Dr Lindsey Fitzharris Profile picture
Feb 6, 2022 • 8 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
Facial prosthesis, c.1917. THREAD👇

From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed.
The war claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate suffering. Not all soldiers had access to surgery, nor did everyone wish to undergo months (or years) of painful operations.
Artists sculpted masks for disfigured soldiers. This prosthesis was created by the American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. During the war, she created masks of the soldiers’ faces from clay or plasticine in order to create a prosthetic piece made of thin galvanized copper.
The metal was painted with hard enamel to resemble the recipient's skin tone. Ladd then used real hair to create the eyelashes, eyebrows and moustaches. Had it not been for her efforts, many of these men would have lived in isolation.
My next book, THE FACEMAKER, is about the pioneering surgeon Harold Gillies, who rebulit soldiers' faces during WW1. Gillies established one of the world’s first hospitals dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction.
It was there that he assembled a unique group of practitioners that included artists and mask makers. Their task was to restore what had been torn apart, to recreate what had been destroyed. Gillies and his team restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits.
I'm so excited (and nervous) to share five years of research with you. #TheFacemaker comes out June 7, and I would be hugely grateful for your preorders. SIGNED copies still available.

US (left): bit.ly/3K6olzB
UK (right): smarturl.it/thefacemaker
The US signed copies will have a specially designed bookplate by @TealCartoons which will be printed and bound into the first edition books. I hope you like them!

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More from @DrLindseyFitz

Nov 21, 2023
THREAD: Hard-hitting polio advert from 1958.

In the first half of the 20th century, polio was the leading cause of death in children and young adults. In extreme cases, the virus can cause spinal and respiratory paralysis, making it impossible to breathe. 1/7 An advertisement for the polio vaccine which reads: "they all got vaccine except dad...don't take a chance...take your polio shots!" It depicts a photo of a family gathered around a father who is in an iron lung.
An outbreak in Brooklyn in 1916 led to the widespread closure of cinemas, parks and swimming pools. The names and addresses of the infected were published daily in newspapers. Warning notices were nailed to their doors, and entire families were forced into quarantine. 2/7 A health card warning people to keep out of this house due to a polio outbreak.
By the 1920s, the situation had reached critical mass. One day Philip Drinker – an industrial hygienist– visited a hospital to consult on a problem with the air conditioning. The sight of dying children with paralysed diaphragms, however, affected him deeply. 3/7 Black and white photo of Philip Drinker in front of a blackboard.
Read 7 tweets
Nov 30, 2022
I've missed out on a lot of events this year due to #breastcancer, which means I've missed opportunities to engage with readers about my new book, #TheFacemaker. So, let me take a moment to tell you more about this book, which took me five years to research and write.👇 /1 Two books covers. On the le...
From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: Europe’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed.

Never before had the world faced such slaughter. /2 A black and white photo of ...
Stretcher-bearers could rarely step onto a battlefield without becoming a target. Their mortality rates were extraordinarily high. When Private W. Lugg picked up an injured man, it took him ten hours to travel 400 meters. Wheeled carts were mostly useless on blasted terrain. /3 A black and white photo of ...
Read 23 tweets
May 1, 2022
Facial prosthesis, c.1917. THREAD👇

From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: Europe’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. Two black & white photos. On the left is a soldier who has r
The war claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate suffering. Not all soldiers had access to surgery, nor did everyone wish to undergo months (or years) of painful operations. Two black & white photos. On the left is a soldier who has r
Artists sculpted masks for disfigured soldiers. This prosthesis was created by the American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. During the war, she created masks of the soldiers’ faces from clay or plasticine in order to create a prosthetic piece made of thin galvanized copper. A black & white photo of a woman and a soldier. The woman st
Read 7 tweets
Mar 29, 2022
(1/8) THREAD👇(CW: Injury/Medical)

During the Civil War, attempts were made to reconstruct the faces of soldiers injured in battle. Pictured here is Private Roland Ward, who underwent several operations without anesthetic to repair his face in the 1860s.

Photo: @CivilWarMed A compilation of photos which show a man whose jaw has been
(2/8) The need for reconstructive surgery was driven in part by the horrific damage caused by a new type of ammunition: the conical-shaped bullet known as a “Minié ball,” which flattened and deformed upon impact, creating a shock wave for maximum destruction. An illustration from the 19th century of various head wounds
(3/8) The most skillful surgeon to emerge during this period was Gurdon Buck, who helped repair the face of Private Carleton Burgan (below) after a gangrenous infection destroyed his upper mouth, palate, right cheek & eye.

Photo: Science Photo Library. A photo of a man with a severe facial wound. Part of his upp
Read 8 tweets
Feb 16, 2022
(1/15) My forthcoming book THE FACEMAKER is about the pioneering surgeon Harold Gillies who rebuilt soldiers' faces during World War I. But Gillies is only one part of this story. Today's THREAD is in honour of the nurses who played an integral part in the war effort.👇
(2/15) Never before had the world faced such slaughter. During WWI, medical staff applied 1.5 million splints, administered 1,088 million doses of drugs, fitted over 20,000 artificial eyes & used 7,250 tons of cotton wool while applying 108 million bandages to injured combatants.
(3/15) More than 6,000 medical staff would die and over 17,000 would be wounded in the British Army alone. No matter how hard doctors and nurses worked, they were consistently overwhelmed by the sheer number of wounded men.
Read 15 tweets
Apr 30, 2021
(1/12) THREAD: THE SADDEST PLACE IN LONDON?👇

In 1887, the artist George F. Watts proposed a tribute of a different sort for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. He believed art could act as a force for social change & suggested a monument celebrating "heroism in every-day life."
(2/12) Watts referred to Alice Ayres, a nursemaid who died in a fire after she saved the lives of her employer’s children by throwing a mattress out the window and dropping them to safety. She was then overcome by the fumes and stumbled out of the window to her death.
(3/12) Watts proposed that a marble wall inscribed with the names of everyday heroes be built in Hyde Park. Sadly, his suggestion could not garner enough support, leading him to quip that if he had proposed a race course instead, he would have had plenty of sympathizers.
Read 12 tweets

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