War and Plastic Surgery, Gillies' Reconstruction, & Foundations Web Companion

From WWI trenches to Gaza today, surgeons have faced unimaginable trauma not because war inspires progress, but because someone had to restore what violence destroyed.

This isn’t about glorifying conflict. It’s about honoring the people who chose to rebuild in its wake.

Surgery in the Shadow of Conflict

Sir Harold Gillies pioneered modern reconstructive surgery during WWI. In WWII, his cousin Archibald McIndoe advanced these principles, treating burned RAF pilots and helping establish the Guinea Pig Club — a community built on restoring not just faces but identity and dignity.

At Valley Forge General Hospital during WWII, surgeons and medical artists reshaped the future of facial reconstruction. Though Joseph Murray's groundbreaking skin grafts came later, they laid the groundwork for the first successful organ transplant. Artists like Virginia McCall played vital roles in restoring appearance and hope through detailed facial prosthetics.

Plastic surgery didn’t start with aesthetics. It started with survival.

Take a look at the work Victoria Rose is doing in Gaza:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dr. Victoria Rose (@rosieplasticsurgeon)

Let’s Ditch the Myth

War doesn’t drive innovation. People do.

McIndoe’s saline baths and McCall’s plaster masks weren’t academic experiments. They were urgent, human responses to catastrophe. Even today, surgeons in Gaza, Ukraine, and Syria innovate under extreme pressure, working with what little they have to do what must be done.

These stories aren’t fringe. They’re foundational.

So, What Now?

If you’ve worked in these environments or know someone who has, we want to hear from you. Their techniques, systems, and stories matter. They shaped us once. They still can.

Would love to chat — maybe even record a super important podcast episode on this. Let’s get these voices heard.

With love,
P Fella ❤️

Amazon.com