History

• The First World War, which lasted from 1914 until 1918, ushered in a new kind of mechanized warfare. Bodies were maimed, burned and gassed, and as many as 280,000 combatants were left with ghastly facial injuries.
• Soldiers who suffered facial injuries were often shunned in civilian life. The reactions could be very extreme - losing a limb made you a hero, but losing a face made you a monster.
• In Britain, soldiers with facial injuries were called the "loneliest Tommies". When they left the hospital grounds, they were forced to sit on brightly painted blue benches so that the public knew not to look at them.
• Plastic surgery


  The field of plastic surgery was still in its infancy at the time of World War I
• Dr. Harold Gillies


  • He endeavored to treat the wounded soldiers with facial injuries
  • He lobbied the British War office to establish a hospital to treat facial injuries
  • He banned mirrors in some wards so the newly injured wouldn't be traumatized by their own unrecognizable faces
  • He spent the war replacing lost skin and restoring jaws, noses and teeth to give thousands of veterans a chance to return to civilian life
• Gillies was really operating without a net - he didn't have anybody teaching him how to do this and had to come up with creative solutions.
• A face wound is very bloody and ghastly, and stretcher bearers often didn't think the wounds were survivable and would leave the injured men behind.
• Trauma surgeons near the front would quickly stitch the wounds, often sealing in bacteria from the battlefield, so Gillies would have to unpick their work and start over.
• Gillies banned mirrors in the hospital ward

  To protect the patients from being shocked by their unrecognizable faces, and because their faces could look worse before they looked better during the reconstruction process
• Plastic surgery predated World War I, but attempts at rebuilding or altering a person's face tended to focus on very small areas like the ears or nose, not the wholesale restructuring that Gillies did.
• Gillies' collaborative methodology


  • He brought in X-ray technicians, mask makers, artists, and dental surgeons to build the scaffolding for the reconstructions
  • He replaced like with like - bone with bone, skin with skin - with no artificial implants
• Gillies would graft bone from the patient's own body, such as the ribs or thigh, to reconstruct jaws, all without the benefit of antibiotics.
• Some patients wore masks made by artists like Anna Coleman Ladd, but these were not a long-term solution as they were fragile, uncomfortable, and didn't age like a real face.
• After the war, Gillies continued working on the disfigured soldiers, but also expanded into cosmetic surgery to help establish plastic surgery as a subspecialty.
• Facial injuries


  Injuries that affect the face, such as burns, cuts, or fractures.
• Hospital


  A medical facility where patients receive care and treatment for various conditions.
• Banned mirrors


  Dr. Gillies prohibited the use of mirrors in certain wards to prevent patients from seeing their own reflections and potentially experiencing further distress.
• Lost skin, restored jaws, noses, and teeth

  Examples of the types of facial injuries that Dr. Gillies treated during the war. By replacing lost skin, restoring jaws, noses, and teeth, he helped to improve the appearance and quality of life for thousands of veterans.
• Mechanized warfare


  A type of warfare that involves the use of machines and technology, such as tanks, airplanes, and chemical weapons.
• The First World War (1914-1918)


  A major global conflict that marked a shift in warfare with the introduction of new, mechanized weapons and tactics.
• Casualties and injuries


  The First World War resulted in a high number of casualties and injuries, with many soldiers being maimed, burned, or gassed.
• Facial injuries


  An estimated 280,000 combatants suffered from "ghastly" facial injuries during the war, which were particularly devastating and shocking to see.
• Dr. Harold Gillies


  Surgeon who specialized in treating wounded soldiers with facial injuries during World War I
• Establishing a hospital for treating facial injuries

  Dr. Gillies advocated for the establishment of a hospital specifically for treating facial injuries
• Measures taken by Dr. Gillies


  • Banning mirrors in some wards so that newly injured soldiers wouldn't have to confront their unrecognizable faces
• Surgeries performed by Dr. Gillies


  1. Replacing lost skin

  2. Restoring jaws, noses, and teeth

  3. Giving thousands of veterans the chance to return to civilian life with a more normal appearance
• Life in the Trenches


  Understanding the harsh realities of the First World War
• Understanding the trenches


  • Describe what you think a trench looks like
  • Why do you think trenches were made in WW1?
• Lesson objectives


  • To understand what the trenches were and why they were created
  • To be able to explain the significance of trench warfare during WW1
• Trench


  • A long, narrow ditch dug by soldiers for protection
  • Played a big role in the war, especially on the Western Front, where both sides had fortified lines of these trenches that went from the English Channel to the Swiss border
• Why were trenches made?

  • Protection from Enemy Fire
  • Defensive Position
  • Strategic Advantage
  • Reducing Casualties
  • Logistical Support
  • Communication and Movement
• Protection from Enemy Fire

  The primary purpose of trenches was to provide soldiers with protection from enemy fire, including artillery shells and small arms fire
• Defensive Position


  Trenches served as a defensive position from which soldiers could repel enemy advances
• Strategic Advantage


  By occupying trenches, armies could control key territory and create obstacles to enemy advancement
• Reducing Casualties


  The static nature of trench warfare reduced the mobility of troops and made frontal assaults extremely costly
• Logistical Support


  Trenches provided a base for the storage of supplies, ammunition, and medical facilities
• Communication and Movement


  Trench systems included communication trenches that connected the frontline and support trenches
• Constitution


  A set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed
• Constitutional monarchy


  A form of government in which a monarch is the head of state, but their powers are limited by a constitution
• Absolute monarchy


  A form of government in which the monarch has absolute power with no constitutional limitations