine。 I also love voyeuristic gruesomeness about horrible things happening to people who are long dead， especially if it includes all the gooey details。 They’re skeletons by now， regardless of what happened to them， so I don’t feel bad about it。 My fascination with this topic began in middle school， when I ran across some history textbook in the school library that included a picture from Antonio Branca’s 15th-century approach to rhinoplasty。 （Google it--it' I love the history of science and medicine。 I also love voyeuristic gruesomeness about horrible things happening to people who are long dead， especially if it includes all the gooey details。 They’re skeletons by now， regardless of what happened to them， so I don’t feel bad about it。 My fascination with this topic began in middle school， when I ran across some history textbook in the school library that included a picture from Antonio Branca’s 15th-century approach to rhinoplasty。 （Google it--it's an engraving， so not too terribly gruesome。） In retrospect， it was a weird image to put in a book for 11-year-olds， but at the time I was blown away by how clever that strategy was to preserve tissue viability until it had grown attached to its new home。 This fascination has persisted into adulthood: A history of murder by poison？ Awesome， count me in。 An account of the Great Plague of 1665？ Super， I’ll take two， please。 A history of antisepsis， before which cutting off a single guy’s leg could have a 300% mortality rate？ I’m still telling that anecdote to anyone who will listen。 I have a tag on my blog just for this sort of thing—’Gushy ways to die’。 So， naturally， when I learned that Lindsey Fitzharris—the very same from whom I first learned about the triply deadly amputation—had a written a new book about advances in facial reconstruction surgery during the First World War that developed out of the need to address the needs of soldiers who’d had their faces blown up in the trenches， I jumped on the chance， settled down with a glass of wine， and started to read。Reader， it is still too soon。 That voyeuristic gruesomeness that gives me such pleasure only works if the people are long dead， and the worse the things that happened to them， the longer dead they need to be。 These boys are dead now， and their children are dead too， but they are not long dead， and their experiences are all the more immediate because Fitzharris makes heavy use of first-hand accounts。 We don’t start with dry or clinical descriptions of what happened once they got into the hospital。 We get first person narrations of what it was like to lie in the mud for three days， unable to scream without a jaw。 And after that， those who survived lived to marry， have careers， have children and grandchildren， and were still playing with their grandchildren while my parents were in school。 It is impossible to approach this topic with the sort of gallows humor that leads to jokes about 300% mortality rates。 I think this is why Fitzharris leans into the gruesomeness so hard: There was absolutely nothing funny about World War I， and it is impossible to separate the astonishing medical reconstructions from the barbarity that made them necessary in the first place。For this reason， the book is not comfortable reading。 You can’t settle down with it to enjoy with a glass of wine the way you might settle down with an account of the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury （Chapter 18 in The Royal Art of Poison if you’re curious）。 But it is fascinating reading。 It focuses on the career and work of Harold Gillies， a surgeon who rebuilt countless soldiers’ faces after they had been exploded in battle。 Everything you think would be relevant is included: Gillies’s education and professional training， the context of medical knowledge at the time， case studies of individual soldiers， from the moment of injury to their experiences getting from the battle to Gillies， to step by step descriptions of their treatment—including a collection of pictures showing the progress of the surgery。 These pictures are， naturally， quite difficult to look at， but the end result is astonishing。 You can still tell that the poor fellows had been through a bad time， but they have mouths and noses and jaws again， and the only holes in their faces are where holes are supposed to be。Yet the pictures also contradict， slightly， an otherwise very moving refrain that Gillies would employ every time he met a new patient。 ‘Don’t worry， sonny，’ he’d say， ‘you’ll be all right and have as good a face as most of us before we’re finished with you。’ That’s simply false in the case of the pictures in the book。 But it seems， from the quotations and reminiscences， to have been true in many other cases。 There’s one anecdote about a conversation at a dinner party， in which a lady talks favorably about what she’s read of Gillies’s work to her handsome dinner companion， only for him to say that he takes her approval of Gillies’s work as a personal compliment， since he himself was one of Gillies’s patients。 The lady said later， ‘His face bore no sign of ever having been under a surgeon’s hand。’ I would have liked to see pictures of this sort of result。 Maybe these cases didn’t start off in such a bad place as the men whose photos are included in the book， and so their transformation was not as astonishing， but the tender reassurance of Gillies’s refrain rings slightly false when the only pictoral evidence we get shows that he was lying through his teeth。Beyond the primary reconstruction work that Gillies conducted， this book is full of fascinating details about related topics。 For example: trench warfare was deadly not just from the shells and gas， but from infection as well， even with modern antisepsis。 This is because the mud of the killing grounds was a soup of bacteria， regularly fed by new blood and bodies and rot and decay， and battlefield triage’s first priority was to stop the bleeding。 And while this rush to close wounds might stop immediate death by blood loss， it only made it easier for infection to kill later， because sealing the wounds ensured a perfect inoculation of pathogens to find a home deep inside the tissues of the wounded soldier。For example: rhinoplasty is a very old form of plastic surgery， and has been seen as morally suspect since the beginning。 This is because， back in the Renaissance， syphilis dissolved a lot of noses， and people were keen to hide the mark of their infection。 But because syphilis was seen as a moral failing， rather than a medical condition， getting surgery to hide it was akin to hiding your mark of shame， and frowned upon。 （And it didn’t tend to work very well anyway then， either。）For example: One groundbreaking technique that Gillies discovered， known as the tubed pedicle， was （a） developed independently at about the same time by two other surgeons and （b） claimed by one of Gillies’s colleagues as his own invention， despite Gillies’ possession of extensive medical records showing that he had used it a week before the colleague used it。 As far as I can tell no one ever really believed the colleague， but the colleague nursed a grudge for decades afterwards。For example: Gillies collaborated extensively with an artist named Henry Tonks， who created many paintings of battlefield medicine， and also painted portraits of Gillies’s patients。 These portraits were a useful addition to photographs， because Tonks could capture the colors of the wounds， bruising and infection， in ‘angry crimson， lurid purple， and moldy greens’。 Yes， we were turning STEM into STEAM over a hundred years ago。For example: Long after WWI was over， Gillies continued to pioneer novel plastic surgery， and conducted the first FtM bottom surgery in the UK。 This was legal because， although the UK had laws against the removal of a penis （because it didn’t like trans women even then; we have always been TERF island）， it did not have laws against the creation of a penis。It’s rather wonderful to discover that a man who was a hero 100 years ago was not a bigot who must be forgiven because he was ‘of his time’。 And， indeed， in other ways， too， he showed values that resonate surprisingly well with current progressive thought。 For example， he started carrying out cosmetic as well as reconstructive plastic surgery after the war was over， and although such practice was criticized by people who believed it was just an excuse to make money， Gillies felt no shame about it: Yes， it brings in money， but ‘to see the lasting pleasure that often follows makes me wonder who we are to refuse a patient。’ It was， he concluded， justified by ‘the little extra happiness [it brings] to a soul who well needs it。’ And so important was this desire to bring a little extra happiness to Gillies that he operated on a sliding scale， performing procedures for reduced prices or even for free if the patient needed treatment and couldn’t afford it。This goal of improving happiness， rather than shaming perceived vanity， strikes me as quite modern and progressive， just as much as Gillies’s lack of transphobia。 How does it hurt you if someone gets a nose job？ Let people live their lives， and if you help them do that， you are a good person。*This book is due to be released 7 June， and if you have the stomach for it， it will repay your attention handsomely。NB: I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley。 Inasmuch as I can be sure of such things， I believe that this has not affected the content of my review。*I sincerely hope that Gillies was not a complete misogynistic fascist dick in other domains of his life。 If he was， Fitzharris doesn’t mention it。 。。。more
Kirsty
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An interesting read。 I have taught about WWI medicine for many years and find it fascinating。 I liked the detailed insight into the work of Gilles and finding out new tidbits that I hadn't yet come across about medical history in general。 An interesting read。 I have taught about WWI medicine for many years and find it fascinating。 I liked the detailed insight into the work of Gilles and finding out new tidbits that I hadn't yet come across about medical history in general。 。。。more
Georgi_Lvs_Books
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This was an interesting read。 After reading Lindsey’s previous work - The Butchering Art I was keen to get this！ I must admit I prefer her first book to this。 It was still good and kept me intrigued but I just felt like something was missing。 It would have been great to have seen pictures， sketches etc。 Ideal for readers interested in medicine， medical procedures and historical fiction。 3。5 stars overall。UPDATE…Because I had an ARC photos where not provided， however I was sent them after my revi This was an interesting read。 After reading Lindsey’s previous work - The Butchering Art I was keen to get this！ I must admit I prefer her first book to this。 It was still good and kept me intrigued but I just felt like something was missing。 It would have been great to have seen pictures， sketches etc。 Ideal for readers interested in medicine， medical procedures and historical fiction。 3。5 stars overall。UPDATE…Because I had an ARC photos where not provided， however I was sent them after my review on NetGalley and it has changed my rating to 4 stars。 。。。more
Kathleen
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