> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theplasticsfella.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # War and Plastic Surgery, Gillies' Reconstruction, & Foundations Web Companion - URL: https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/ - Published: 2025-06-20T22:45:10.000Z - Updated: 2025-06-22T11:19:15.000Z - Description: Also: A book recommendation, the Sunday quiz, & events calendar. - Author: PlasticsFella - Tags: thePlasticsPaper #### In this week's edition 1. ****✍️** [****Letter from P'Fella**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#a-letter-from-pfella) Plastic surgery's bloodline. 2. ****🤓** [****The Sunday Quiz**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#the-sunday-quiz) How well do you know Wounds**?* 3. 🖼️ [****Image of the Week**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#image-of-the-week) Harold Gillies' reconstruction. 4. 📚 [****Book Review**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#book-review) The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I. 5. ****🎙️** [****Behind the 'Fella**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#behind-the-fella) 28 days in Gaza with Ms Victoria Rose. 6. ****🎈** [****Upcoming Events**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#upcoming-events) Browse what’s on or share your own. 7. ****🔥** [****Articles of the Week**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#articles-of-the-week) 3 recommended reads on plastic surgery and war: With 1-sentence summaries. 8. 💕 [****Feedback**](https://www.theplasticsfella.com/june-22nd/#feedback) Suggest ideas & give feedback! ## A Letter from P'Fella **Plastic Surgery's Bloodline* 👋 Plastic surgery wasn’t born in boardrooms. It was forced into existence on battlefields. 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 ](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKfgvB1tv9w/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Dr. Victoria Rose (@rosieplasticsurgeon)](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKfgvB1tv9w/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) **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 ❤️ ## The Sunday Quiz **How Well Do You Know Wounds?* ****Ready to climb the leaderboard?** Join **The Weekly Quiz* in each edition of thePlasticsPaper. Tackle one question per week for seven rounds! The ****top** scorer wins a copy of our upcoming textbook, [**Foundations*](https://foundations.theplasticsfella.com/?ref=theplasticsfella.com). ## Image of the Week **Harold Gillies Reconstruction* 🖼️ ****Image of the Week** This week’s image features an early and foundational example of facial reconstruction by Sir Harold Gillies, often regarded as the “**father of plastic surgery*.” It demonstrates staged surgical repair using a ****pedicled tubed flap**, a cornerstone technique that paved the way for modern reconstructive surgery. ![Harold Gillies Reconstruction](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a0/9f/a09fd7b4-d396-4b28-aed3-b87e20483292/content/images/2025/06/image-2.png) Harold Gillies Reconstruction - [Source](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-laryngology-and-otology/article/abs/sir-harold-delf-gillies-the-otolaryngologist-and-father-of-modern-facial-plastic-surgery-review-of-his-rhinoplasty-case-notes/8C53320757FC829CF4268B677CD5C67A?ref=theplasticsfella.com) ## Book Review **The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I* 📚 **Not exactly a review this week; just a strong recommendation!* ****The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I** explores the incredible life and innovations of Harold Gillies, one of the most influential pioneers in plastic and reconstructive surgery. If you’re looking to dive deeper into the history of our specialty, this is a must-read. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a0/9f/a09fd7b4-d396-4b28-aed3-b87e20483292/content/images/2025/06/image-3.png) [Amazon.com![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a0/9f/a09fd7b4-d396-4b28-aed3-b87e20483292/content/images/icon/faviconV2-1)](https://a.co/d/b05TpSw?ref=theplasticsfella.com) ## Behind the 'Fella **28 Days in Gaza with Ms Victoria Rose* 🎧 ****28 Days in Gaza** Catch up on our episode with Victoria Rose reporting from Gaza. Victoria shares powerful, firsthand experiences from the frontlines of humanitarian surgery, offering an insightful and eye-opening perspective on the experiences of healthcare workers in conflict zones. **What’s it like to handle complex trauma and reconstructive cases in such challenging conditions?* **How do surgeons manage under intense pressure and with limited resources?* Listen now on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/46pGp957C6aXCUKSqe03qR?ref=theplasticsfella.com) & [Apple](https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/28-days-in-gaza-with-ms-victoria-rose-surgery/id1746377600?i=1000674637339&ref=theplasticsfella.com). 0:00 /0:54 1× 28 Days in Gaza with Ms Victoria Rose ## Upcoming Events **Browse What’s on or Share Your Own* 📅 ****Here you’ll find the latest webinars, courses, and conferences that matter to plastic surgeons — all in one place.** Have an event of your own? Doesn't matter if it's a small journal club or a national meeting, we’re happy to have it on our calendar! This page is here to help the whole community stay connected. Explore our recommendations or submit your event below 👇 ## Articles of the Week **3 Interesting Articles with One-Sentence Summaries* ✅ ****Scope of Plastic Surgery in Modern Military Conflicts** ([Fox](https://academic.oup.com/milmed/article/186/3-4/e327/5989495?ref=theplasticsfella.com), 2021) Most combat-related reconstructions, including microsurgery for extremity and craniofacial injuries, are performed at Role 4/5 facilities, highlighting the need for military plastic surgeons to maintain broad reconstructive expertise. ✅ ****Surgical Innovation at Bangour During WWII** ([Stewart](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1748681521000450?ref=theplasticsfella.com), 2021) Early reconstructive work at Scotland’s Bangour Unit (1941–42) reveals foundational plastic surgery techniques, including cross-leg flaps, forehead flaps, and lymphatic reconstruction guided by Gillies’ mentorship and principles still reflected in modern practice. ✅ ****Wartime as a Catalyst for Surgical Progress** ([Stark](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094129820302674?ref=theplasticsfella.com), 1975) Conflicts from antiquity to WWII drove major advances in reconstructive surgery, with wartime innovation shaping the foundations of modern plastic surgery practice. ## Feedback ### I hope you enjoyed it 😄 ---