Wow. Just wow.
I’d heard of the surgeon Sir Harold Gillies, as my family both have army medical core and nursing ties, plus a solid love of history. However, I didn’t know much about the man himself, and how much he and others gave to help the victims of World War 1.
The First World War was the worst, the bloodiest, the most industrialized slaughter of man by man the world had known, and the injuries sustained were horrific. Medicine and surgery simply couldn’t cope – not with the sheer volume of wounded, nor the nature of the wounds themselves. But Gillies, who was a gifted, creative surgeon wanted to help the poor souls whose lives, and faces had been ravaged.
Plastic surgery wasn’t entirely new, but was, still largely experimental – and many of the operations he did had never been done before, and a fair few failed.
The men coming through the doors – well if there’s an argument against war this is it – many of them had taken severe facial and jaw injuries, horrendous burns. Faces had literally been blown off, or mangled – many couldn’t eat, talk, and disfigurement was among the most feared of disabilities. But this man, this doctor, rebuilt them….
He fought with authority, and succeeded in opening a ward to try and save these unfortunate men, and restore their faces and their dignity. He worked tirelessly, with little pay and often awful conditions to help others.
It’s not an easy book to read – there are descriptions of horrific wounds, surgery and the awfulness that was the Great War – but primarily it’s a book about hope, and kindness, of pushing the boundaries of what can be done, and should be done. It’s very well written, and sympathetic, both to the staff of the hospitals, and the soldiers themselves. It doesn’t hold back, but the author doesn’t seek to trivialise the war.
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About the author
Beautifully written
A member of my family, Walter Perry, was a patient at Queen Mary's Hospital at Sidcup and had his face rebuilt in 1917 after receiving a gun shot wound which shattered his upper jaw and left a gaping exit wound. I previously read Dr. Andrew Bamji's brilliant book "Faces from the Front" to better understand the pioneering work carried out by Dr. Harold Gillies and his team, what Walter would have had to endure and what his rehab would have involved. Thanks to Dr Bamji, I was able to get a copy of Walter's medical records, including Gillies' handwritten notes as well as before and after photographs, which starkly illustrated the extent of damage. Against this background, I was really excited to learn more and keenly awaited the publication of Dr Lindsey Fitzharris's book "The Facemaker". I was not disappointed. It is well researched and beautifully written, bringing Gillies' character to life, as well as his deep compassion for his patients, positive attitude towards recovery and obsessive determination to make a difference. Not only Gillies though, but the humanity of all of the patients whose stories unfold from page to page. I could not put this wonderful book about hope and resilience down and am grateful to have been able to learn more. Highly recommended, as is a visit to the recently unveiled memorial to the men with broken faces at Queen's Hospital.
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 July 2022
A member of my family, Walter Perry, was a patient at Queen Mary's Hospital at Sidcup and had his face rebuilt in 1917 after receiving a gun shot wound which shattered his upper jaw and left a gaping exit wound. I previously read Dr. Andrew Bamji's brilliant book "Faces from the Front" to better understand the pioneering work carried out by Dr. Harold Gillies and his team, what Walter would have had to endure and what his rehab would have involved. Thanks to Dr Bamji, I was able to get a copy of Walter's medical records, including Gillies' handwritten notes as well as before and after photographs, which starkly illustrated the extent of damage. Against this background, I was really excited to learn more and keenly awaited the publication of Dr Lindsey Fitzharris's book "The Facemaker". I was not disappointed. It is well researched and beautifully written, bringing Gillies' character to life, as well as his deep compassion for his patients, positive attitude towards recovery and obsessive determination to make a difference. Not only Gillies though, but the humanity of all of the patients whose stories unfold from page to page. I could not put this wonderful book about hope and resilience down and am grateful to have been able to learn more. Highly recommended, as is a visit to the recently unveiled memorial to the men with broken faces at Queen's Hospital.
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2022
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 July 2024
Top reviews from other countries
- Elizabeth GrysReviewed in the United States on 26 October 2024
Great read for those who love medical and historical books
- Jeevan Prakash V.Reviewed in India on 26 December 2024
A must read for surgeons who deal with facial plastic and reconstructive work
-
RAFAEL LÓPEZ MONTESReviewed in Spain on 4 September 2022
Inicios de la cirugía plástica
